Light Rail Manila Corp. (LRMC) is set to start the construction of the Las Piñas station of the Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT 1) Cavite Extension Project as early as next year.
The Department of Transportation (DOTr) said the Villar Group of Companies has agreed to the government’s three ‘non-negotiable conditions’ for the donation of two mortgaged lots needed for the site. The concession removes what officials described as the last major obstacle to building the station, the conspicuous gap in the first phase of the Cavite Extension.
‘This development is good for DOTr, LRMC, LRTA and the Villar Group, but best for the commuting public,’ Transportation Secretary Giovanni said, referring to state-run Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA). ‘Itong pagkakasundo natin, talagang commuters ang pangunahing makikinabang, at ‘yun naman talaga dapat ang priority natin.’
Under the agreement, the property firm will grant the government an unconditional permit to enter, execute a waiver of subrogation in favor of the state, and cancel the mortgage on the parcels to be donated.
The terms clear the path for the signing of the Memorandum of Agreement, the Right-of-Way Acquisition Agreement, and the Deed of Donation within the month.
‘I see that there’s this urgency from the government to provide relief for passengers. And on the part of the Villars there’s a good sign that they’re talking to the grantors in good faith,’ LRMC President Enrico Benipayo said. ‘With this milestone, I think a major hurdle has been finished.’
Of the six parcels of land to be turned over by the Villar Group, two carry mortgage encumbrances that had stalled their transfer to the government. The cancellation of the mortgages will be processed within six months, and that substitute properties have already been identified as collateral replacement to free up the lots for donation.
Right-of-way complications over the privately held land forced the government to open the extension’s first segment without the Las Piñas station, requiring passengers in the area to use adjacent stops.
‘Nagpapasalamat ang DOTr sa Villar Group of Companies dahil sa inyong cooperation para mapabilis natin itong proseso,’ Lopez noted. ‘Ang laging bilin sa atin ng Pangulo, dapat mapakinabangan na ng commuters ‘yung mga transport projects natin sa lalong madaling panahon at resolbahin na rin ang mga dapat ayusin.’
Last June, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. ordered the DOTr to immediately resolve the issues delaying the Cavite segment of the project.
Marcos instructed DOTr Secretary Giovanni Z. Lopez to coordinate closely with concerned agencies and stakeholders to remove bottlenecks, settle pending issues, and ensure the uninterrupted implementation of the long-delayed project.
The LRT-1 Cavite Extension, with a total cost of P64.915 billion, is funded through a hybrid scheme: P17.80 billion in official development assistance from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), P39.57 billion from private operator LRMC, and P7.55 billion from the national government.