How does it sound? NLEX sought to be renamed Cory Aquino Expressway

The North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) may soon be called the President Corazon C. Aquino Expressway (CAEX) if the bill now pending at the House of Representatives becomes a law.

 

House Bill 4820 filed by Nueva Ecija Rep. Magnolia Rosa Antonio-Nadres seeks to rename the highway after the late mother of President Benigno Aquino III. The proposal underwent first reading last week and is currently pending before the House committee on public works and highways.

 

NLEX is an 84-kilometer tollway connecting Metro Manila to the provinces in Central Luzon. It is maintained by the Manila North Tollways Corporation, a subsidiary of the Metro Pacific Investments Corporation owned by businessman Manny V. Pangilinan.

 

In the bill’s explanatory note, Antonino-Nadres said renaming the NLEX after the late President will “bestow distinct honor [on her]” and “perpetuate [her] memory.”

 

“If favorably passed into law, it will constantly remind us of the noble deeds of the late President, especially for the poor, and inspire our people to emulate her example of selfless service to the nation while her exceptional courage and leadership gave hope and united the Filipino people at a critical time in the country’s history,” she said.

 

The highway, which is otherwise known as Radial Road 8, was previously called the Manila North Diversion Road and Manila North Expressway.

 

This is not the first time a lawmaker proposed renaming prominent public infrastructure after President Aquino’s mother.

 

In 2011, Bohol Rep. Rene Lopez Relampagos filed House Bill (HB) 5422 seeking to rename EDSA to Cory Aquino Avenue “as a fitting tribute” to the well-loved democracy icon.

 

 

Two years later, in the 16th Congress, Pampanga Rep. Joseller “Yeng” Guiao filed a proposal to change the name of the Clark International Airport to Corazon C. Aquino Airport. —NB, GMA News