Gov’t urges SLEx operator to build Calamba access road

MANILA, Philippines—A new bypass road linking the heart of Laguna province to the South Luzon Expressway (SLEx) may rise soon, paving the way for the faster economic development of areas south of Metro Manila.

The Department of Transportation and Communications (DoTC) said it had asked the South Luzon Tollways Corp. (SLTC), now controlled by San Miguel Corp., to consider building a short access road to the center of Calamba.

The Laguna province’s capital is the proposed location of a “regional government center” that will serve as a one-stop shop for state services for the entire Calabarzon (Cavite-Laguna-Batangas-Rizal-Quezon) area.

“The Toll Regulatory Board (TRB), an attached agency of the DoTC, met recently with government officials of Region IV-A to discuss details of the access road request,” the DoTC said in a statement.

TRB executive director Edmund Reyes Jr. met with Mayor Joaquin M. Chipeco Jr. of Calamba City and former Laguna Governor Joey Lina—both prime movers of the proposed RGC for Calabarzon—to discuss the possibility of an access road from SLEx to the city center.

Isaac David, president of the South Luzon Tollways Corp. (SLTC), also attended the meeting and expressed his support for the request.

“The TRB would like to fortify DoTC’s mantra of providing Filipino travelers a safe, convenient and affordable transportation experience,” Reyes said in a statement. “The TRB will try to expedite the review and evaluation of the grant access request, and endorse it to the TRB Board of Directors for approval.”

The government center in Calamba will house the offices of several key agencies where residents of the area can gain access to public services all in one place.

The construction of the new road to the area would “significantly provide convenience to the people of the Calabarzon Region,” the DoTC said.