Villars willing to donate land for LRT-1 Cavite extension, says DOTr

The Villar family has expressed intent to donate their land needed to resolve the right-of-way (ROW) issues hounding the Las Piñas alignment of the Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT-1) Cavite Extension.

This was bared by Transportation Secretary Giovanni “Banoy” Lopez in a radio interview on Thursday.

“As a matter of fact, they [Villars] want their property, they want to donate their property… as part of the extension,” Lopez said.

This came amid reports that the Office of the Ombudsman is investigating the allegation that Senators Mark and Camille Villar are interfering in the alignment of the LRT-1 extension project.

The Villar siblings have denied the allegation and said they welcome any investigation into the matter.

Last month, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. directed Lopez to immediately resolve the ROW hurdles of the LRT-1 extension all the way to Cavite.

The Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) had committed that the entire stretch of the LRT-1 Cavite Extension project will be finished before the Marcos administration ends its term in 2028.

The Phase 1 of the extension project, which is already commercially operational, connects Baclaran Station in Pasay City to Dr. Santos Station in Parañaque City through five stations, namely Redemptorist-ASEANA Station, MIA Road Station, PITX Station, Ninoy Aquino Avenue Station, and Dr. Santos Station.

The Cavite leg or Phase 2 and 3 of the railway project, meanwhile, includes the three pending stations that have yet to be constructed —Las Piñas, Zapote, and Niog.

To fast-track the project’s completion, Lopez said there is a proposal to dismantle the C-5 Quirino flyover.

However, the Transportation chief said the flyover may still “co-exist” with the LRT 1 extension without the need to dismantle it.

The LRT-1 Cavite Extension project is being financed through a hybrid scheme of the national government, official development assistance from Japan, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), and the private operator of the Light Rail Manila Corporation.

The P64.9-billion project was awarded to LRMC in September 2014 but was only taken over by the private partner in September 2015.

Under the agreement, the LRMC will manage the LRT-1 for 32 years, during which it will also extend the line by 11.7 kilometers to 32.4 km from the current 20.7 km. — BM, GMA News