METRO PACIFIC TOLLWAYS Corp. (MPTC), the tollways unit of Metro Pacific Investments Corp. (MPIC), is allocating P35 billion for its capital expenditure (capex) budget this year, primarily for the projects of its subsidiaries, a company official said.
“P35 billion, most of that is for the South and for NLEX Corp. Maybe one-third is for NLEX, then for (MPT) South, then another one-third for other projects,” NLEX Corp. Officer-in-Charge and Chief Finance Officer Maria Theresa O. Wells told reporters last week.
In 2024, MPIC allocated P140 billion for its capex budget, with P28 billion set aside for MPTC.
Expressway operator MPT South Management Corp. previously announced that it would allocate P14 billion for its 2025 capex budget to fund key projects slated for completion next year.
Last week, MPTC unit NLEX Corp. began construction of the P2.2-billion NLEX-C5 Northlink Section 1A.
Section 1A of the NLEX-C5 Northlink Segment 8.2 covers the first two kilometers of the entire 11.3-kilometer project. This section is expected to be completed by the first quarter of 2026.
For 2025, MPT South expects an average daily vehicle count of 344,514, marking a 32.6% increase from the current 259,815.
The completion of MPT South’s expressway network will bring its total road network to 67 kilometers by the end of 2025 while enhancing connectivity between industrial and commercial hubs and shortening travel time for motorists, the company said.
The Governor’s Drive Interchange of the Cavite-Laguna Expressway (CALAX) is among the projects scheduled for completion in 2025.
MPTC also expects a slight improvement in overall traffic volume, driven by the post-pandemic recovery.
MPIC is one of the three key Philippine units of Hong Kong-based First Pacific Co. Ltd., alongside Philex Mining Corp. and PLDT Inc.
Hastings Holdings, Inc., a unit of PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund subsidiary MediaQuest Holdings, Inc., holds a majority stake in BusinessWorld through the Philippine Star Group, which it controls. — Ashley Erika O. Jose
