RSA, MVP seal Cavite-Batangas highway deals

NEW PARTNERS | MPTC chair Manuel Pangilinan (right) and SMC CEO Ramon Ang (CONTRIBUTED PHOTO)

MANILA, Philippines — Billionaires Ramon Ang and Manuel Pangilinan are hoping that motorists and commuters will enjoy smoother road travel in the Calabarzon region by 2027 with the construction of toll highway projects linking Cavite-Laguna Expressway (Calax) to Bauan, Batangas — an undertaking expected to cost up to P72 billion.

Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. (MPTC) and San Miguel Corp. (SMC) announced on Tuesday the signing of a memorandum of agreement to design, build and operate the 88-kilometer Cavite-Batangas Expressway and Nasugbu-Bauan Expressway (NBEx). The groundbreaking ceremony is slated for next year.

The transaction, however, is yet to be implemented as parties await relevant approvals.

The toll roads will traverse Silang, Amadeo, Tagaytay, Indang, Mendez and Alfonso in Cavite and will link motorists to Nasugbu and Bauan, Batangas.

The plan is to establish the 27.06-kilometer CBEx, which will link MPTC’s Calax Silang (Aguinaldo) interchange to Nasugbu while the 60.90-km NBEx will provide connection to Bauan. The interchange is set to welcome motorists by September as construction nears completion.

“Our shared commitment to nation-building has led us to this historic collaboration. Together, we aim to deliver world-class road networks that will serve as arteries of progress, growth and development for our country and the Filipino people,” Ang said.

“We look forward to leveraging on our respective strengths for the realization of this vital infrastructure project,” Pangilinan added.

Prior to this partnership, SMC and MPTC were individually pushing for toll road projects serving the Calabarzon region with overlapping alignments. The Department of Public Works and Highways previously said it was studying how to resolve the matter.

SMC, for its part, secured approval from the Cavite and Batangas government for the unsolicited proposals to build CBEx and NBEx. Meanwhile, MPTC was granted the original proponent status to construct its 50.4-kilometer Cavite-Tagaytay-Batangas Expressway in 2018, for which the company is studying its next step.