New Muntinlupa-Cavite road toll-free for a month

TEST DRIVE That’s President Aquino clearing the toll booth and entering the Muntinlupa-Cavite Expressway in an SUV to inaugurate the P2-billion road project on Friday. GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE

President Benigno Aquino III paid the P17 toll as he took the wheel and drove his sport utility vehicle on the newly opened Daang-Hari-South Luzon Expressway (SLEx) Link Road, also known as the Muntinlupa-Cavite Expressway (MCX).

Moments later, Ayala Corp. chief executive office Jaime Zobel de Ayala announced that motorists would enjoy free use of the road for a full month, drawing laughter from the audience, including the President, during Friday’s inaugural of the P2-billion project.

“As a sign of goodwill from our group—we had a chance to discuss this with (Transportation) Secretary (Jose Emilio) Abaya and Ed Reyes of TRB (Toll Regulatory Board)—we are happy to make the first month free for all the commuters coming through the project,” Ayala said in his remarks. The President did not give a speech.

1st PPP project

The four-kilometer, four-lane road—the first infrastructure project auctioned off by the Aquino administration under the public-private partnership (PPP) framework—finally started operations after long delays in its completion.

The road passes through the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) reservation that connects Bacoor, Cavite province, to SLEx.

The MCX project went to the Ayala conglomerate in 2011 but faced delays mainly due to external factors. It was considered the smallest transportation project undertaken through the PPP program but proponents said it should deliver immense benefits for travelers.

“Once fully completed, the road would decongest traffic in Cavite, Las Piñas and Muntinlupa, and reduce travel time by an average of 45 minutes from Daang Hari to Alabang Interchange,” Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said in a statement.

Beyond Aquino term

The road would also “provide new access to the NBP property and improve the overall competitiveness of Region 4-A (Calabarzon) as an investment destination by providing an alternative route between Metro Manila and Cavite,” Coloma added.

Speaking to reporters, Ayala underscored the need for PPPs to continue even after the Aquino administration.

“We hope that this whole idea of using a PPP structure to allow private capital to contribute to the infrastructure needs will continue. But that depends on the future leadership,” he said. “It is a formula that is working, I see no reason why it should stop.”

The businessman, who runs a 181-year-old telecommunications, banking, real estate, water services and electronics manufacturing conglomerate with his bother Fernando, said MCX would particularly benefit residents south of the metropolis.

45-minute drive cut to 5

He spoke of the “challenges in completing a project like this,” but that these hurdles were overcome with the help of many people.

According to Public Works Secretary Rogelio Singson, the MCX is expected to handle about 25,000 cars per day, mainly of Cavite-based residents going through Commerce Avenue in Alabang. Their usual 40- to 45-minute drive would be cut down to five minutes, he added.

Ayala Corp. estimated that this would save motorists about P400 million in fuel costs and P1.3 billion in productivity per year.

The MCX toll is pegged at P17 for Class 1 vehicles, P34 for Class 2, and P51 for Class 3. –Nikko Dizon and Miguel R. Camus