SANTA ROSA, Laguna–Government officials of this city showed their support to the Cavite-Laguna Expressway project as they attended the groundbreaking of the Laguna segment of the project on Tuesday at the Nuvali Spine Road, Barangay Don Jose.
City officials joined their national government counterparts in the event led by Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade, Public Works and Highways Secretary Mark Villar, and Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno.
Santa Rosa Mayor Danilo Ramon Fernandez and Vice Mayor Arnold Arcillas attended the event along with First District Rep. Arlene B. Arcillas and officials from adjacent cities in Laguna and Cavite.
“Our presence in this event signifies our support to the project, as we share the belief that roads will bring more opportunities for people in terms of economic and social development,” said Fernandez.
The project will further boost the status of Santa Rosa as the “Lion City of South Luzon,” he added.
Santa Rosa hosts the headquarters of some major corporations in the Philippines like Coca-Cola FEMSA Philippines, Inc., Monde Nissin Corp., and Enchanted Kingdom. It is also home to three master-planned communities – Nuvali, Eton City and Greenfield City.
Santa Rosa is also known as the Motor City of the Philippines for housing Toyota Motors Philippines, Honda Cars Philippines, Univation Motor Philippines, Inc., and Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corp.
The city also serves as home to four Philippine Economic Zone Authority-registered industrial estates that provide employment to thousands of Filipinos—the Laguna Technopark Inc., Greenfield Auto Park, Santa Rosa IT Park, and Toyota Special Economic Zone.
As the top “Next Wave City” of the Philippines, Santa Rosa also hosts business process outsourcing firms, including INFONXX/KGB, Convergys and Teletech, among others.
According to the project brief, the Laguna segment of the CALAX is an 18-kilometer construction project. It is part of the 45-kilometer closed system modern tolled expressway connecting the Cavite Expressway or CAVITEX and the South Luzon Expressway or SLEX. The project starts from CAVITEX in Kawit, Cavite and ends at the SLEX-Mamplasan Interchange in Biñan, Laguna.
The project will have four interchanges in Laguna: Silang East, Sta. Rosa-Tagaytay Road, Laguna Blvd., and Technopark. Its objectives include reducing traffic congestion in existing major roads and improving competitiveness of the CALABARZON Region as an investment hub.
The project was awarded to MPCALA Holdings, Inc. of the Metro Pacific Group. Its officers were also present during the groundbreaking such as Manuel V. Pangilinan, Chairman of Metro Pacific Investments Group; Rodrigo Franco, President of Metro Pacific Tollways Corp., and Jose Luigi Bautista, MPT South President.
