Pasig River Expressway

The Pasig River Expressway (PAREX) is a proposed elevated expressway in Metro Manila, Philippines that plans to skirt the banks of the Pasig River and connect the cities of Manila, Mandaluyong, Makati, Pasig, Taguig and the municipality of Taytay. The expressway is proposed to alleviate east-west traffic congestion in Metro Manila. It is visioned to be a joint venture between the Philippine National Construction Corporation and the San Miguel Corporation. The project broke ground on September 24, 2021, while construction of the expressway was yet to start pending the approval of its Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC). The project was deemed cancelled in 2024 due to public uproar against the project. However, Ramon Ang announced renewed interest with the project, though citing the need to adjust it towards public sentiments.

Route description
The expressway is planned to start from Radial Road 10 in Manila and is proposed to end at Southeast Metro Manila Expressway in the municipality of Taytay. Three segments are planned, in addition to utilizing the portion of the Skyway Stage 3 from Plaza Azul (Nagtahan) to San Juan River in Manila.

From Manila at the west, the expressway is planned to run through the southern bank of Pasig River. It would turn to the land in Paco, where it is proposed to use the right-of-way of Paz Mendoza-Guazon Street and Quirino Avenue before meeting Skyway Stage 3's Nagtahan Exit at Plaza Azul. Its utilization of Skyway's segment starts at Plaza Dilao Exit and ends at the future San Juan Intersection with Skyway Stage 3 above San Juan River. From there, it would resume and cut through Punta, Santa Ana, Manila before retaking the Pasig River alignment at the southern bank up to the future Southeast Metro Manila Expressway/C-6 in Taytay, Rizal.

History
Plans of building an expressway over the Pasig River were revealed as early as 1993, when the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) conducted a study on the proposed urban expressway system in Metro Manila. The proposed expressway over the river was called Expressway Route R-4, referring to the proposed new alignment of Radial Road 4 that would run from the proposed Inner Circumferential Expressway (Circumferential Road 3) in Santa Ana, Manila to Circumferential Road 6 in Taguig. In the 1999 Metro Manila Urban Transport Integrated Study, the expressway was also proposed as the R-4 Expressway, with a 12.5-kilometer route from the Metro Manila Skyway, extending toward the southeast, and being connected to the C-6 to serve traffic demand between Manila CBD and northern Laguna de Bay.

First proposed circa 2017 as the Manila–Taguig Expressway (MTEX), a project of Citra Group and PT Citra Persada Infrastruktur, the expressway is planned as a viaduct over the Pasig River and Laguna de Bay, and a network of bridges similar to the proposed Metro Manila Skybridge. The expressway would have had three segments and two- to six-lane viaducts and bridges. The overall length of the expressway would have been 19.365 km. The project has an estimated cost of ₱95.413 billion and an estimated implementation period of 36 months. The expressway is also said to undertake river dredging and cleanup works on the Pasig River before, during, and after construction.

In September 2021, the San Miguel Corporation has named Filipino green architect Felino "Jun" Palafox as a prospective consultant to introduce "green architectural and urban features" in the Pasig River Expressway system. Initially denying his involvement, Palafox later confirmed his involvement in the project, emphasizing the need for a "missing link for the eastern and western parts of Metro Manila”.

The project's technical aspects and financial aspects were approved by the Toll Regulatory Board on July 14, and a public scoping was held by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) the same day. The project scoping report indicated that 101 representatives were present at the scoping, most of which had raised concerns on the project's environmental impacts and a lack of information on the project's detailed engineering designs. The report stated that each of these concerns were responded to with a promise for a follow-up public scoping to take place in October 2021.

On September 21, 2021, the Supplemental Toll Operations Agreement (STOA) was approved by the government, wherein a formal agreement was signed between the San Miguel Corporation, the Department of Transportation, and the Department of Public Works and Highways at a groundbreaking ceremony held on September 24, 2021.

On March 14, 2022, the STOA was approved by the Office of the President. A follow-up project scoping for the project was later held on March 25, 2022.

Construction of the expressway was expected to begin in 2022 and was to be complete by 2023, pending the signature of President Bongbong Marcos to start construction. However, as of 2023, construction has not yet begun, pending regulatory requirements.

In December 2023, a column in The Philippine Star stated that Ramon Ang has decided to drop the proposed Pasig River Expressway project due to the criticism it received from the public. This was confirmed when Ang stated in a press conference on March 18, 2024 that the project has been shelved, wishing to respect the opinion of the public. Ang's cancellation is reported to have been rescinded, following renewed interest in the project.

The P81.53-billion Parex "is still on the table" for further evaluation in its final engineering design process according to the Toll Regulatory Board Executive Director Alvin A. Carullo. On May 27, 2024, in a PSE disclosure Ang announced the company is still conducting a viability study of the project. “We cannot [withdraw], We are addressing the concerns, but it is currently on hold,” he explained.

Environmental and mobility concerns
Transport and environmental advocates in April and July 2021 opposed the project, citing environmental concerns that the concrete megastructure would hamper the river's role in controlling floods and contribute to the urban heat island effect, which would have worsened urban heat in Metro Manila.

Concerns were raised that building the Pasig River Expressway would also introduce air and noise pollution in the area, as well as non-exhaust emissions, such as microplastics from car tires, road dust, and particulate matter that would have worsened the pollution in the Pasig River and in the communities around it. Advocates also pointed out that the construction of more new roads would only worsen traffic congestion by attracting more vehicle use, thus decreasing mobility in a phenomenon known as induced demand.

Among the figures that opposed the expressway's construction is Senator Manny Pacquiao, who envisioned to develop the sides of the Pasig River into a tourist spot if elected as President in the 2022 Philippine presidential elections. Labor lawyer Luke Espiritu and environmentalist David D'Angelo, both under the senatorial slate of Partido Lakas ng Masa, have also called for the rejection of the project.

Heritage concerns
The Intramuros Administration and heritage advocates also opposed the project, noting that the alignment of the project, particularly Segment 1 from Radial Road 10 to Plaza Azul, would transverse multiple heritage sites and historical buildings such as the Intramuros fortifications, Fort Santiago, the Aduana Building, the Bureau of Immigrations building, the National Press Club building, and the Manila Central Post Office. Both parties raised concerns on the proximity of the project to these heritage sites, as advocates noted that the project would not only disrupt the visual integrity of these heritage sites, but also as the vibrations during the construction of the project could also damage the structural integrity of these landmarks.

Issues during public scoping
Mobility advocates have urged the DENR to postpone the second public scoping that was held on March 25, 2022, citing concerns that the first project scoping held last July 14, 2021 was not carried out correctly and should be invalidated, noting several inaccuracies and deficiencies in the project briefing materials. Advocates also noted the absence of key agencies such as the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, the National Historical Commission of the Philippines, the Department of Tourism, the Department of Science and Technology, and the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology at the previous public scoping, declaring the need to hold a new public scoping meeting that would have included the inputs of the mentioned agencies. In April 2022, the Intramuros Administration has also informed the Environmental Management Bureau under the DENR that it has not been consulted about the project prior to the public hearing.

Discrepancies between the project alignment that was shown during the project scoping and on the environmental impact assessment (EIA) report were also raised, as 20 percent of the total alignment shown during the first project scoping has been modified in the EIA report. Advocates raised that these changes were not properly notified and informed to stakeholders along these areas, noting that the informed consent of these stakeholders are missing from the EIA report.

Environmental impact assessment plagiarism
In April 2022, it was found out that the EIA report for the project contained entire sections that were plagiarized from the environmental impact assessments of the Makati Intra-city Subway in 2019 and a coal-fired power station expansion project in Misamis Oriental in 2017, and the project components section of the Cavite–Laguna Expressway. In response, advocates have petitioned the Environmental Management Bureau to investigate RHR Consulting Services, the company responsible for the preparation of the report, for any findings of misconduct and irregular practice present in the drafting of the EIA report.

Response
The issues with the expressway were responded to by San Miguel Corporation President Ramon Ang, who emphasized the fact that the project would be at no cost to the government, dispelled misinformation suggesting that the expressway would cover the whole Pasig River instead of being built along it, and mentioned parallel plans to rehabilitate the river by widening and dredging the river at certain points. In response to concerns of induced demand, Ang responded that the project would not be exclusive to private car owners as it would also have a bus rapid transit system, bike lanes, and pedestrian infrastructure

Advocates indicated, however, that whether or not the project would be built along or above the river is irrelevant as the project itself would be inviting air pollution into a corridor that previously did not have any. Mobility advocates also questioned Ang's mention of including a bus rapid transit system, bike lanes, and pedestrian infrastructure in response to criticism as these features were not mentioned in detail in the project's EIA report. Environmental architect Paulo Alcazaren also weighed in that the elevated nature of the proposed bus rapid transit system, bike lanes, and pedestrian infrastructure would pose accessibility and connectivity issues.

The project's "unusually fast" approval process was also criticized given the approval of the STOA despite the lack of an Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) from the DENR, which is needed before any construction can start. On June 27, 2023, DENR secretary Toni Yulo-Loyzaga stated that the DENR is currently evaluating the community impact of the Pasig River Expressway project and stated that there is still no timeframe on the issuance of an ECC for the project.

Green architect Jun Palafox, who initially denied involvement with the project in September 2021, has since been onboarded with the project, committing to develop it according to "his own vision of Pasig River development". Palafox has also responded to criticism, as he denied that the expressway would only cause additional congestion if built, believing that there is an "unmet demand" for an east-west transportation corridor. Palafox's involvement with the project has also been seen as a complete reversal of his long-standing principles for revitalizing decades of urban decay in Metro Manila with sustainable practices.