Villar hopeful of NEDA clearance for CTBEX project

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) hopes to see Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. (MPTC)’s P22.43-billion Cavite-Tagaytay-Batangas Expressway (CTBEX) project get cleared before the year ends so that its proponent could commence with the construction early next year.

Public Works and Highways Secretary Mark Villar said the 50.42-kilometer CTBEX unsolicited proposal of MPTC remains in the hands of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) for review and approval.

Villar said NEDA still has some clarifications with the proposal.

“But our target is by the fourth quarter, we could get the approval of NEDA so that hopefully it can undergo Swiss challenge already and we can start early next year,” he said.

MPTC’s unsolicited offer to develop the CTBEx has been granted the original proponent status (OPS) by the DPWH in July last year.

The OPS gives MPTC the right to match offers from other parties when a Swiss challenge is conducted for the project. The Swiss challenge will be undertaken once the proposal gets approval from NEDA.

MPTC was earlier hoping to see the project undergo Swiss challenge within the third quarter at the earliest, or the fourth quarter by the latest.

The P22.43 billion proposal will connect from the west of Silang East Interchange of the Cavite Laguna Expressway and will pass through Silang, Pook, Amadeo, Tagaytay, Mendez, Alfonso, Magallanes, Tuy and Nasugbu.

The project was conceived in early 2016 in line with MPTC’s desire and commitment to help bring progress to the western part of Southern Luzon.

It is one of the first projects that have been granted OPS by the DPWH under the current administration.

Villar earlier said the project was given the OPS because of its significance in addressing congestion in the Calabarzon area.

Aside from the CTBEX project, MPTC has also submitted to the DPWH a P92-billion unsolicited proposal to construct an expressway linking North Luzon Expressway and Manila-Cavite Expressway, or the NLEX-CAVITEX Port Expressway Link project.