THE Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) said it granted original proponent status (OPS) to San Miguel Corp. (SMC) following its unsolicited proposal to extend the Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway (TPLEx).
DPWH Secretary Mark A. Villar told reporters in a chance interview on Tuesday the department approved the company’s proposal to add almost 60 kilometers to the toll road up to San Juan, La Union.
“At this point it’s the original proponent for the TPLEx extension,” he said.
DPWH Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Director Alex G. Bote then confirmed in a text message the OPS was given to SMC first week of December.
SMC submitted its P23.948-billion unsolicited proposal to the DPWH in February to extend TPLEx from Rosario, La Union to San Juan, La Union.
The 59.4-kilometer extension includes three segments: 18 kilometers from Rosario to Tubao, 23 kilometers from Tubao to Naguilian, and 18.4 kilometers from Naguilian to San Juan.
SMC is also in charge of the original 89.31-kilometer alignment of the TPLEx, which runs from Tarlac City to Rosario, La Union.
The awarding of OPS for the TPLEx extension is the second unsolicited proposal so recognized by the DPWH under the Duterte administration.
In July, MPCALA Holdings, Inc. was granted OPS for its Cavite-Tagaytay-Batangas Expressway (CTBEx) project. — Denise A. Valdez
