The Department of Transportation (DOTr) has dismissed claims that the Villar family had blocked the Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT-1) Cavite Extension, originally slated for completion in 2027.
Last month, Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla said his office was probing claims that the Villar siblings opposed the Niog Station to route the LRT-1 Cavite Extension through their Las Piñas property.
In a radio interview on Wednesday, Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez denied the claims, saying there were no issues with right-of-way acquisition for the LRT-1 Cavite Extension.
‘As a matter of fact, the Villar family wants to donate their land,’ Lopez said at an interview on DZRH.
Following Remulla’s remarks, Senators Mark and Camille Villar denied intervening in the project, with Mark Villar saying he had ‘never used (his) position for personal gain.’
To speed up the railway extension, Lopez said the DOTr is studying proposals to dismantle the C-5 Quirino flyover. However, he said the flyover could remain if studies show it can coexist with the rail line.
‘There are also suggestions as to whether the flyover must be removed,’ Lopez said in Filipino. ‘If we remove that flyover, we will need to conduct a traffic study.’
President Marcos earlier ordered the DOTr to quickly resolve issues delaying the LRT-1 Cavite Extension, which broke ground in 2019. The Light Rail Transit Authority aims to complete the entire line before the end of the Marcos administration in 2028.
The LRT-1 currently runs from Fernando Poe Jr. Station in Quezon City to Dr. Santos Station in Parañaque. Completing the Las Piñas, Zapote and Niog stations will bring the total to 28.
The P64.92-billion LRT-1 Cavite Extension draws P17.80 billion in official development assistance from the Japan International Cooperation Agency, P39.57 billion from private operator Light Rail Manila Corp., and P7.55 billion from the national government