Something fishy in the planned CBT Expressway

"How true are these allegations?"

It seems that this early, something’s not right going on with the planned Cavite-Batangas-Tagaytay Expressway.

According to sources within the community to be affected by the proposed 50.4-kilometer road project, personnel of the Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. have already started tagging residential houses in some of the barangays in Alfonso, Cavite which would have to be demolished to give way to the P22-billion expressway.

The tagging is said to have been conducted by third party contractor Ecosys Corp Inc. led by project coordinator Lean Ramilo and CTBex-EIA team leader Ronnie Manipol.

What is irregular is that project, according to sources, has yet to be approved by the National Economic and Development Authority.

According to the sources, Metro Pacific Tollways, through Ecosys, is trying to make it appear the project has already been approved and is up for implementation.

In that way, the sources said residents of the barangays to be affected might be forced to sell their properties at ridiculously bargain prices—way, way below their market values.

Once the sale among the residents have been consummated, the project contractor then could convince Malacañang to push through with the project as almost all of the properties the road project will pass through, have already been acquired, the sources.

Worse, the sources add that no less than the chairman of one of the barangays is facilitating the tagging of the houses to ensure that his house and those of his relatives would be spared by the road project, in the process, amending the original plan.

I would welcome any clarification if what my sources are telling me is inaccurate. But if this is true, then the NEDA, the Department of the Interior and Local Government and other concerned agencies should step in to correct the matter. This is no way to push through with the administration’s Build, Build, Build Program. The President himself would not approve of it.

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For the first time, edamame, or young soybean, would be harvested in the country.

A 20-hectare farm located in Barrio Talipapa, Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija is the site of a joint project of Top Shelf Corp. and multiple North Luzon farmers’ cooperatives. The harvest is bound for export to Japan. 

Top Shelf Corp. is a company formed by young farmers Raphael Pelayo, Elaine Timbol and Jeff Fernandez. Their goal is to expand edamame production to 500-700 hectares in next two years and export to South Korea, Australia and the United States as well. Said farms would be located in Central Luzon, Ilocos Region and Region 2. 

Edamame is Japanese for “beans on a branch” and often found in East Asian cuisine sold both in the pod and hulled. The crop is ready for harvest after only 62 days. 

The edamame initiative was in response to Agriculture Secretary William Dar’s call for land and farm consolidation and prioritizing agriculture as an industry.

Congratulations to Raphael, Elaine and Jeff.

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Kudos also to House of Representatives employee, Jess Villahermosa for successfully organizing a weekly aqua Zumba session for the women of Avida Altaraza Ayala Town Center in San Jose City del Monte Bulacan.