Megaworld invests in transport hubs

Tycoon Andrew Tan-led property developer Megaworld Corp. is set to roll out new transport hubs at its Iloilo Business Park to house Western Visayas’ first premium point-to-point (P2P) business service.

The P350-million transport hubs will have two terminals—one for departures and another for arrivals—strategically located on Megaworld Boulevard, in front of Festive Walk Mall.

“We aim to provide world-class and convenient service in land transport for the local and international travelers in and out of Iloilo City. Hopefully, this will serve as a model for other transport hubs in the region,” Jose Arnulfo Batac, head of estate management at Megaworld, said in a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange.

Each 4,000-square-meter terminal will feature its own traveler’s lounge, an airconditioned facility where passengers can relax and wait for their trips at the departure terminal, and also wait for transfer vehicles at the arrival terminal.

Each lounge will have shower rooms and toilets.

At the traveler’s lounge, passengers can also book their tickets. It will also have breastfeeding stations and free Wi-Fi access.

Each terminal will also have its own food park while 200 free parking slots will be made available.

These transport hubs will serve the premium P2P bus service rolled out by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) starting July 11.

Iloilo Business Park will serve as the main hub of this P2P service on Panay Island.

The project is part of the government’s Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program, a flagship program spearheaded by the Department of Transportation.

Around 106 P2P buses, all equipped with the auto-pay system, will serve the following routes: Iloilo Business Park to Iloilo Airport, Iloilo Business Park to Roxas Airport, Iloilo Business Park to Kalibo Airport, and Iloilo Business Park to Caticlan Airport (Boracay), and vice versa.

LTFRB (Region 6) will simultaneously launch other modernized public utility vehicles composed of 365 taxis and 165 jeepneys, which are also equipped with the auto-pay system.

“We thank the LTFRB Region 6 for this partnership, and we hope that we are able to contribute to the success of this modernization campaign for the betterment of the country’s transport industry. All of our townships, especially those in urban centers, serve as convergence points of motorists and commuters. Thus, we integrate transport hubs in our developments to meet the transport needs of the local community,” Batac explained.

Megaworld’s Iloilo Business Park in Mandurriao District is a 72-hectare integrated urban township that is home to rows of residential and office towers, retail developments, the Festive Walk Mall, the 1.1-kilometer Festive Walk Parade, two first-class hotels (Richmonde Hotel Iloilo and Courtyard by Marriott, the Iloilo Convention Center, the Iloilo Museum of Contemporary Art (ILOMOCA), and the rising commercial and boutique hotel district.