A new expressway stretching two kilometers between Parañaque and Taguig was formally opened Monday by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., who announced that no toll fees will be collected on the road for the entirety of next month.
Segment 3B of the CAVITEX-C5 Link is being positioned as a major congestion fix ahead of Holy Week, when vehicle traffic across Metro Manila typically surges. The government projects around 36,000 vehicles will pass through the corridor each day.
The travel time reduction is among the figures Marcos highlighted at the opening. “Yung biyahe na dati ay isang oras, isang oras kalahati, magiging 15 minutes na lang (Travel that used to take one to one-and-a-half hours will now take only 15 minutes),” he said.
On the toll-free decision, Marcos framed it as direct relief for ordinary commuters and travelers. “Mula ngayon hanggang end of April toll-free muna dito para naman mapagbigyan ang ating kababayan… lalo na Holy Week ngayon, maraming bumibiyahe (From now until the end of April, this will be toll-free to give relief to our countrymen, especially now that many are traveling during Holy Week),” he said.
The opening was also linked to the administration’s “UPLIFT” strategy, a policy framework that bundles infrastructure and transport measures as a response to energy pressures tied to the conflict in the Middle East. Rising global fuel costs have been cited by the government as part of the rationale for rolling out road improvements that reduce travel distances and idling time in heavy traffic.
