MPT South, USAID to implement biodiversity program for CALAX

MANILA: Metro Pacific Tollways South Management Corporation (MPT South), a subsidiary of Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation (MPTC), has recently signed a partnership agreement with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) for the Sustainable Interventions for Biodiversity, Oceans, and Landscapes (SIBOL) project. This partnership aims to advance MPT South’s sustainability efforts to make the Cavite-Laguna Expressway (CALAX) a “green highway.”

MPT South and USAID SIBOL, a natural resources management and biodiversity conservation project, will work together on a biodiversity program that will improve natural resources management. This includes tree planting activities to be conducted along CALAX, advanced science-based decision making, cultivating community engagement and promoting environmental stewardship, and making CALAX’s biodiversity program an income-generating project of communities.

CALAX is a 45-kilometer high-speed road network that connects the provinces of Cavite and Laguna, and is expected to serve around 45,000 motorists upon completion. CALAX is currently operational from Biñan, Laguna to Silang, Cavite.

The partnership agreement was signed by MPT South President and General Manager Roberto Bontia; MPTC Chief Finance Officer and Senior Executive Sponsor for Sustainability Christopher Lizo; USAID Philippines Office of Environment, Energy, and Climate Change Chief John Edgar; and USAID SIBOL Chief of Party Dr. Ernesto Guiang.

In a statement, Bontia said, “We are grateful to USAID SIBOL for allowing us to tap into their pool of knowledge and expertise so that we can make science-based and nature-centered decisions as we move towards our goal of turning CALAX into a green highway.”

The partnership with MPT South is in accordance with USAID SIBOL’s goal of boosting biodiversity conservation through voluntary industry standards and replication of the rewilding concept in similar projects. The project will be implemented in collaboration with government agencies, educational institutions, local communities, and the private sector to translate this goal into concrete environmental efforts.

“Protecting the environment, natural resources, and ensuring their capacities to sustain life for generations to come should be a collective effort. Environmental issues such as climate change and habitat loss are concerns not exclusive to the purview of the government, advocacy groups, academia, or conservation and development partners such as USAID SIBOL. These issues also affect businesses, livelihoods, communities, and ordinary people. That is why we are grateful for this partnership with MPTC as it speaks of the goodwill of the private sector in collaborating with other stakeholders and taking tangible steps to promote environmental sustainability, biodiversity conservation, and climate resiliency in the Philippines,” Dr. Guiang stated.

In parallel, Lizo said, “We look forward to seeing how our collaboration can help improve our natural resources management in the expressway, and how this overall project can set a standard for future infrastructure developments in the country.”

MPT South has previously stated that it would transform its expressways to more sustainable highways in order to show MPTC’s involvement in decarbonizing the country’s transport sector, as part of the company’s commitment to climate action.

MPT South began this transition in CALAX. While retaining the expressway’s high quality of road safety features, CALAX is now being integrated with resource-saving and emission-reduction technologies. Existing toll plazas in the operational sections have solar panels that can power its own operations. LED fixtures have also been put in the company’s lighting and roadway lightings, resulting in improved energy efficiency.

Moreover, MPT South’s headquarters, known as MPT South HUB, is a Leader in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)-registered facility with a certification goal of LEED Gold. LEED is the most widely used green building rating system in the world, for almost any building type. It establishes a framework for healthy, energy-efficient, and cost-effective green buildings.

MPTC’s Green Highway Initiative in CALAX is in line with Metro Pacific Investment Corporation’s sustainability efforts to support the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), specifically in upgrading all industries and infrastructure to make them sustainable (SDG 9) and promoting innovation in building assets in adherence to the company’s commitments to climate action (SDG 13).

Aside from CALAX, MPTC also manages the Manila-Cavite Expressway (Cavitex), the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX), the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX), the NLEX Connector Road, and the Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway (CCLEX).

Screengrab from Metro Pacific Tollways South Management Corporation

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