The multibillion-peso LRT-1 Cavite Extension Project may not be completed before President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. steps down in June 2028 as unresolved right-of-way issues continue to delay key portions of the railway expansion.
Las Piñas Rep. Mark Anthony Santos raised the concern, citing information relayed to him by a government official on the status of the project.
Santos said the delay persists despite President Marcos’ directive for the Department of Transportation (DOTr) to immediately address bottlenecks affecting the project. He pointed in particular to the proposed Right-of-Way Usage Agreement (ROWUA) with the Villar Group, which remains unsigned.
Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) Administrator Atty. Hernando Cabrera confirmed that while the Villar Group had offered to provide the land needed for the Las Piñas Station at no cost, the commitment has yet to be formalized through the required agreement.
“Until today, the proposal remains unfulfilled because the Villar Group has yet to execute the required ROWUA,” Cabrera said.
According to Cabrera, several technical meetings were held from September 2021 to June 2025 among the DOTr, LRTA, Light Rail Manila Corporation (LRMC), the project’s private concessionaire, and representatives of the Villar Group, but the proposed agreement has not been signed.
LRMC has maintained that construction of Phase 2 cannot proceed unless the government secures 100 percent of the required right-of-way. Once the full right-of-way is turned over, the company said construction could begin immediately and the remaining phase could be completed within three to four years, placing full project completion by 2031.
Cabrera said the government approved the revised 2025 station alignment based on the Villar Group’s representation that the property would be made available free of charge.
“The government has already spent considerable time and resources redesigning the project based on the approved 2025 alignment. What we need now is the formal execution of the agreement so construction can finally proceed,” Cabrera said in a radio interview.
Santos said Cabrera’s statement came after he wrote to President Marcos seeking immediate intervention to resolve the long-delayed railway project.
The lawmaker said accountability should be pursued if evidence shows that the actions or inaction of any party contributed to the delay.
“Is the Villar Group disregarding the President’s directive and causing further delays to a flagship government infrastructure project? It appears to be a delaying tactic,” Santos said.
“Where have you ever seen a private businessman offer to donate land to the government, only to later expect the government to pay for it?” he added.
Cabrera warned that the continued failure to execute the ROWUA has stalled Phase 2 of the P64.915-billion LRT-1 Cavite Extension Project, which covers the Las Piñas and Zapote stations.
He said that without the agreement, the government may be forced to return to the previously approved 2022 alignment, which would require another round of redesigns, feasibility studies, and technical assessments. This, he warned, would mean additional costs and further delays.
“We cannot allow this project to be held back any longer. The welfare of the riding public must come first,” Cabrera said.
Cabrera also said the C-5 Quirino Flyover, which was built during the tenure of then-Public Works Secretary and now Senator Mark Villar, now physically blocks the railway’s original alignment and occupies the space intended for the LRT-1 tracks.
He noted that Villar also served as an ex officio member of the LRTA Board when he was the Department of Public Works and Highways secretary.
Malacañang, meanwhile, has maintained that the government is not responsible for the delays in the implementation of the LRT-1 Cavite Extension Project.