LAS Piñas Rep. Mark Anthony Santos has filed a resolution urging the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to demolish a portion of the P300.39-million C-5 Quirino Highway Flyover in his city for directly obstructing the right-of-way for the long-delayed LRT-1 Cavite Extension project.
In House Resolution No. 19, Santos called on the House committee on transportation to look into the issue, saying it would be more logical to dismantle the “problematic segment instead of forcing the government to spend an additional P1 billion to redesign and realign the remaining (train) stations.”
He said Phase 2, which is the final phase of the project, which includes the Las Piñas and Zapote stations, “has been stalled for years and remains at a standstill to this day.”
Santos expressed apprehension that the construction by the Light Rail Manila Corporation (LRMC) may not even commence until 2026, “further delaying the full operationalization of the extension that was originally envisioned to be completed more than a decade ago.”
“Every year of delay means commuters suffer, traffic worsens, and government funds bleed due to avoidable mistakes. This is not just inefficiency — it borders on gross negligence,” he said.
Santos wants the transportation panel to summon public works and transportation officials to explain why the 680-meter C-5 Quirino Highway flyover, which is part of the C-5 Extension project, was built “directly on the LRT alignment.”
The congressman said the committee should find out if there was “gross incompetence, lack of inter-agency coordination, or possible conflict of interest involved.”
ADDITIONAL EXPENSES
Santos said the Department of Transportation has already confirmed that the government “will have to redesign the station posts and alignment, an adjustment that will require at least P1 billion in additional costs on top of ongoing right-of-way (ROW) and utility relocation issues.”
He said this is why it would be “more practical, cost-efficient, and justifiable to remove the obstruction than to make costly adjustments to the LRT design.”
“Instead of forcing taxpayers to shoulder another billion pesos just to work around an ill-planned flyover, the more practical and justifiable move is to dismantle the obstructing portion,” Santos said.
The P64.92-billion LRT-1 Cavite Extension is a public-private partnership (PPP) between LRMC and the national government.
Phase 1 — covering five stations in Parañaque (Redemptorist–Aseana, MIA Road, PITX, Ninoy Aquino Avenue, and Dr. Santos) – is was delayed by almost three years due to the COVID-19 pandemic before opening in November 2024.
Santos lamented that Phase 2 is now facing a potential three-to-five-year delay because of what he called the “flyover blunder.” Quoting the DOTR, Santos said that even if construction begins in 2026, the Las Piñas and Zapote stations will not be operational until 2028, while the Talaba and Niog stations are targeted for 2030.
“This isn’t just about a construction delay — it’s about whether billions of pesos in public funds were wasted because government agencies failed to talk to each other, or worse, ignored the problem altogether,” he said.
