It is a crucial part of the planned LRT-1 extension to Cavite.
On Friday, August 7, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) announced that the Villar Group of Companies has agreed to the government’s non-negotiable terms for the donation of two mortgaged land parcels in Las Piñas City.
The two plots are needed for the construction of the Las Piñas station of the Light Rail Transit Line 1’s (LRT-1) extension to Cavite, with the said stop being the first after the current terminal at Dr. Santos in Parañaque.
Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez previously noted that the they require 8,389 square meters of land to construct the Las Pinas and Zapote stations, with 4,990 square meters of which supposed to be donated by the Villar Group for the construction of the Las Piñas station.
While the necessary agreements are still yet to be finalized and officially inked in late August, the DOTr said that the Villar camp has agreed to three non-negotiable terms that it set for the donation of the land.
These are giving DOTr an unconditional permit to enter; the deed of donation will cover that condition and that the government should be free from all liabilities, no subrogation; and the cancellation of the mortgage on the land to be donated.
Six parcels of land are to be donated by the Villar Group, but two of these are mortgaged by a banking institution.
The department noted that the representatives from the Villar Group said the cancellation of the mortgaged properties will be processed within the next six months.
“This development is good for DOTr, LRMC (Light Rail Manila Corporation, LRTA (Light Rail Transit Authority) and the Villar Group, but best for the commuting public,” Lopez told on Friday. “Itong pagkakasundo natin, talagang commuters ang pangunahing makikinabang, at ‘yun naman talaga dapat ang priority natin.”
Meanwhile, the replacement of properties for the two mortgaged parcels of land has already been identified to facilitate the release of the land to be donated.
The company also expressed confidence that the necessary agreements for the land donation including the Memorandum of Agreement, Right-of-Way Acquisition Agreement, and Deed of Donation will be signed within the month.
This progress will allow construction works to commence as early as next year.
“Nagpapasalamat ang DOTr sa Villar Group of Companies dahil sa inyong cooperation para mapabilis natin itong proseso,” added the transport chief.
Meanwhile, Light Rail Manila Corporation (LRMC) President and Chief Executive Officer Enrico Benipayo, who was also present at the meeting, said: “I see that there’s this urgency from the government to provide relief for passengers. And on the part of the Villars (Group of Companies) there’s a good sign that they’re talking to the grantors in good faith. With this milestone, I think a major hurdle has been finished.”
The LRMC operates Line 1 under a public-private partnership agreement.
Manila’s LRT Line 1, which opened in 1984, is the oldest rapid transit line in Southeast Asia, rivaling the world-famous Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system of Singapore that opened in 1987 and Bangkok, Thailand’s Sky Train which began operating in 1999.
However, unlike its peers, it is not as agressive in expanding its network as it took fourteen years, when the Balintawak and Roosevelt (FPJ Avenue) stations opened in 2010, before the first phase of the Cavite Extension comprising stations from Redemptorist to Dr. Santos started operating in November 2024.
