ALMOST three years ago, on December 28, 2004, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said the Philippine National Construction Corp. (PNCC) had called for tenders for the extension project of the South Luzon Expressway (Slex) to Star Tollway in Sto. Tomas, Batangas.  The original quoted price for the project was P7 billion.

The DTI also said the rehab of the Alabang Viaduct would start in January 2005, with then-trade secretary Cesar Purisima boldly saying the Slex rehab and expressway’s extension from Calamba, Laguna, to Sto. Tomas would be completed in two years’ time.

Almost three years later, much of the Slex appears like scenes of gory mass destruction arising from air bombing à la Tora! Tora! of World War II infamy.

Mornings during rush hour, kilometric lines of northbound vehicles are almost a daily sight.  As early as 3:30 in the afternoon, the same grisly scene is seen for southbound motorists.

What really ails the Slex project?  Why the almost daily occurrences of organized confusion at the Slex?  What happened to the grandiose rehab plans of the Slex that the government had trumpeted about in 2004?

Okay, let’s review the past to give us a clearer view of the Slex project.

On March 1, 2005, the PNCC awarded F.F. Cruz the Alabang viaduct rehab and the 7.8-km Slex extension from Calamba, Laguna, to Sto. Tomas, Batangas.  But a legal tussle between NDC and F.F. Cruz stalled the project.

On March 15, 2005, Malacañang ordered the PNCC to begin the Slex rehab in April 2005.

On April 3, 2005, the NDC backed out of funding the Slex Project and turned it over to Department of Public Works and Highways for financing under the national government budget. The government reimbursed NDC for the P36 million it had loaned to PNCC.

On July 9, 2005, it was reported that the Slex rehab would start by mid-August 2005, with the budget for the project now climbing to P11 billion.  On July 13 that year, the papers said the International Finance Corp. (IFC) and four banks would finance 70 percent of the P11-billion Slex project as loan.  The MTD of Malaysia would raise the remaining 30 percent.

On September 5, 2005, the MTD presented the P11-billion Slex projects to GMA in Malacañang, wherein Project 1 of the Slex would commence in August, Project 2 in September and Project 3 in October 2005.

On September 21, 2005, the papers said the P11-billion Slex rehab had finally started.   However, it was only on April 4, 2006, that the Slex rehab could really begin—with no less than President Arroyo gracing the groundbreaking ceremonies.

On February 6 this year, the rehab on the 15-km portion of the Slex from Alabang to Mamplasan had started.

Meanwhile, the Alabang viaduct repair, which started on May 2, 2006, was billed for completion by the end of 2008, with the Slex two-lane expansion between Calamba and Sta. Rosa commencing by the first quarter of 2008.

With delays in construction brought on by myriad  reasons like lack of funds and bureaucratic red tape, it was announced that the Slex rehab is expected to be finished in 2009—or five years since its inception.

Almost daily nowadays, we hear not only motorists but bus operators complaining of heavy traffic on the Slex because of construction/rehab work.  There is no efficient management system, which makes the traffic situation even more unbearable. In fact, we hardly see efficient personnel manning traffic on choke points at peak hours.

And what’s this news about the World Bank’s IFC saying the P2.5-billion loan for the Slex rehab is ready to be disbursed, but the Malaysian contractor has not asked for money?  And did IFC refuse to disburse to MTD because its partner, PNCC, had failed to renew its 30-year franchise to operate Slex?  With construction slowing down, motorists complain about heavy traffic there lasting more than three hours in the afternoon.

What ’s unfair is, we pay good money using the superbly maintained Skyway, and yet when we get to the Nlex proper, there’s chaos almost all over.

They should learn from the Nlex, that super expressway going North that was built virtually hassle-free. 

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Pee Stop. Cheers to Honda’s Sheryl de los Santos, who always tries to come to the rescue each time a friend of hers is in distress….Congrats to Fe Agudo for spearheading Hyundai’s splendid launch of the Sonata and Azera, Hyundai’s high-performance luxury vehicles.

TOYOTA Motor Corp. (TMC) engineered a veritable showstopper when it broke the cover on eight concept plus 13 assorted vehicles during the first media day of the 40th Tokyo Motor Show on October 24 at the Makuhari Messe in Japan’s Chiba Prefecture.

HONDA Motor Co. Ltd. surprised the crowd at the opening of the 40th Tokyo Motor Show (TMS) on October 24 at the Makuhara Messe in Chiba, Japan, when it showcased concept automobiles and a number of new technologies. This is aside from the new production cars and updates of its other variants.

‘Casino Royale,’ Hyundai-style

THERE were poker, baccarat and lucky nine tables, slot machines, food, free-flowing drinks and showgirls—all the trimmings, glitz and glamor of a world-class casino.  No, it wasn’t Las Vegas or Monaco. 

Avanza 1.3J M/T: Advancing the Avanza cause

I’VE recently driven the Avanza 1.3J stick shift and it has been purely fun.  For one thing, it’s been quite a while since I had last driven a non-“matic;” the manual era is becoming extinct—if you still don’t know it. 

Porsche Cayenne V6: Hotter, better, spicier

WHEN the Porsche Cayenne was first unveiled, people weren’t really sure if the concept would work. After all, even Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson admitted the VW and Porsche-developed vehicle defeats the purpose of building an SUV with the soul of a sports car, much as “nonalcohol lager defeats the objective or Land Rover building a rear-engined sports car.”

Eyes on the Road: Having max power on your trek

Petron’s ongoing awareness campaign for clean air through the use of cleaner fuel is very laudable.

DuPont unveils eco-friendly paints

A REVOLUTIONARY, environment-friendly car-paint system developed by a world leader in science-based products and services is now being introduced in the country.

Full Tank: Slex slaps

ALMOST three years ago, on December 28, 2004, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said the Philippine National Construction Corp. (PNCC) had called for tenders for the extension project of the South Luzon Expressway (Slex) to Star Tollway in Sto. Tomas, Batangas.  The original quoted price for the project was P7 billion.