View of the Pasig River where the Pasig River Expressway is expected to emerge. INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines —Civil society group Ilog Pasiglahin renewed its call for San Miguel Corp. (SMC) to drop the Pasig River Expressway (Parex) project after tycoon Ramon Ang said they might still proceed with the planned tollway after previously canceling it due to public clamor.
The group, in a recent statement, condemned Ang’s move to bring the 19.37-kilometer tollway project back on the table, saying this was proof that the billionaire was not listening to the public’s opinion after all.
Various groups, including Ilog Pasiglahin, have expressed worries over the project potentially bringing harm to the Pasig River ecosystem and the residents living nearby.
The group previously said it was critical to preserve the Pasig River as it is also connected to other bodies of water, including Manila Bay, Laguna de Bay, and the rivers of Marikina, San Juan, and Taguig.
“Ang Ilog Pasig ay hindi para sa negosyo. Ang kalikasan ay para sa tao,” the group said. (The Pasig River is not for business. Nature is for humankind.)
READ: San Miguel drops PAREx project
On Monday, Ang told the reporters that SMC was only putting the PAREx project on hold for further review, backpedaling from its previous stance of dropping the project in March.
The SMC chief said they were considering first the comments of the public before proceeding.
The PAREx project is a six-lane expressway passing through the Pasig River from Radial Road 10 in Manila and the proposed South East Metro Manila Expressway (SEMME) at Circumferential Road 6.
READ: Pasig River tollway still on the table, says Ang
The advocacy group also previously called on SMC to rethink the alignment of its other tollway projects in the pipeline.
Ilog Pasiglahin said earlier San Miguel “must also cancel the portion of the SEMME that will be constructed on the easternmost part of the river from Buting, Pasig City to Taytay, Rizal.” SEMME is a 33-km toll road project linking Taguig to Batasan Complex in Quezon City.
The group also urged Ang to “scrap the portion of the Southern Access Link Expressway that will be built around the Manila Bay Port Area, Intramuros, and the Hospicio de San Jose in Manila near the Pasig River.” INQ