Sen. Cynthia Villar opens new phase of River Drive project

Senator Cynthia Villar led the inauguration of the 4th phase of the Zapote River Drive road project, which is projected to cut the travel time to and from the city of Las Pinas by 60 percent, and at the same time address flooding concerns plaguing the city government.

Villar was joined by DPWH Sec. Mark Villar, Mayor Imelda Aguilar, other local government and barangay officials, and homeowners of different subdivisions in Las Pinas.

“We would like to thank the DPWH for swiftly addressing our concerns of traffic and constant flooding in Las Pinas through this project. Through this new road, we are certain of a shorter and a more convenient travel time for the people of Las Pinas and for all those who travel to and from our city. More importantly, this new road and other road infrastructure developments will make Las Pinas more attractive to investors,” the senator said.

She likewise expressed confidence the road project will reduce, if not totally stop, incidents of flooding in the city, made possible through the clean-up of the Las Pinas River, which was a component of the road project.

“Because of the clean-up component of this road project, we have made our river system free-flowing again and has rid it of tons of garbage. We can now expect to stop  flooding incidents in our city.

She added: “We have made a commitment to transform our once murky and dirty river to a useful water system that is not only a beautiful sight to behold, but at the same time a source of income for our residents.”

The event covered the inauguration of Phase 4 of the Zapote River Drive road project that connects Barangay Pilar and Barangay Almanza and Talon 5 to Marcos Alvarez. It includes the construction of a 300-meter retaining wall and road, including a box culvert, that traverse Golden Acres and Moonwalk Phase 2 and Barangay Talon 5 leading to Zapote River Drive. It likewise includes a 630-meter of retaining wall with road, including a bypass of the Zapote River, which  covers Vatican Drive to Cicero Street at the BF Resort Village;  and the continuation of a 100-meter road from San Isidro Pamplona 1 towards Diego Cera Avenue in Barangay Zapote.

In July 2017, Senator Villar and Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu inaugurated Phase 3 of the Zapote River Drive road project, which covered a full kilometer of flood control structures and improvements from Pegasus St., Moonwalk, Talon 5 to M. Alvarez Avenue, and an additional 500 meters that extended to San Isidro Subdivision and Pamplona 1. The Phase 1 of the road project started at Barangay Zapote all the way to Margie Moran Street in BF Resort Village; while Phase 2 extended from Margie Moran Street to Pegasus Street in Moonwalk Village.

The Las Piñas River Drive, an initiative of Senator Villar, is a five-phased, 15-kilometer road project with the twin objective of easing traffic congestion and reducing flooding incidents in Las Pinas during the rainy season.

The inauguration event is part of this year’s Las Piñas River Festival to celebrate the 121st Anniversary of 1897 Battle of Zapote Bridge.

The Las Piñas River Festival also included a drum and lyre competition participated by public schools in the city. Last Feb. 17, Villar led the third Las Pinas Fun Run with more than 500 participants.