THE Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) said it expects to complete the Cavite Laguna Expressway (Calax) Silang (Aguinaldo) Interchange by May or June after a local court in Tagaytay City issued an order to implement the writ of possession on the remaining 15,650 square meters of land needed to finish the tolled highway project.
Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan told reporters that in “two to three months'” the Calax Silang (Aguinaldo) Interchange will be completed after months of delays due to right-of-way (ROW) issues. The project was supposed to be completed in December last year.
Bonoan said the agency already secured a writ of possession on the remaining 15,650 square meters of land owned by a private company.
In an order dated Feb. 23, 2022, Presiding Judge Michael Maranan of the Branch 134 of Tagaytay City, Regional Trial Court lifted the “holding in abeyance the implementation of the issued writ of possession” dated March 4, 2022.
Maranan also directed the branch sheriff to implement the writ of possession without delay.
“As prayed for and as agreed upon by the parties, the defendant (Uneco Land Corp.) is given a period of 10 days before the actual implementation of the writ to remove, transfer or relocate the horses, farm tools and equipment and other things not otherwise considered as part of the building or structure that may found in the subject property,” Maranan added.
The undelivered ROW is a crucial part to finish the construction of the Calax Silang (Aguinaldo) Interchange
The ROW issues prevented continuous works, including construction of drainage and bridge, excavation and roadway earthworks, and installation of fence and coco net.
“They (MPCALA Holdings Inc.) can now continue the construction,” he added, referring to the company that holds the concession right to the Calax.
Bonoan also committed to fast track the delivery of ROW for the remaining segment of the Calax project this year.
“I was able to talk to DBM (Department of Budget and Management), and they assured me that they will be releasing the funds necessary for the acquisition of the right-of-way for Calax,” he said.
The DPWH chief said the DBM allocated P2 billion for the Calax ROW cost this year.
Subsection 4 or the Silang (Aguinaldo) segment remains finished at 65 percent, while more than 57 percent of the Calax project have already been completed.
Once completed, Calax will connect to the busiest highway in Cavite — the Aguinaldo Highway — and help decongest major thoroughfares of the province and Laguna. The interchange will serve more motorists, including the 298,000 Silang residents, given the reduction in traffic.
Eventually, Calax will expand to 45 kilometers and will connect to the Manila–Cavite Expressway (Cavitex). At present, its operational segments stretch from Mamplasan in Biñan, with interchanges at Laguna Technopark, Laguna Boulevard, Santa Rosa-Tagaytay Road, up to Silang East Interchange.
MPCALA Holdings is a subsidiary of Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. (MPTC), the toll road development arm of Metro Pacific Investments Corp.
MPTC is the biggest toll road developer and operator in the Philippines. Aside from Calax and Cavitex, it also holds the concession rights for North Luzon Expressway, NLEX Connector Road, Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway or SCTEx, and Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway or CCLEx in Cebu.
