Las Piñas Lone District Representative Mark Anthony Santos has suggested tearing down the C-5 Quirino Flyover, calling it the most economical and realistic strategy to fast-track the heavily delayed LRT-1 Cavite Extension Project.
According to Santos, removing the flyover—constructed while Senator Mark Villar headed the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH)—would cost significantly less than continuously altering the railway’s path to bypass the structure.
The lawmaker also pointed out that according to LRTA Administrator Hernando Cabrera, the Villar Group has yet to sign an official right-of-way agreement to formalize their promised land donation for the planned Las Piñas Station, creating an additional bottleneck.
To back his proposal, Santos pointed to the 2019 demolition of Quezon City’s Tandang Sora flyover for the MRT-7 project. In that instance, the Department of Transportation chose to dismantle the blocking structure rather than redesign the railway around it, despite the resulting traffic congestion.
Santos revealed he has already notified Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon that the C-5 Quirino Flyover is the root cause behind deviations from the project’s approved 2022 blueprint.
He explained that the flyover sits directly where the LRT-1 tracks were supposed to go, triggering expensive design revisions and extra right-of-way talks. Rather than working around the C-5 and Tramo Road junction, Santos urged the government to tear down the obstruction and finish building the remaining stations.
The lawmaker cautioned that constant redesigns risk blowing past the original ₱64.915-billion budget. Local infrastructure experts and private builders estimate that the final 5.5-kilometer stretch from Las Piñas to Niog could balloon to between ₱30 billion and ₱35 billion due to delays, inflation, and utility relocation.
“It is far more practical to dismantle a ₱300.39-million flyover than to spend an estimated ₱35 billion more because of repeated redesigns and prolonged delays. The government must choose the solution that best serves the public interest,” Santos said.