BOI clears P48.5-B Calax project

The Board of Investments (BOI) has approved the registration of the P48.5 billion Cavite-Laguna Expressway (Calax) project of MPCALA Holdings Inc.

BOI managing head Ceferino Rodolfo said the agency recognized the project’s impact in addressing the infrastructure requirement of both the business locators and the general commuting public in the Cavite and Laguna areas.

The project qualified as an infrastructure public-private partnership (PPP) project under the preferred activities of the current Investment Priorities Plan.

“Calax will greatly ease the movement of goods and services in the area, further boosting the economic activities in the Southern Tagalog region and create jobs,” said Rodolfo, adding the infrastructure development complements the agency’s strategy to further disperse economic activities across the regions.

Apart from the project’s economic benefits, BOI said the Calax would also provide a faster, safer, and comfortable route for the commuting public travelling between the Bacoor and Kawit, Cavite areas and the Laguna and South Luzon Expressway areas.

“The provinces of Cavite and Laguna are rapidly growing industrial and commercial hubs in the Southern Tagalog region. Presently, traffic congestion is prevalent in the region’s major road networks such as Governor’s Drive, Aguinaldo Highway and Sta. Rosa-Tagaytay Road,” it said.

The PPP Center endorsed the Calax project for the BOI’s approval since it is one of the priority projects under the PPP program.

The BOI said the PPP Center certified that no government subsidy was extended to MPCALA.

MPCALA, owned by the Metro Pacific Group of businessman Manuel V. Pangilinan, was selected as the winning bidder in 2015 for the Calax project as well as the right to collect fees over a 35-year concession period.

Calax covers the construction, operation and maintenance of a four-lane 45-kilometer expressway from the Manila-Cavite Toll Expressway in Kawit, Cavite up to the South Luzon ExpresswayMamplasan interchange in Biñan, Laguna.

The expressway will have eight interchanges and one main toll barrier.

Calax is scheduled to be operational by July 2020.