Supreme Court asked to stop LRT Cavite extension project

MANILA, Philippines - The Supreme Court (SC) has been asked to stop the implementation of a P70-billion project for the extension of the Light Rail Transit (LRT) Line 1 to Cavite.

In a 21-page petition filed Friday, lawyer Salvador Belaro Jr. urged the high court to issue a temporary restraining order prohibiting the Department of Transportation and Communications, the Light Rail Transit Authority and the Light Rail Manila Consortium from proceeding with the deal, which was signed in October last year. 

Belaro urged the high court to nullify the deal, which he described as a one-sided contract. 

The SC will tackle the petition in a regular session tomorrow.

Belaro said the 32-year concession agreement violated the Build-Operate-Transfer Law, which limits government financial exposure to only 50 percent of project cost, and the right to information.

He said the project was overpriced as compared to the LRT-MRT North extension project, which is 5.71 kilometers long, yet cost only P6.3 billion. 

The petitioner said the Cavite extension project, which is 11.71 kilometers long, would cost P70 billion, representing an overprice of 300 percent.