Better connectivity

Last week, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. led the inauguration of a new connector road and the groundbreaking of two more projects designed to significantly improve access and travel between Metro Manila and the Southern Tagalog region.

President Marcos Jr. was joined by businessman and philanthropist Manuel V. Pangilinan during the inaugural drive through the Manila-Cavite Expressway (CAVITEX) C5 Link Sucat Interchange, which connects areas serviced by the said highway to Sucat Road in Parañaque
City, as well as the groundbreaking rites for two other connector roads.

These are the CAVITEX-CALAX (Cavite-Laguna Expressway) Link, which is expected to significantly improve road network connectivity from Kawit City in Cavite to the rest of the Southern Tagalog Region; and the CAVITEX C5 Link Segment 3B, which will greatly reduce travel time from CAVITEX to C5 Road in Taguig City. For context, the Pangilinan-led Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. leads the development of CAVITEX and CALAX.

As President Marcos said, these new projects are products of a "great deal of hard work, thorough planning, and collaborative efforts" between the government and the MVP Group—a testament to the effectivity of public-private partnerships (PPPs) in the realization of critical infrastructure projects that will ultimately benefit the public.

Truly this is a welcome development that fuels hopes of a better traffic situation for many Filipino motorists and commuters who have long endured hours wasted in unending traffic jams.

I have said before that I share the view that PPPs are an effective way of bringing to life public programs and projects for the collective benefit of Filipinos especially since the private sector’s support can cover a lot of areas—from funding to technical expertise.

Successful PPPs also inspire investor confidence—both foreign and local and encourage more members of the private sector to work together with our government. After all, encouraging private sector investment and having more PPPs are well-aligned with the current administration’s priority economic agenda.

As the President mentioned in his speech: "These three milestone projects bring to reality our promise to transform the lives of millions of Filipinos, by systematically easing traffic flow in the greater Metro Manila area.”

Truly, a systematic, well-developed, and efficient road network is an important pillar of economic growth that can significantly impact progress. It must be emphasized that road connectivity is not just about convenience for motorists but rather an important factor in spurring greater economic activity that can lead to a domino effect.

Efficient road networks reduce travel time and greatly impact business operations and productivity since these facilitate the transportation and exchange of goods. With better connectivity, businesses can operate more efficiently to the benefit of consumers who in turn can gain access to more products and take advantage of better price stability of goods.

Wider road networks also help spur economic development at the regional level since these open access to new markets, create new jobs, and encourage investment. For example, CALAX and CAVITEX are instrumental tollways in spurring regional growth in Southern Luzon.

Beyond economic development, greater road connectivity also enhances the quality of life of citizens with better access to different social services, reduced travel time, and less traffic congestion that can allow people to spend more time on their personal lives.

The development of infrastructure projects under PPPs inspires greater collaboration between the government and the private sector in bringing to life critical projects that will ultimately advance economic growth and enhance overall societal progress.

I look forward to the completion of critical road projects and hope that more will be in development soon to help advance our country’s growth and progress.

Editor’s note: The opinions expressed in the foregoing article are solely the author’s and do not reflect the opinions and beliefs of the Philippine News Agency (PNA) or any other office under the Presidential Communications Office.