Uneco Land Corp., the private company owning 450 meters of land where the Silang (Aguinaldo) Interchange of the P35.7 billion Cavite Laguna Expressway (CALAX) passes through, is demanding P50-60 million for the project right of way (ROW), over three times more than the P16 million government valuation.
Department of Public Works and Highways (DWPH) engineers have placed the worth of the lot in question at P16 million, according to DWPH Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Service Director Alex G. Bote.
The DPWH made the estimate following the order of the Tagaytay, Cavite Regional Trial Court (RTC), deposited P5 million and was ready to settle the balance of P11 million.
This was in compliance to Republic Act No. 10752, the Road Right of Way Act.
“But the Court is not in favor of accepting our deposit and wants us to tap a third-party for appraisal,” according to the DPWH director in his recent meeting with Silang, Cavite Mayor Kevin Anarna.
Since the CALAX is a national undertaking, the DPWH is the “most reliable" state agency to define the cost of the ROW, Bote reasoned.
The P16 million is the updated price estimate of the lot concerned, as appraised by DPWH engineers, he reiterated.
“We are asking to be given the chance to deposit the (P11 million) cheque then (the court can) issue and reinstate the power of writ of possession. Once reinstated, it will be served to the Sheriff,” said Bote.
If Uneco insists that the amount is not enough and still demands P60 million, it will be a matter for the Court, the director maintained.
“Per our latest estimate, it’s just P16 million, but we’re okay to bring this matter to the Court. It should be placed under just compensation," he explained.
"The government will still pay for that if the Court decides that it’s really P60 million,” Bote stressed.
Under the Office of the Court Administrator (OCA) Circular No. 113-2019, the RTC should immediately issue a writ of possession within seven working days upon the deposit to the court of the amount equivalent to the sum of 100 percent of the value of the land.
The valuation is based on the current relevant zonal valuation of the Bureau of Internal Revenue issued not more than three years prior to the filing of the expropriation complaint.
The Silang (Aguinaldo) Interchange is the fifth of the eight segments of CALAX that spans at 3.9 kilometers (km), with 2x2 lane expressway from Silang East Interchange to Aguinaldo Highway in Cavite.
To date, the expressway is already 64.8 percent complete and should have been operational before year-end 2022 if legal issues have not stood on the way.
The ROW issue with Uneco has hampered the progress of works on the tollway, including construction of drainage and bridge, excavation and roadway earthworks and installation of fence and coco net.
“We only have two remaining properties for acquisition, but that’s already in court for some time," Bote noted.
“We’re still hoping that we can settle the ROW issue within the month. Definitely the Aguinaldo Interchange will be operational by February or March, 2023," according to the director.
Once completed, the Silang (Aguinaldo) Interchange will serve more motorists, including 298,000 Silang residents.
Daily traffic from Mamplasan to Silang Ease interchange averages 33,000.
This is expected to increase to 40,000 when the Silang (Aguinaldo) Interchange opens, easing the usual bottleneck along the 41-km Aguinaldo Highway—the busiest main thoroughfare in Cavite—as well as Governor’s Drive and Sta. Rosa-Tagaytay Road.
At present, CALAX’s operational segment spans 14.24 kilometers, with interchanges at Greenfield-Mamplasan, Laguna Technopark, Laguna Boulevard, Santa Rosa-Tagaytay, and Silang East.
Other interchanges - Open Canal, Governor’s Drive, and Kawit, are expected to be finished next year. Finally, CALAX will connect to the Manila-Cavite Expressway (CAVITEX) in Kawit, Cavite.