MPTC-SMC Tollway Merger Seen Sooner than Expected
Discussions on the planned merger between the Metro Pacific Tollways Corp.
and San Miguel Corp. Tollways are expected to be completed by this month of
October.
This was revealed by MPTC president and CEO Rogelio Singson at the
sidelines of the Management Association of the recent Philippines General
Membership Meeting.
Singson said the merger of MPTC and SMC Tollways will only be at the
holding company level and that the entities operating respective tollways
are not going to be affected.
MPTC is the holding company for the NLEX, the SCTEX, the Cavitex, the
Calax, and the CCLEX, and the NLEX Connector.
SMC Tollways operates the South Luzon Expressway, the Skyway Stage 3, the
Southern Tagalog Arterial Road, the NAIA Expressway, and the
Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway (TPLEX).
The talks of merger began after the two tollway giants signed an agreement
in August 2023 to jointly undertake the construction of the Cavite-Batangas
Expressway and Nasugbu-Bauan Expressway.
Motorists should hope that the merger would lead to more seamless motoring
through the tollways and to facilitate interoperability of cashless payment
systems for greater convenience.