MVP open to waiving NLEX Connector toll

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May 28, 2025 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines — Inspired by his fellow tycoon Ramon Ang’s effort, Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. (MPTC) chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan is willing to lift the toll in the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) Connector once the two-year EDSA rebuild starts on June 13.

Pangilinan said San Miguel Corp. (SMC) took the private sector’s lead in mitigating the traffic impact of rebuilding EDSA by announcing a toll holiday on Skyway Stage 3.

“I think San Miguel has taken the lead there. It was a good lead that they have 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 said.

“We also have a connector, so maybe we should do the same thing. I have to talk to our tollways to follow San Miguel’s lead,” he added.

The NLEX Connector, managed by MPTC unit NLEX Corp., spans eight kilometers between C3 Road in Caloocan City and Magsaysay Avenue in Sta. Mesa, Manila, mirroring the right of way of the Philippine National Railways.

The connector stretches NLEX further down to the south, offering vehicles, including trucks, an alternative when traveling the cities of Manila, Caloocan, Malabon, Navotas and Valenzuela.

Meanwhile, Skyway Stage 3, which spans between Buendia in Makati City and Balintawak in Caloocan City, is listed as one of the alternate routes motorists can use when crossing between the north and south of Metro Manila. The free toll in Skyway Stage 3 is expected to reduce vehicle buildup in EDSA by at least 10 percent.

In exchange, the Toll Regulatory Board is looking at possibly extending SMC’s term as Skyway concessionaire to allow it to recover lost revenue.

The government is pursuing the P8.7-billion redevelopment of EDSA to improve road conditions for one of the busiest thoroughfares in Metro Manila.

Zero toll fee hike

Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon yesterday said President Marcos will not allow SMC to raise toll fees to recuperate losses from the Skyway Stage 3 toll holiday.

“The President does not agree with that (toll fee increase), therefore there will be no increase,” Dizon said during a hearing of the Senate committee on public services.

The Transportation secretary made the assurance after public services committee chairman Sen. Raffy Tulfo asked what the government was doing to prevent sharp increases in toll rates.

Tulfo asked for clarifications as Dizon confirmed to the Senate committee that current proposals being discussed with SMC is making a certain segment of Skyway toll-free for 24 hours during the EDSA rehabilitation.

“We are just talking about a segment (of Skyway) as of now… we will give fair and reasonable reprieve to San Miguel in order to simplify things,” Dizon said.

Dizon explained that toll operators already have regular increases under their contracts, stressing that the government would not be allocating or releasing funds to subsidize the tolls.

“We don’t need to release funds in terms of the subsidy. We’re looking at that and we’re confident that we will be able to find a solution,” he said, referring to ongoing discussions with SMC.

Melissa Tagarda, SMC Infrastructure Corporate Affairs Office head, said the company is ready to help the government but noted that the terms established should be fair to SMC as well, since “we also invested into that project under our public-private partnership.”

“We are ironing out the details with DOTr so we can make it easy for everyone and the commuters,” she added.

Among the terms SMC was asking was government augmentation of enforcers in entry and exit points of the Skyway where the toll would be free, as both parties expect gridlocks in these areas, Dizon said.

Prep failures

Amid growing concerns and criticisms over the odd-even scheme on EDSA, senators reminded transport and traffic enforcement agencies to justify the policy with data and communicate clearly to avoid chaos during the road’s rehabilitation.

“The existing and proposed additional alternate routes are good but the public has to be informed. You will release the guidelines on the first week of June when it should be released now. You have long planned for the rehabilitation of EDSA so along the way, you should have already planned for the rerouting earlier,” Tulfo said during the Senate hearing.

While the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) clarified that alternate routes are already published on their website, it explained that alternate routes or Mabuhay lanes have been active long before the rehabilitation was proposed. — Neil Jayson Servallos, Marc Jayson Cayabyab