THE Villar family is willing to donate land for the Light Rail Transit (LRT) Line 1 Cavite Extension, effectively clearing the right-of-way hurdle that has stalled the project’s completion, Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez said on Wednesday.
‘The Villar family wants to donate their land,’ Lopez said, dismissing reports that right-of-way acquisition remains a problem for the rail line’s southern extension.
The commitment removes what had been considered a major obstacle to the timely delivery of the project, which the Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) has committed to complete before the end of the Marcos administration’s term in 2028.
However, Lopez said a proposal to dismantle the C-5 Quirino flyover to fast-track construction still requires a traffic study before any decision is made.
‘Meron ding mga suggestion kung kailangan bang tanggalin ang flyover na iyan. Kapag tinanggal natin iyan, sabi ko, traffic study [ang kailangan muna] diyan,’ he said.
The transportation chief also raised the possibility that the flyover may co-exist with the elevated rail line, sparing the government from demolition works.
Phase 1 of the extension connects Baclaran Station in Pasay City to Dr. Santos Station in Parañaque City through five new stations: Redemptorist-Aseana, Mia Road, PITX, Ninoy Aquino Avenue, and Dr. Santos. This segment began operations earlier.
The Cavite leg, covering Phases 2 and 3, includes the three remaining stations yet to be constructed: Las Piñas, Zapote, and Niog.
Earlier, House of Representatives Assistant Majority Leader Mark Anthony Santos warned that Filipino taxpayers could shoulder even higher costs for the long-delayed P64.9-billion LRT-1 Cavite Extension, revealing that more than P4 billion has already been incurred due to years of setbacks.
Santos, who represents Las Piñas, cautioned that a proposed realignment of the railway would only drive costs higher, despite significant public funds already invested in the original route.
‘Abandoning the original alignment after taxpayers have already funded right-of-way acquisitions would only waste public resources and require even greater government spending,’ Santos said.
He noted that the government has already disbursed more than P926 million for right-of-way acquisition settlements covering the planned Las Piñas and Zapote stations, underscoring that the original alignment has long been backed by public investment.