DPWH: 5-min Cubao to Makati travel may happen ‘very soon’

Manila, Philippines—President Rodrigo Duterte’s promise of a five-minute travel time from Cubao in Quezon City to Makati City may happen “very soon,” the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) said Wednesday even as Malacañang has already told the public to “forget” the promise for now.

According to DPWH Secretary Mark Villar, the President’s promise may come to fruition upon the completion of the Metro Manila Skyway Stage 3, which is expected to cut the two-hour travel time from Buendia, Makati City to Balintawak, Quezon City to just 15 to 20 minutes.

The Metro Manila Skyway Stage 3, which is set to be completed by April or May this year, is among the 23 projects under the P384-billion Edsa Decongestion Program.

The current travel period from Cubao to Makati can take around 45 minutes to an hour through the heavily congested Edsa. However, Villar pointed out that Duterte did not promise a five-minute travel from Cubao to Makati through Edsa.

“Point to point ang pinag-uusapan natin diba, Makati to Quezon City. So if you’reasking me kung kaya ‘yan, yes kaya,” Villar said in a press briefing in Malacañang

(We’re talking of point to point travel from Makati to Quezon City. So if you’re asking me if it’s possible, yes it’s possible.)

“Hindi naman niya sinabi na through Edsa. (He did not promise it through Edsa) The President just said Makati to Cubao, five minutes,” he added.

But Villar also claimed that the five-minute Cubao to Makati travel is also possible through Edsa as the Metro Manila Skyway Stage 3 is expected to relieve the 23-km highway of some 100,000 vehicles daily.

At present, the DPWH chief said some 400,000 vehicles traverse Edsa daily, way beyond its 288,000 daily capacity.

“Puwedeng Edsa, puwedeng Skyway. Kasi remember hindi naman lahat…may mga tao na willing magbayad (ng toll fee),” Villar said.

(It’s possible through Edsa, and it’s also possible through the Skyway. Because remember, there are people willing to pay the toll fee.)

“Kapag nagkaroon ng 100,000 a day sa Skyway a day luluwag din ang Edsa. Siyempre di ko naman mapredict exactly. But ang importante lang ‘yung 5 minutes eh kung yung 15 minutes from Makati to NLEX kaya eh di definitely yung 5 minutes kaya,” he added.

(If there are around 100,000 vehicles a day in the Skyway, Edsa will most likely be decongested. Of course, we exactly cannot what will happen. But what is important is that if the 15-minute Makati to NLEx travel is possible, definitely the 5-minute promise is also possible.)

The President first issued the promise in March during a campaign rally of the ruling PDP-Laban party in the province of Isabela.

Last June, Duterte reiterated the promise and said that Cubao to Makati could soon be a “smooth-sailing” five-minute travel.

However, his spokesman, Salvador Panelo, earlier asked Metro Manila motorists and commuters to forget Duterte’s promise for now.

The Public Works chief also claimed that traffic congestion along Edsa–one of the main thoroughfares in the metropolis–will be reduced by 20 to 30 percent by the second half of 2020 as a number of projects under the government’s Edsa Decongestion Program is set to be completed.

Included in the government’s Edsa Decongestion Program were the NLEx-SLEx connector road, widening of Radial Road 10; Naia Expressway Phase 2, C-5 Southlink Expressway; Mindanao Avenue Extension; the NLEx Harbor Link Segment 8.2 (Mindanao Avenue to Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City); Samar Street project; Southeast Metro Manila Expressway, C-6 Phase 2; the Fort Bonifacio-Nichols Highway; and the Laguna Lake Highway.

Edited by MUF