By Eva C. Visperas 

 

KNOWN earlier as Pangasinan East West Expressway (PEWEX), everybody was all ears when Gov. Monmon Guico announced its construction in his State of the Province Address (SOPA) last March 27, 2023 at the historic Sison Auditorium in Lingayen.

Snapshots of the proposed route were shown on the giant LED screen as the governor was discussing it, but noting the distraction, it prompted him to ask in jest that the slide presentation be stopped lest speculative real estate prices in areas traversed by the project suddenly shoots up.

The governor sounded confident in his speech that this project is viable.

Fast forward during last Monday’s session of the Sanggunian Panlalawigan, the provincial board passed a resolution authorizing the governor to enter into and sign a Joint Venture Agreement with San Miguel Corporation as original proponent in connection with the Pangasinan Link Expressway Project (PLEX).

Take note that from PEWEX, it’s now PLEX. It’s the same project.

Vice Gov. Mark Lambino, who was the acting governor since May 6 (until Guico returns from official travel abroad on May 16), spoke before the SP not as its presiding officer but as the authority explaining the project to the board members.

I gave Acting Governor Mark an “A” for acing the nitty gritty of the project. He was well versed and discussed it pretty well even with eyes closed.

“We’re now one step closer to having the PLEX,” he said, as he elaborated on the proposal of San Miguel to construct the project akin to a Build-Operate-Transfer scheme of government in a Public-Private-Partnership.

This 42-kilometer stretch of road line spans from Binalonan (TPLEX) to Lingayen will traverse eight towns in Central Pangasinan. The good news also is, it will shorten travel time by 66 percent, Lambino said.

Surely, this will spur economic growth, he added.

But wait, Lambino quickly clarified that it is not San Miguel that will automatically build it because other groups can still submit proposals. All these will be evaluated by the Joint Ventures Selection Committee of the provincial government. There is a process that must be followed like the Swiss Challenge.

But remember, too, the impressive track record of San Miguel in other similar projects it had undertaken, the recent one being the Batangas-Cavite expressway.

“This is not the first project of San Miguel of this kind but is the first biggest,” Lambino said.

Recall that when Guico initially mentioned PEWEX then, many eyebrows were raised. Impossible dream, they said.

Then came the smooth passage by the SP of the P6-B loan of the province from the Land Bank of the Philippines to finance strategic projects of Pangasinan under the Guico administration that includes the P1-B PEWEX.

But with San Miguel coming into the picture now, Lambino said the P1-B will no longer be needed because San Miguel said it will undertake full costs of the project!

Fully subsidized proposal by the proponent. Talagang mapapa-wow ka kung sakaling magawa nga ito ASAP.

As the vice gov put it, “This will be the crown jewel of the Guico administration”.

For sure it will be.

According to political observers I had talked to, “Kailangan talagang magpakitang gilas ang Guico admin ngayon pa lang dahil talagang ikukumpara sya ng mga tao sa predecessor niya.”

Time is ticking for the incumbent governor.

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