With mounting piles of garbage blamed for the widespread flooding during heavy rains, Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation (MPTC) is ramping up efforts to help address waste management issues in cities and towns near its expressways.
Arrey Perez, MPTC’s Chief Regulatory Officer, said the company will assist in garbage collection, particularly in communities located along or near the toll road corridors such as NLEX, SCTEX, and CAVITEX.
“At the height of Severe Tropical Storm Crising, the Valenzuela section of NLEX became impassable due to rising floodwaters,” Perez said, adding that the flooding was largely caused by garbage-clogged waterways from nearby communities.
Photos taken after the flood receded on Tuesday morning showed heaps of trash stuck along the cyclone wire fence lining the northbound lanes of NLEX in Valenzuela. In some areas, the sheer volume and force of the garbage-laden floodwaters even tore down sections of the fence.
Garbage-choked waterways have also been reported as the primary cause of flooding in many parts of Metro Manila and neighboring towns.
To help mitigate future flooding, Perez said MPTC will adopt rivers and creeks in partnership with local government units (LGUs). “We are committed to working with communities to clean up clogged tributaries, creeks, and rivers,” he said, noting that the company will also invest in additional flood control measures.
In another initiative, MPTC announced plans to “adopt orphaned bridges” — those with no clear maintenance accountability due to overlapping responsibilities between host LGUs and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH). Currently, MPTC’s concession agreement only covers the expressway roadways beneath these bridges.
These efforts form part of the MVP Group’s broader commitment to corporate social responsibility and environmental resilience, particularly in light of increasingly frequent and intense weather disturbances.
📸 Tonette Orejas | NLEX Corporation
