Some heritage defenders are saying PAREX will ruin views of historical sites such as Malacanang Palace, and ruin views of the river itself. Why should it still continue?
The national government itself, centered in Malacanang, support the project, because of its economic, social, and environmental benefits. Metro Manila local government units, whose constituents will be the primary beneficiaries of both the expressway and the rehabilitation of the Pasig River, have also expressed strong support for the project.
Preserving heritage sites is important, but in this case, government and the LGUs have weighed the situation and decided that addressing traffic and congestion and making life easier for the greater majority, takes precedence--especially considering the fact that Pasig River itself, the largest heritage site of them all, stands to be rehabilitated and revived.
The important and multi-faceted work of preserving our historical sites should--and will--continue. San Miguel in fact has supported similar initiatives in the past, including saving the Manila Cathedral in Intramuros via a multi-million grant to help strengthen its foundations.
Key considerations about the PAREX project are: construction will not affect in any way the structural integrity of any historical sites. In fact, SMC’s Pasig River rehab project it will protect these sites from flooding or the risk of flooding. Second, PAREX may be a private investment, but it is not for the private use of a few--much like a condominium building. It is for public use and is an integral part of the future of Metro Manila.
The relevance and meaning to us of historical sites, and our appreciation of them, should not be diminished just because nearby city structures may impede views of them from specific angles. All over the world, historical sites endure, lend beauty, and serve as a reminder of history, even as the cities they are in, and their surrounding landscapes, continuously evolve, grow, and modernize.
Won’t PAREX negatively impact communities under it, as we have seen in areas under the LRT and MRT projects, for example?
Having an expressway or railway over an area doesn’t have to automatically mean areas underneath them suffer, though this certainly seems the case with some of our existing mass rail systems built on top of already busy public roads. Built many decades ago, these projects may not have taken into account all impacts to areas underneath them.
PAREX is different because SMC is in fact prioritizing the rehabilitation of the Pasig River. That the project will be designed to integrate green features, including pedestrian walkways and bicycle lanes, helps ensure the project is inclusive and will benefit more people.
The project will benefit only those who have cars; gov’t should focus on efficient mass transport.
SMC has already made it clear that PAREX will not just be for private vehicles, nor will it be exclusive to motor vehicles. As a hybrid expressway, it will also feature a bus rapid transit system which will operate much like a modern train system, but using high-capacity buses.
This democratizes the use of expressways and will answer the clamor of critics to prioritize mobility of the majority: the commuting public. With a BRT system that is comfortable, safe, and is run efficiently and professionally--coupled with existing and new train and subway developments--getting around Metro Manila will no longer be the hell we’ve come to know.
Why don’t we prioritize water transport, instead?
SMC’s separate P2 billion effort to extract 3 million metric tons of solid waste from the river is key to helping bring back the Pasig River’s heyday as a primary means of transportation Water ferries will be able to operate safely, without the risk of running ground in areas of the river that are currently made shallow by large deposits of solid wastes. Water transportation forms part of the vision for PAREX to accommodate multiple modes of transportation, which is necessary to better improve Metro Manila’s traffic situation improve mobility for people.
Will building more infrastructure induce people to buy more cars, thereby worsening the traffic and pollution situation?
Even without the PAREX, or infrastructure projects, people have, and will continue to use vehicles. While a less car-centric society is a worthy goal, the reality is we cannot skip addressing the current traffic problem in order to get to this goal. That is why the PAREX has been designed as a multi-modal infrastructure, designed for motor vehicles, a BRT system, and featuring bicycle lanes and pedestrian walkways. Does it follow that if we don’t build new roads, traffic will improve? Definitely not. In fact, if we don’t build new elevated expressways, our public roads and residential community streets will continue to be dominated by emissions-spewing vehicles--who, by the way, will continue to spew those emissions for hours due to standstill traffic.
Why doesn’t government spend the money on building a picturesque corridor for promenading along the river?
PAREX is a private investment, to be fully-funded by San Miguel Corporation, whose primary purpose is to help government address the traffic situation in Metro Manila. Despite its solid track record in corporate social responsibility, SMC’s goal is to provide a transportation and mobility solution, while integrating benefits to the environment and to people. And to be able to do the many worthwhile projects it is pursuing, it needs to recoup its investments so it will have resources to re-invest, or leverage on. The best that private companies can do to help society is to make sure its projects integrate viable solutions to important issues. So far, this is true for the PAREX. In fact, no other company, even those recognized as experts in real property development, has gone as far as to commit to rehabilitate the Pasig River, despite their multi-billion investments alongside or near the river.
Other cities are tearing down expressways to give way to walking and biking.
While this is admirable, these cities are most probably more developed, prosperous, and less congested than Metro Manila. Can we jump right ahead to a car-less or less car-centric future? It’s a good dream, but truthfully, no. Not yet. We can however incorporate various modes of transportation into the PAREX, and as SMC has announced, it will have a BRT, bicycle lanes, and even pedestrian lanes. It will be an “inclusive” infrastructure.
How will PAREX “complete” the north-south-east-west” link throughout Metro Manila?
PAREX will connect to the Skyway system via Skyway 3 in the Nagtahan area. With this, motorists coming from any access points along the PAREX will have direct access to both the southbound and northbound sections of the Skyway, and vice versa. This means they can directly access both southern and northern Luzon, via elevated expressway.
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