Calax Sta. Rosa-silang section stuck in ROW issues
IN November last year, Sen. Panfilo Lacson flagged a road infrastructure project that he said then “leads to nowhere.” Lacson was referring to the Eastern Interior Bypass Road in Cagayan de Oro City, constructed by the government between 2015 and 2020 for about P1.3 billion. Yet, the Department of Public Works and Highways was still asking for some P414.5 million allocation under the 2021 budget, which both chambers of Congress were trying to pass. Interestingly, the regional director of DPWH whom Lacson consulted said that the project was no longer feasible.
During a 2017 budget hearing, the senator had already questioned the project’s inability to resolve right-of-way (ROW) issues, arguing that the ROW obstacle should have been hurdled first before the government spends a cent for its construction. It was baffling, Lacson said, that the DPWH was still requesting for additional funding for a project deemed unviable by the DPWH regional director.
In the same hearing, Lacson also voiced concerns about other costly infra projects, such as the Guicadale Road Network to Bicol International Airport (Manawan-kinuartilan Section) in Albay, which was appropriated P10 million in 2020 and was requesting for another P1 million under the 2021 budget. Before this, Lacson had exposed several infra projects that remained undone, despite fulfilled collections in the millions of pesos, which were seeking extra wherewithal under the 2021 budget.
Unfinished government infra endeavors, funded mostly by pork barrel allocations, have been tarnishing President Duterte’s much-touted “golden age of infrastructure.” But delays and unfinished infra projects are not the monopoly of governmentfunded ventures.
Where I live, the Santa Rosasilang section of the Cavite-laguna Expressway (Calax), a private sector initiative that would benefit many of us who have relocated to this bustling city, remains hostage to ROW intramurals, which the DPWH seems helpless in settling. DPWH Secretary Mark Villar himself admitted that the ROW issue has been a challenge that pushed back the project’s target opening to the third quarter of this year.
MPCALA Holdings, a unit of Manny Pangilinan-backed Metro Pacific Tollways Corp., on March 11 expressed optimism that the project, which is 83 percent complete, will finally open as promised. The 7.3-kilometer road’s remaining works include bridge deck and pavement construction, drainage works, and the structure of the Silang East Interchange, among others.
When fully operational, the P24.2billion, four-lane expressway will connect Manila-cavite Expressway in Kawit, Cavite, to the South Luzon Expressway at Greenfield (Mamplasan) Interchange in Biñan, Laguna.
To Santa Rosa, Laguna residents like me, there seems to be more than meets the eye in this ongoing ROW negotiation. A powerful clan who owns a portion of the land on which the road section would be built is apparently refusing to budge. Under the Public-private Partnership (PPP) program, the private sector foots the bill, while the government is in
charge of ROW acquisition. As it is, the ball is now in the hands of the government: will it deliver, or will it drop the ball?
It is inconceivable for the DPWH to engage in prolonged ROW negotiations, unless of course if it is dealing with powerful personalities. During an ocular progress inspection early this month, DPWH representatives found portions of the Santa Rosa-tosilang section of the Cavite-laguna Expressway skipped over, while fullscale construction work was being done in areas where ROW issues have been resolved. The disparity was conspicuous because the idle portion was a huge, fenced piece of still-raw land, which seemed to be part of the road that Calax will traverse. Ownership of the property is allegedly being fronted by someone who is active in horse racing.
Among the eight interchanges of the 45-kilometer Calax-kawit; Imus Open Canal; Governor’s Drive; Aguinaldo Highway; Silang; Santa Rosa-tagaytay; Laguna Boulevard, and Laguna Technopark, with a toll barrier before South Luzon expressway—only Laguna Boulevard and Laguna Technopark are operational. Set to open within the third quarter of this year is the link from Santa Rosa-tagaytay Interchange to Silang East Interchange. We are entering the second quarter of 2021, With five more interchanges to complete and only five quarters to go until the end of 2022—the target full completion of Calax—will it be right for us to expect an interchange opening every quarter?
Villar himself sees the importance of this road segment. “As travel restrictions are slowly but surely being lifted, this new subsection of Calax will help accelerate economic progress in Laguna and Cavite by providing interconnection between the two provinces of Region 4-A.” He explained that this segment is vital “since it is expected to serve almost 5,000 cars per day, and will ease traffic along Governor’s Drive, Aguinaldo Highway, and Sta. Rosa-tagaytay Road once opened. Right-of-way acquisition has been a challenge, so we are giving our full effort to deliver and eventually open with as little deviation to the original timeline as possible.” With the Mamplasanto-santa Rosa segments completed and currently servicing about 10,000 vehicles daily, Villar added, “We target to finish the whole 45-kilometer stretch of Calax and serve 50,000 cars before 2022 ends.”
The million dollar question is: Will the “Bigshot JB” blocking construction work in some of the Calax segments budge?