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Thursday, March 28, 2024

PBBM vows more road networks, housing projects on gov’t idle land

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President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday vowed that his administration will continue to push for more infrastructure projects that will improve the interconnectivity of the country’s road networks.

The President also committed to use idle government land to build more housing projects.

Mr. Marcos on Monday led the inauguration of the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) Connector from Caloocan to España Section and the groundbreaking of the Disiplina Village in Arkong Bato Park in Valenzuela City.

INTERCONNECTED ROAD NETWORK. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. inaugurates the first section of the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) Connector from Caloocan to España, Manila on Monday, March 27, 2023. With him are Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan and MPIC/MPTC Chairman Manuel Pangilinan. Revoli Cortez

“We will not stop here, and we will continue to develop a highly interconnected road network that will facilitate our country’s rapid, inclusive, and sustained economic growth,” President Marcos said.

The latest NLEX connector will pass through the cities of Caloocan and Manila, with the Caloocan Interchange Connector Road in Balintawak, Caloocan City and the España Interchange Connector Road in Manila.

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Highlighting the synergy between the public and the private sector, President Marcos also called on the DOTr and private contractor NLEX Corp. to work closely with their partners in accomplishing the government’s objectives to improve the country’s road infrastructure.

“Try very hard, as we all do, to stay within the target time frame – although your success rate in this regard is exemplary – avoid unnecessary delays, and finish the project as scheduled, so that the Filipino people will be able to reap the benefits as soon as possible,” the President said.

“Ultimately, the positive effects of this project will speed up mobility and transactions, and will spur economic productivity of the country,” Marcos said.

Under the “Build, Better, More” development agenda of the Marcos administration, the President vowed to continue pushing for the interconnectivity of major roads and expressways, as well as build even more roads and bridges in strategic places within the archipelago.

He said the newly constructed Caloocan-España Section of the NLEX Connector, together with the Espana-Magsaysay Section of the connector, will finally connect the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) with the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX).

The road project, with a total cost of P23.3 billion, including right-of-way (ROW) acquisition costs, will form an integral part of the Luzon Spine Expressway Network, which will be a component of the Philippine High Standard Highway Network.

Once completed, the eight-kilometer, four-lane (two lanes each direction), all-elevated toll expressway NLEX Connector project will provide another alternate route that will reduce travel time for motorists.

It will also contribute to the ease of movement of cargo and goods from north to south and vice versa, especially those coming from the Port of Manila, providing great relief to the logistics sector.

As of March 23, the NLEX Connector Section 1 has been completed while Section 2 was 42 percent accomplished and is targeted to be completed by June 2023, provided that the ROW for the section is delivered to the contractor by the end of March.

Once completed, the project built through public-private partnership (PPP), will reduce the travel time from SLEX-Alabang to NLEX-Balintawak from two hours to just 20 minutes and will benefit 35,000 motorists daily.

“This is indeed another achievement and undoubtedly will significantly improve the mobility of people, of goods, and of services not only within Metro Manila but also within its environs,” the President said.

President Marcos also acknowledged the efforts of the DOTr and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), and thanked the NLEX Corp. and the Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. for completing the project.

At a groundbreaking of the Disiplina Village in Arkong Bato Park in Valenzuela City, Marcos said he has been studying ways to use idle government land for decent housing projects.

“Right now, our government continues to work hard so that we can build more housing for our beloved countrymen,” Marcos said.

“We continue to study how to identify and use vacant government land that can be built for housing, according to our laws and regulations,” President Marcos noted.

The shelter initiative in Valenzuela City is a good example of the government’s efforts to provide people with decent and affordable housing, President Marcos said, as he called on all stakeholders to continue building high-quality and affordable houses for the people.

The Disiplina Villages are complete communities that provide residents with access to schools, health centers and government services through the city hall annex.

The Valenzuela City government and the Disiplina Villages beneficiaries have entered into a Home Space Agreement, which seeks to instill discipline among the residents to maintain their homes and communities.

The fourth Disiplina Village will rise on a 2.07-hectare land in Barangay Arkong Bato, Valenzuela City, where a total of 20 five-story buildings intended for 1,200 squatters who were living along the Tullahan River and the Manila Bay.

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