DOTC prefers Veterans as site of north transport terminal

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) prefers the Veterans Memorial Medical Center (VMMC) as the site of a transportation hub to serve public utility vehicles coming from Northern Luzon.

Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya said the 55-hectare hospital complex owned by Philippine Veterans Affairs Office (PVAO) is the preferred site for the much needed Integrated Transport System – North Terminal.

“We are seriously targeting the VMMC,” Abaya said.

Accordng to Abaya, PVAO is supportive of the planned transport terminal under the public private partnership (PPP) scheme in the VMMC.

“From both sides, we have mutual interest. The location is near the original site,” he added.

The VMMC is along North and Mindanao Avenues and is near the proposed P1.4- billion common station to be constructed in front of the Trinoma Mall of Ayala Corp.

Other sites considered for the North ITS is the Manila Seedling Bank at the corner of EDSA and Quezon Ave. as well as the property of the National Housing Authority (NHA) near the Trinoma Mall.

The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) has approved the P7.7-billion ITS projects to maximize road usage by reducing vehicle volume and eliminating provincial bus traffic to improve traffic flow along Metro Manila’s major thoroughfares particularly EDSA.

PPP Centre executive director Cosette Canilao earlier said Filinvest Land Inc. of taipan Andrew Gotianun and MWM Terminals led by Filipino-owned Megawide Construction Corp. submitted bids for the P2.5-billion ITS – Southwest terminal last Dec. 22.

Aside from Filinvest and Megawide, other companies that bought bid documents are San Miguel Corp., Ayala Corp., Ayala Land Inc., Metro Pacific Tollways Corp., Robinsons Land Inc., D.M. Wenceslao and Associates Inc., Vicente T. Lao Construction, French-owned Egis Projects Philippines; Megaworld Corp.; State Properties Corp.; Expedition Properties Corp.; MGS Construction Inc.; Altus San Nicolas Corp.; and Tutuban Properties.

The proposed terminal to be situated in a 2.9-hectare property at the Coastal Road Terminal along the Manila-Cavite Expressway would connect passengers coming from Cavite to other urban transport systems such as the future Light Rail Transit line 1 (LRT) South Extension to Bacoor in Cavite, city bus, taxi, and other public utility vehicles plying Metro Manila.

Earlier, the DOTC prequalified Ayala Land, Filinvest Land Inc. of taipan Andrew Gotianun, Megawide Construction Corp., and Datem Inc. for the P4-billion ITS South Terminal at the Food Terminal Inc. (FTI) complex in Taguig City.