MVP, Ang unveil expressway link project

MANILA, Philippines - Metro Pacific Investments Corp. (MPIC)’s Manuel Pangilinan and San Miguel Corp. (SMC) president Ramon Ang unveiled before President Aquino yesterday the proposed P45-billion project to connect the North and South Luzon Expressways (NLEX and SLEX).

Construction is set to begin late this year.

The project involves MPIC’s 21-kilometer NLEX-SLEX connector that includes an eight-kilometer harbor link. It will cost P35.3 billion.

Transportation Secretary Manuel Roxas II was present during the PowerPoint presentation at the President’s Hall at Malacañang yesterday.

The project is now up for a Swiss challenge, Roxas said. It is expected to generate some 8,000 jobs.

It will connect the north and south ports, Ninoy Aquino International Airport and Clark freeport, providing a separate road and faster inter-regional movement of people and goods between Central Luzon and Metro Manila.

The SMC project is being undertaken as a continuation of the existing franchise of the Philippine National Construction Corp. (PNCC).

Roxas said the media briefing would expedite the Swiss challenge portion that Aquino told Palace reporters is “mandated,” the NLEX-SLEX connector being an “unsolicited proposal.”

The President said all those who want to take part in the Swiss challenge for the project should already start preparing.

“You’ve seen the detailed engineering, all the works pertaining to financing and environmental have been done by the original proponent,” he said.

Aquino said the projects would have “significant effects” on the local economy, especially for the local governments concerned, where there will be unimpeded mobilization of goods and would do away with the truck ban.

“Bottom line, currently when you have to ship all of these and you go by boat, you have to contend with traversing EDSA and that adds a significant amount of travel time,” he said.

Aquino cited the case of ladies’ bag manufacturer Coach located in Tarlac and Japan’s Uniqlo that is setting up a shop in Subic.

“It adds pressure to your just-in-time deliveries and it increases also the pollution quotient within the NCR. So this facilitates the whole process,” he said.

“It facilitates the movement of goods, services and people, then it also enhances the connectivity between NAIA and Clark. And the expansion plans for our gateways will involve Clark to a large degree. So that makes it even more feasible.”

Pangilinan’s group said the proposed link that will connect NAIA to Clark will be a 75-minute uninterrupted drive.

The Citra-PNCC project, which also involves SMC, will also help “decongest EDSA as this will have faster travel time, have a bigger vehicle capacity, will have more entry/exit points and more flexibility for intercity travel.”

It will also be good for the administration since there will be no government subsidy, it has a lower project cost, it will have faster implementation, government gains bigger assets without any investment and it still has “provision for mass railway/trains.”

And the best part of it is that there will be “lower toll rates” to benefit the motoring public over the long term.