AUGUST 24, 2021 – The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) with MPCALA Holdings Inc. (MHI) inaugurated the fourth section of the 45-kilometer Cavite-Laguna Expressway (CALAX) with the opening of the CALAX Silang East Interchange Section, extending the operating sections from 10 kms to 14.24 kms. 

The 45-kilometer CALAX is a Php 56-billion road infrastructure project granted by the Department of Public Works and Highways to MHI, a subsidiary of the Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation (MPTC). It is a high-speed road network connecting the two provinces, Cavite and Laguna, targeting to serve around 45,000 motorists upon its completion. 

The inaugural ceremony held in the morning led by DPWH Secretary Mark A. Villar was attended by the following key personalities Senator Bong Go, Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Arthur P. Tugade, Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea, Cavite Governor Jonvic Remulla, and Mayor Corazon Poblete of Silang, Cavite. Also in attendance are Metro Pacific Investment Corporation President Jose Ma. Lim, Metro Pacific Tollways President and CEO Rodrigo E. Franco, MHI President and CEO Robert V. Bontia, and selected members of the project team. 

“We are grateful for the trust and continued partnership with the government of the Philippines in providing the much-needed mobility infrastructure in the form of CALAX to help boost tourism and economic activity in the CALABARZON Region,” said MPT South President and General Manager Roberto V. Bontia during his speech.

With the completion of the Silang East of CALAX, motorists can now travel from Mamplasan in Binan, Laguna up to Silang East, exiting at Tibig Road, in Silang. The newly opened Silang East Interchange will be serving 5,000 motorists and help decongest traffic coming from Governor’s Drive, Aguinaldo Highway, and Sta. Rosa-Tagaytay Road.

“CALAX is included in the Luzon Spine Expressway Network — a master plan aimed at increasing the high standard highway network by three-fold. We are now closer to our dream of connecting the northernmost part of Luzon to its southernmost portion. We are confident that we will be able to deliver majority of this high-impact project within the term of President Rodrigo Duterte,” said DPWH Secretary Mark A. Villar. 

As approved by the Toll Regulatory Board (TRB), the following toll rates in CALAX will now range from PHP 14 to PHP 64 for Class 1 vehicles, PHP 29 to PhP128 for Class 2 vehicles, and PHP 43 to PHP 192 for Class 3 vehicles, depending on the vehicle’s entry and exit point.

Upon completion of the entire CALAX Project, it will have several interchanges located at the following locations: Kawit, Governor’s Drive, Open Canal, Silang (Aguinaldo) Highway, Silang East, Santa Rosa-Tagaytay, Laguna Boulevard, and Laguna Technopark. It will cut travel time between Cavite and Laguna from 2 hours to under an hour. It was also previously lauded by Toll Regulatory Board for its advanced features and regarded as the country’s most advanced toll road. 

CALAX has been designed to be a green and sustainable highway. Aside from the array of flora and green spaces that surrounds the expressway, which is intended to absorb carbon emissions of vehicles, the expressway also uses LED lighting systems, and renewable solar energy to power its toll plazas, toll equipment and systems, and operations management center. 

Aside from CALAX, MPTC also holds the concession rights for Manila-Cavite-Toll Expressway (Cavitex), North Luzon Expressway (NLEX), NLEX Connector Road, Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX), and Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway (CCLEX) in Cebu.