The Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) granted Cavitex Infrastructure Inc. (CIC), the operator of Manila Cavite Expressway (Cavitex) a two-month extension on its concession period to compensate for revenue lost during the 30-day toll holiday.
“It was approved by the board ad referendum,” TRB executive director Alvin Carullo said.
The toll holiday, implemented from July 1, 2024, aimed to ease the financial burden on motorists amid rising fuel costs. However, this resulted in an estimated P300-million revenue loss for CIC, according to Christopher Daniel Lizo, chief finance officer of Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. (MPTC), CIC’s parent firm.
The extension applies to the concession period granted to CIC for operating Cavitex.
The decision follows President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ‘s announcement of a toll-free period for all Cavitex expressway segments during the inauguration of Cavitex C5 Link Segment 2. These include exits in Kawit, Paranaque, the C5 Link segment with Merville and Taguig exits and the newly opened Segment 2 (Sucat Interchange).
Ignacio said CIC is committed to expediting the completion of the two connector roads of Cavitex.
DMCI, under a P3.3-billion contract, agreed to meet the construction deadline to finish Segment 3B, the final portion of the Cavitex C5 Link, a six-lane 2-kilometer expressway connecting Cavitex at Paranaque in the west and C5 Road Taguig in the east. The segment will enable motorists to travel from Cavite to Taguig, bypassing a number of service roads.
EEI will complete the 1.3-km. dual 2-lane Cavitex-Calax Link Extension also in August 2025, envisioned to stimulate commerce and industry in Cavite, Laguna and Metro Manila.
Ignacio earlier met the right-of-way (ROW) acquisition team to resolve all issues to ultimately clear the way for the road alignments and access roads.
Progress has been made in CIC’s mix of persuasive initiatives addressed to project affected persons (PAPs) made up of legal, financial and communication strategies, Ignacio said.
The ROW status of Segment 3B of the C5 Link stands at 70.60 percent, leaving the CIC ROW project managers with only 29.4 percent balance to finish the job, Ignacio said.
The progress of the Cavitex-Calax Link ROW acquisition is ahead with 77.14 percent, leaving CIC with only 22.86 percent to clear the way for the alignment.
“With this new impetus from the Palace, we will beat our construction deadline – and the winner is every motorist and passenger south of Metro Manila and beyond,” Ignacio said.