The framers of the 1985 Philippine Constitution have been of one mind in their consideration of the role of the private sector in the economy. It had been a time-honored principle of laissez-faire economics or free-enterprise introduced into the country by way of American occupation in the dawn of the 20th century. As such it is embedded in the Constitution’s declaration of policy which is articulated for example in Republic Act 6987 which stated that: “It is the declared policy of the State to recognize the indispensable role of the private sector as the main engine for national growth and development and provide the most appropriate incentives to mobilize private resources for the purpose of financing the construction, operation and maintenance of infrastructure and development projects normally financed and undertaken by the Government.”
In the field of transportation, that constitutional mandate is translated into action via the vision and actions of the country’s movers and shakers whose work and accomplishments provide a ray of sunshine in our otherwise grey pandemic skies. Perhaps unknown to many of us, the enormous task of transforming how motoring here in Metro Manila would look like after we all emerge from our home cocoons into the brave new post-pandemic world is being done right now by these outstanding transport champions. Hopefully, you and I need not suffer the hours of traffic that Metro Manila’s antiquated road networks have bedeviled generations of Filipinos and have cost billions in daily wastage of manpower hours and carbon-laden pollution that our daily commutes entail.
I have in mind the new highway construction and road building that Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation (MPTC) under Chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan (MVP) is doing in the National Capital Region (NCR) which would directly benefit hundreds of thousands of motorists and commuters once the country emerges from the restrictions imposed by this pandemic. Take the case of the P12-billion Section 3 of the NLEX-CAVITEX Port Link Expressway, which will link CAVITEX to Gil J. Puyat Avenue via a 4.8-km elevated expressway above the Diosdado Macapagal Avenue. The 2-km stretch that will extend the NLEX Harbor Link towards Quezon City and eventually connect to the C5 Expressway. There is also the 2-km Section 3B of C5 South Link Segments extending CAVITEX farther from the south to the C5 Expressway through the cities of Paranaque, Pasay and Taguig.
The overall impact of these projects is that Metro Manila’s major sea ports and airports to north and south destinations are connected, without the constraints of a truck ban. These projects will enable hauler trucks to achieve 24/7 unimpeded delivery of goods. For the motorist, travel time from CAVITEX to Makati will be reduced to 30 minutes from one and a half hours with the 7.7 km C5 South Link Segments 2 and 3.
For motorists going further South, the Cavite-Laguna Expressway (CALAX) also under MPTC, has an entire 10-kilometer section leading to Santa Rosa that links to Tagaytay highway now open to all. In addition, construction has been completed for three of the eight interchanges, namely: Laguna Technopark, Laguna Boulevard, and Santa Rosa-Tagaytay Road. The third interchange has been fully connected to the national highway and toll booths are already being constructed in all three areas. Also, a roundabout has been constructed near the Mamplasan Interchange to facilitate a better flow of traffic going into or out of either CALAX or the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX).
All of these reflect MVP’s earlier commitment, as reported in the press, to the government’s call to accelerate construction of infrastructure projects with investments of up to P120 billion. He emphasized, more than ever, the private sector’s participation in the government’s huge infrastructure development program. “Infrastructure building brings with it a huge multiplier effect on the economy, especially with MPTC’s massive investments in constructing new tollways and expanding its present expressway network,” MVP said.
In a parallel development, SMC President and Chief Operating Officer Ramon Ang has expressed confidence that they would be able to open Skyway 3 by December and committed that it will be free—the entire 18-kilometer length of Skyway 3, from Buendia to North Luzon Expressway (NLEX)—to the public for the first month. The connector road that took six years to complete is meant to drastically improve travel time and traffic conditions in and around Metro Manila. It will provide an alternative to EDSA, with a total of eight access points that traverse Makati, Manila, San Juan, and Quezon City. Among these access points include, Buendia, Plaza Dilao, Nagtahan, Aurora Blvd., Quezon Ave., Sgt. Rivera, Balintawak, and NLEX. “We’re very proud and excited about this project, because it will truly make a big difference to so many people’s lives—especially with our economy slowly opening up and with more vehicles coming back to our roads,” Ang, in a press interview, said. “With Skyway 3, we will improve the daily commutes and lives of so many Filipinos. We will lessen their time spent in traffic on the road, we can increase both their productivity and time spent with their families,” he explained.
SMC is also eyeing to complete the northbound section of the Skyway extension project, which connects SLEX directly to Skyway from Susana Heights in Muntinlupa, also by December. The SMC chief said that when completed, travel time from Susana Heights through the Skyway System including Skyway 3, to NLEX-Balintawak toll plaza will only eat up 20 minutes while the Magallanes to Balintawak will be for just 15 minutes. The Balintawak to NAIA will also be just 15 minutes, and Valenzuela to Makati will only take 10 minutes.
So perhaps we can indeed look for the silver lining hovering somewhere above in these pandemic times. Things are moving without any question and the future is beckoning us all with the need for hard work, visionary ideas and individual effort that private enterprise allows us to strive for. And I am so looking forward to my leisurely drive using these new roads and high-ways as soon as everything “normalizes.”
Peachy Vibal – Guioguio is a PR strategist who has lead communications departments in GMA Network, ABS-CBN, and TV5. She enjoys long drives, taking scenic routes, and finds a thrill going wherever she pleases behind a wheel. She has yet to learn how to replace a flat tire.