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GMA Network
5 days ago
- Politics
- GMA Network
EDSA rehab not canceled despite postponement —DOTr's Dizon
Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon on Tuesday clarified that the rehabilitation of the Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA) is not technically canceled despite its month-long postponement. Dizon made the clarification upon the interpellation of Surigao del Sur Rep. Johnny Pimentel during the Commission on Appointments' (CA) panel meeting to consider his ad interim appointment as chief of the Department of Transportation (DOTr). NOW: The Commission on Appointments considers the ad interim appointment of Vince Dizon as Secretary of Department of Transportation. @gmanews — Giselle Ombay (@giselleombay_) June 3, 2025 'Hindi naman po ibig sabihin canceled... Pero sabi lang talaga ng Pangulo, nakinig siya sa ating mga kababayan, for us to find a better way and a faster way,' Dizon explained. (It doesn't mean it was canceled... But the President really just said—he listened to our countrymen—for us to find a better way and a faster way.) According to DOTr secretary, President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. wants to expedite the rebuilding of the major thoroughfare from two years to six months. 'When he (the President) said a better way, he essentially meant a way that would be faster para hindi masyadong mahirapan ang ating mga kababayang dumadaan sa EDSA [so that it will not cause too much trouble to our countrymen passing EDSA],' he added. The Department of Public Works and Highways is the lead agency in the EDSA rehabilitation, which was supposed to begin on June 13. Marcos announced on Sunday the postponement of the project, saying it needs to be studied for one month to know if there are new technologies that can be used to hasten the rehabilitation of the 23.8-kilometer road. The estimated budget for the EDSA rehabilitation which aims to modernize the major thoroughfare and make it flood-free is P8.7 billion, until the end of 2026. Dizon said that by 2027, the DPWH estimated that the budget would total to P15 billion. 'Advanced stages na ng procurement, meron na atang mga natapos na ang procurement pero alinsunod dito sa utos ng ating Pangulo na i-pause muna at maghanap ng mas maganda at mas mabilis na paraan, eh baka kailangan is mag-adjust ang DPWH dito. But again I have to defer to DPWH on this,' he said. (I think the procurement is already in advanced stages, some of the procurements have already been completed. But according to our President's order to suspend the project and find a better and faster way, the DPWH may need to adjust also. But again I have to defer to DPWH on this.) The EDSA rehabilitation was supposed to pave the way for the 24-hour odd-even scheme and the waiving of toll in parts of Skyway Stage 3, among other interventions. —AOL, GMA Integrated News
GMA Network
27-05-2025
- Business
- GMA Network
MVP considering toll holiday during EDSA rehab
Business tycoon Manuel V. Pangilinan, who leads Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. (MPTC), on Tuesday expressed intent to follow the lead of San Miguel Corp. (SMC) and impose a toll holiday during the rehabilitation of EDSA, the country's busiest highway. According to Pangilinan, MPTC should consider a toll holiday and take the lead from SMC in waiving toll fees in portions of the Skyway Stage 3 while EDSA is being rehabilitated. "I think we also have a connector. Maybe we should do the same thing. I have to talk to our tollways to follow San Miguel's lead," Pangilinan said. He was referring to the NLEX Connector, an 8-kilometer all-elevated highway built along the right of way of the Philippine National Railway (PNR), extending the NLEX from the end of its Harbor Link Segment 10 in C3/5th Avenue, Caloocan City, to Ramon Magsaysay Avenue in Sta. Mesa, Manila. MPTC operates the NLEX, the NLEX Connector, the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX), the Manila-Cavite Toll Expressway (CAVITEX), the Cavite-Laguna Expressway (CALAX), and the Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway (CCLEX). "I think we should," Pangilinan said when asked if he is open to following SMC's lead in waiving toll fees. "I think San Miguel has taken the lead there, and it was a good lead that they've done, and I think we should follow their example to help out in the traffic situation, I guess for the next two years or so," he added. This comes as Transportation Secretary Vivencio "Vince" Dizon said SMC will waive toll fees in select areas of the Skyway Stage 3 where vehicles will be detoured while the EDSA rehabilitation is ongoing, starting July or August. This will be implemented alongside a 24-hour odd-even number coding scheme limited to EDSA, with the dry run expected to start on June 16, and last for a month. The EDSA rehabilitation is projected to last until 2027, with the preparatory works set to begin on the evening of June 13, according to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH). The government is also looking at deploying an additional 100 buses along the EDSA Busway, and additional car train sets on the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT3) during the period. — VDV, GMA Integrated News
