Government to build P5-B bus terminal beside Philippine Arena

MANILA, Philippines — The Duterte administration has taken another measure to address the worsening traffic congestion in Metro Manila.

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and Department of Transportation (DOTr) will build the P5-billion North Luzon Express Terminal (NLET) inside the Iglesia ni Cristo’s 7.5-hectare complex in Bocaue, Bulacan.

The NLET, to be constructed in partnership with the North Luzon Express Terminal Inc., will serve as an integrated bus terminal facility beside the Philippine Arena inside the Ciudad De Victoria complex. 

Lawyer GP Santos, chief operating officer of Maligaya Development Corp. that runs Philippine Arena, said the NLET is expected to remove close to 6,000 buses from Metro Manila’s congested roads and contribute to government efforts to improve traffic in the country’s capital.  

“To decongest traffic in Mega Manila, it has been recommended that transport intervention should include the improvement of bus services through an intermodal terminal and interchange facility, ideally located outside Mega Manila,” Santos said.

Based on a study by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the worsening traffic in Metro Manila costs around P3.5 billion a day in lost financial opportunities. These losses will climb to P5.4 billion a day by 2035 if nothing is done, Santos said.

He added the NLET would ensure “efficient and seamless travel for 97,000 people who travel to and from the north every day.”   

He said passengers would benefit from the project as they only need to go to one integrated bus terminal.

Santos lauded Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade for approving the project, which has been proposed years ago but was never implemented.

During the presentation of the JICA study at the 36th Joint Meeting of the Japan-Philippines Economic Cooperation Committees in Makati, JICA chief representative Susumu Ito said traffic congestion in Metro Manila and nearby provinces underscored the need for new and modern infrastructure.