Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. (MPTC), holding and managing company of the tollways sector of the MVP Group, has vowed to support the government’s call to accelerate construction of infrastructure projects. 

MPTC Chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan announced that MPTC has “resumed full blast the construction of our major tollways projects in strategic areas of Luzon.” Pangilian recently announced P120 billion to support the Duterte government’s infrastructure building goals.

In a statement, Pangilinan emphasized that government, more than ever, needs private sector participation in the government’s huge infrastructure development program to further stimulate the Philippine economy.”

“Infrastructure building brings with it a huge multiplier effect on the economy,” Pangilinan said, especially with MPTC’s massive investments in constructing new tollways and expanding its present expressway network.

Earlier, Presidential Adviser for Flagship Programs and Projects Secretary Vince Dizon has asked private firms to fast track construction momentum.

Dizon, president and CEO of the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA), underscored the “greater participation of the private sector in the Build Build Build program, highlighting the importance of accelerating infrastructure build-up in the country’s economic recovery plan.”

The Palace’s economic cluster had earlier indicated that the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth would decline by 2 percent to 3.4 percent, attributable to the slowdown of economic activities due to the pandemic.

Rodrigo E. Franco, MPTC president, affirmed the resumption of  MPTC’s infrastructure building initiatives in key areas in Luzon and the Visayas, particularly Cebu, following the easing of COVID-19 protocols.

MPTC has identified four major expressway expansion areas, backed up by major project investments.

In northern Metro Manila and Central Luzon, MPTC is implementing three major projects this year along the North Luzon Expressway corridor, including the NLEX Connector, with a combined length of 19kilometers,with an aggregate value of P22 billion.

South of Metro Manila, MPTC has ongoing construction projects in the Cavite Expressway (CAVITEX) network valued at P15.20 billion, with a combined length of 6.75 kilometers.

Another project, the 44-km Cavite Laguna Expressway (CALAX), is bankrolled by a budget of P52.48 billion.

Farther down south, in the Visayas, the construction of the P30.5-billionCebu Cordova Link Expressway (CCLEX) isset for resumption when Cebu would be placed under GCQ status. The 8.5-kilometer CCLEX, with its iconic bridge crossing the Mactan channel, will directly connect Cebu City with the municipality of Cordova.

On these major infrastructure projects, the MPTC President pointed out that “these major construction activities in North and Central Luzon, Metro Manila, South Luzon and the Visayas will surely quicken the country’s industrial and commercial momentum.”