SLEX poor condition hit

The leader of a Laguna residents’ group critical of the Skyway and South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) operators again slammed the Philippine National Construction Corporation’s (PNCC) failure to address the worsening traffic condition at the SLEX.

"We fear the problem is being deliberately neglected by the PNCC to justify the entry of a private contractor," said Ray Junia, leader and spokesperson of the Movement for Responsible Enterprise (MORE).

Junia recalled that in 1995, the private Indonesian firm Citra managed to get into a partnership with the government to solve the traffic problem on the SLEX. The partnership gave birth to the Citra Metro Manila Tollways (CMMT) that constructed the Skyway to help ease the heavy traffic on the SLEX.

Prior to the government partnership with Citra, bad road conditions contribute to the heavy traffic build-up between the Alabang-Sta. Rosa stretch of the expressway, said Junia, a resident of San Pedro, Laguna.

The STAR tried but failed to reach PNCC management for comment. According to Junia, his group has gathered some 5,000 signatures of residents from the first district of Laguna for a letter addressed to President Arroyo, calling her attention to the plight of Skyway and SLEX users. — Nikko Dizon