SMC submits unsolicited proposal for bus terminals
By Janina C. Lim
SAN MIGUEL Corp. (SMC) has submitted an unsolicited proposal to the Department of Transportation (DoTr) to build bus terminals, as a solution to the traffic congestion in Metro Manila.
SMC President and Chief Operating Officer Ramon S. Ang said the details of the proposed joint venture project with the government will be revealed by Transportation Secretary Arthur P. Tugade this week.
“’Di na kayo sasakay kung saan-saan, pwede na kayo dumeretso ng Manila bypassing EDSA Skyway 3… Tapos meron ako lugar bababaan ng lahat bus (You can go straight to Manila, bypassing EDSA on the Skyway 3… Then I will have an area where all the buses can unload passengers),” he told reporters last week, adding this was an unsolicited project.
Mr. Ang said the proposed terminals will be able to accommodate 1,000 buses “at any time.”
“(The terminals will be) over the connector road… ’Yung bus ’di na kailangan saan-saan pumunta, may bababaan na (The buses do not have to go anywhere, they can unload passengers there)… We will provide them access to a loading and unloading area,” Mr. Ang added.
The Skyway Stage 3 is the elevated road of SMC’s Citra Central Expressway Corp. (CCEC) that will connect the South Luzon Expressway (SLEx) from Buendia in Makati City, and North Luzon Expressway (NLEx) in Balintawak, Quezon City.
The Skyway 3 is intended to decongest main thoroughfares in the central Metro Manila area, particularly EDSA.
Mr. Ang believes his solution will further ease the traffic congestion on EDSA, as well as issues with provincial buses.
“This is a solution that will solve the perennial problem of provincial buses forever,” he added.
The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) is planning to shutter the provincial bus terminals along EDSA. It has also banned the provincial buses from dropping off passengers along the main road.
Mr. Ang said the Skyway 3 stretch up to Bonifacio, EDSA will be publicly accessible by December 2019 while the rest will open by March 31 next year.
Meanwhile, the Metro Rail Transit Line 7 (MRT-7) will initially open the Don Antonio Station by September 2020, and the rest leading to the Novaliches area will open by December 2020, Mr. Ang said.
According to the Public-Private Partnership Center in its website, about 40.44% of the MRT-7 has been completed as of Feb. 28, 2019.
Source: Business World