Metro Pacific Tollways South (MPT South), a subsidiary of Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation (MPTC), opens its door for limited in-person visits to its sustainable headquarters to its stakeholders.
From left, Elijah Rosales (The Philippine Star), Myla Iglesias (Malaya), Lizbeth Esmael (CNN), Arjay Balinbin (Business World), MPTC CFO Chris C. Lizo, MPTSMC President and General Manager MR. Raul L. Ignacio, Darwin Amojelar (Manila Standard), MPTSMC AVP for Communication and Stakeholder Management Ms. Arlette V. Capistrano, and Ted Cordero (GMA News Online)
In partnership with Tablea Batirol and Likhang Maragondon, MPT South kicks off its “Envirosafe Tour” with stakeholders from different media entities. Tablea Batirol produces pure and real chocolate tablets made from locally sourced Cacao beans planted and harvested by locals of Alfonso, Cavite while Likhang Maragondon manufactures artistic handiwork products made from locally sourced materials by the weavers of one of the country’s historic towns—Maragondon, Cavite.
As the name implies, MPT South’s Envirosafe Tour is a guided tour program that showcases the company’s sustainability efforts and features while promoting sustainable tourism —highlighting local sights, unique goods, and delicious food that are accessible thru MPT South’s toll road network.
“We are very pleased to present to our stakeholders MPT South’s commitment to advancing sustainability and continuing infrastructure projects with the least disruption to communities and the environment. Through Envirosafe Tour, we are also supporting local businesses situated in our host communities by purchasing their items and providing it as tokens to our guests. For this leg, we showcased Bukluran sa Kaunlaran ng Tibig Multipurpose Cooperative’s handcrafted pen holders made of coco fiber and recycled paper,” said Ms. Arlette Capistrano, Assistant Vice President for Communication and Stakeholder Management.
The visitors explored the MPT South Hub, the headquarters of the Metro Pacific Tollways South Management Corporation. They had a glimpse of its innovation and green technology: solar panel field, the building’s biophilic design, a dedicated charging station for electric vehicles (EV), and its advanced traffic control room.
MPT South Hub is a LEED Gold certified, 4-story building located in Alapan II-B, Imus, Cavite. It has a total of 1,184 units of solar panels installed in all car parking sheds that contribute to 97.37% of the building’s energy requirement and reduces the building’s carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. Since last year, it was able to generate almost 400,000 kilowatts of solar power, avoiding more than 300,000 kg of CO2 which is equivalent to over 10,000 trees planted.
On its second floor is the state-of-the-art Traffic Control Room (TCR) which is equipped with a total of 24 units of 55 inches LED screens that flash CCTV footage along carriageways. It allows live monitoring of traffic situations along the operational segments of the Cavite-Laguna Expressway (CALAX) and Manila –Cavite Expressway (CAVITEX).
Guests traveled around the Hub riding an electric-powered van that is also used as an employee shuttle service. It is a 12-seater EV that can travel up to 100 kilometers and has a full charging time of 1.5 to 2 hours. Currently, MPT South acquired 2 units of the said EV roving around the province of Cavite.
Last year, MPT South announced its plan to showcase MPTC’s role in decarbonizing the transport sector in the country by converting its expressways to more sustainable highways in adherence to the company’s commitment to climate action.
The toll road operator started this transition in CALAX, which is now being integrated with resource-saving and emission-reduction technologies while maintaining the high standard of road safety features of the expressway. Existing toll plazas of the operational sections of CALAX are equipped with solar panels that can power their own operations. Lightings and roadway lighting are installed with LED fixtures, thereby improving the company’s energy efficiency measures.
MPTC’s Green Highway Initiative in CALAX aligns with MPIC’s sustainability efforts that support the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), particularly in upgrading all industries and infrastructures to make them sustainable (SDG 9) and promoting innovation in building assets in adherence to the company’s commitments to climate action (SDG 13).
Aside from CALAX, MPTC also holds concession rights for Manila-Cavite Expressway (CAVITEX), North Luzon Expressway (NLEX), the Subic-Clark Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX), the NLEX Connector Road, and the Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway (CCLEX) in Cebu.