Noy first to drive on Daang Hari-SLEX connector

MANILA, Philippines - The first public-private partnership (PPP) project under the administration that touts the straight path or tuwid na daan is a four-kilometer toll road, and it was finally opened yesterday.

With Ayala Corp. chairman and CEO Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala and Public Works Secretary Rogelio Singson as passengers, President Aquino himself got behind the wheel of his own Toyota Land Cruiser and became the first to drive through the newly opened Daang Hari-SLEX connector road, now called the Muntinlupa-Cavite Expressway or MCX.

 The toll road is expected to decongest traffic and reduce travel time in Cavite, Las Piñas and Muntinlupa.

From a helicopter, Aquino got into his SUV and drove to the MCX toll booth plaza for his toll card, becoming the ceremonial first customer.

The MCX is a vital access road that links Muntinlupa City to Cavite and Metro Manila and the rest of Southern Luzon. It is expected to relieve traffic congestion along the Daang Hari Road and Commerce Avenue and give commuters from Molino and Bacoor in Cavite a faster and easier access to the South Luzon Expressway.

MCX starts at Daang Hari in Las Piñas where the Evia Lifestyle Center is located, at the city’s junction with Cavite near Ayala development Verdana Homes. The road cuts through government properties in Muntinlupa and ends near the Susana Heights interchange in SLEX.

Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said the road would provide new access to the New Bilibid Prisons property and improve the overall competitiveness of Region IV-A (Cavite-Laguna-Batangas-Rizal-Quezon or Calabarzon) as an investment destination by providing an alternative route to/from Metro Manila and Cavite.

Motorists will be allowed to pass through the MCX for free for a month. The toll rate for the four-kilometer, four-lane road is set at P17 for Class 1 vehicles, P34 for Class 2 vehicles and P51 for Class 3 vehicles.

Ayala Corp. said it invested P2.2 billion in the MCX, including a P902-million cash payment to government, and would operate and maintain the road for 30 years.

Zobel said Ayala Corp. is delighted to participate in the PPP project that made a big difference in the government’s infrastructure program. He added that they would also be happy to continue participating in the PPP program and expressed hope that the same “set of policies” would be carried over in the future.

The general contractor for the construction of the MCX Tollway is the Makati Development Corp. while Getinsa, an expert on comprehensive management of toll road infrastructure projects from Madrid, Spain, served as the technical adviser during the construction of the MCX Tollway.

The expressway will be operated and maintained in partnership with the Egis, a toll concession operator from France.

Former senator Manuel Villar Jr. was present during the opening of the MCX and said he was grateful for the road’s completion.

Ayala Corp. had to iron out issues with the Villar group’s Vista Land & Landscapes, which reportedly wanted to put up a mall close to the toll road and in the same area where the Ayalas were keen to build a commercial center.

Construction of the MCX was fast-tracked by February 2014 after the Ayala unit gained access to the interchange. Early works on the road began in May 2013.

The project was awarded to Ayala Corp. in December 2011. It was scheduled to open last June but was delayed due to interconnection problems with SLEX.

Zobel told reporters on the sidelines of the opening of MCX that Ayala Corp. is also interested in taking part in other PPP projects following the completion of the toll road.

Ayala Corp. managing director Eric Francia said among the PPP projects the Ayala group would be interested to participate in are the South Line of the North-South Railway Project and the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Development Project.

As the Ayala Group is interested in participating in the bidding of the railway project through a consortium, Francia said there are ongoing discussions with Metro Pacific Investments Corp. (MPIC).

“We’re talking. Nothing has been formalized yet in terms of our consortium but we’re definitely talking to partners and MPIC is the most advanced in that regard,” he added.

The Ayala Group is also looking into the NAIA Development Project, which involves upgrade of terminals as well as operations and maintenance of the airport, recently endorsed by the National Economic and Development Authority-Investment Coordination Committee for approval under the PPP.

“In the same way we were interested in Mactan, it’s a major strategic infrastructure asset in a very important sector which is airport. It affects a lot of sectors, tourism, commerce, etc. Definitely, we’re interested in that. There’s also growth opportunities in that asset,” Francia said.

The Ayala Group also has bids for other PPP projects such as the Laguna Lakeshore Expressway-Dike Project and the Bulacan Bulk Water Supply.– Louella Desiderio