No fireworks when Duterte met MVP

The NLEX Corp. is a unit of Metro Pacific Tollways Corp., a subsidiary of Pangilinan’s conglomerate, the Metro Pacific Investments Corp.The President did not acknowledge the billionaire in his speech, nor did he make any reference to his tirades against Maynilad over the 2019 water crisis.

Mr. Duterte, however, acknowledged how the P6.55-billion road segment was “a milestone” in decongesting Metro Manila by providing direct access to the NLEx without passing through Edsa or the Balintawak toll plaza.

30,000 motorists

The road segment extends from Circumferential Road 3 in Caloocan to Radial Road 10 in Navotas, and will connect the 5.65-kilometer NLEx Harbor Link Segment 10 at the Caloocan Interchange to Port Area in Manila.

The project will benefit more than 30,000 motorists a day and will improve the movement of cargo between NLEx and Port Area “by shortening the travel time from the usual one hour to only 10 minutes,” the President said.

It will also “stimulate commerce and lead to greater development in the [Caloocan-Malabon-Navotas-Valenzuela] area,” he added.

At the end of his brief speech, Mr. Duterte was seen shaking hands and exchanging a few words with an unsmiling Pangilinan.