President Marcos bares toll-free Cavitex access for 30 days

MANILA, Philippines — Motorists passing through the Manila-Cavite Toll Expressway will enjoy toll-free use of the highway for 30 days to promote the opening of three new roads that connect to the CAVITEX, President Marcos said yesterday. 

Marcos made the announcement in his remarks during the groundbreaking of the CAVITEX-CALAX Link and the CAVITEX C5 Link Segment 3B and inauguration of the CAVITEX C5 Link Sucat Interchange in Parañaque City.

He said the new linkages will greatly shorten northbound and southbound travel time and encouraged travelers to “experience firsthand the ease and convenience that these roads will bring to our daily lives.”

“This (ease of using CAVITEX) is especially so after receiving the good news that the PRA or the Philippine Reclamation Authority, as operator of the CAVITEX, proposed to suspend the collection of toll fees for all types of vehicles passing through the Manila-Cavite Toll Expressway in Taguig, Parañaque, Las Piñas, Bacoor and Kawit for 30 days,” the President said.

“This will introduce our new roads, expressways, to those who are in need of that transport system,” he said.

Marcos thanked the PRA for its initiative to help mitigate the impact of rising fuel costs to motorists.

“I now count on our Toll Regulatory Board to ensure the immediate implementation, for the benefit of the riding and the transport public,” he said.

Present at the groundbreaking and inauguration were Senators Cynthia Villar and Mark Villar, Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Manuel Bonoan, Metro Pacific Investments chair Manny Pangilinan, former DPWH secretary and now Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. president and CEO Rogelio Singson and Parañaque City Mayor Eric Olivarez.

Marcos also led the groundbreaking of the CAVITEX-CALAX Link in Kawit, Cavite earlier in the day.

He said the CAVITEX-CALAX Link, originating from Kawit, is a 1.2-kilometer connection “whose length may be short, but its impact will be substantial.”

“With this, we anticipate a significant improvement in the road network connectivity from Kawit to the greater CALABARZON region,” Marcos said.

By establishing a direct connection to CALAX, it will also ease traffic congestion at the busy intersection of Tirona Highway and Centennial Road, the President said.

The 1.9-kilometer CAVITEX C5 Link Sucat Interchange, meanwhile, is expected to reduce travel time from CAVITEX R-1 (Coastal Road) to Sucat, Parañaque to just five minutes, according to Marcos.

“It is a dramatic improvement from the usual one-hour travel time via existing public roads from Kawit, Cavite,” he said.

The CAVITEX C5 Link Expressway Segment 3B, a two-kilometer road coming from Sucat Interchange going to E. Rodriguez in C5 Road, Taguig, is expected to reduce travel time from CAVITEX R-1 Expressway Section to SLEX/C5 Road from 40 minutes to just 10 minutes once completed, Marcos said. It is slated for completion by August 2025. — Helen Flores, Elijah Felice Rosales