Marcos inaugurates NLEX link cutting travel time to 5 minutes

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Thursday inaugurated a two-kilometer section of the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) that will connect Mindanao Avenue in Valenzuela City to Quirino Highway in Quezon City, reducing travel time between the two points to just five minutes.

Called NLEX C5 Northlink Segment 8.2 Section 1A, Marcos said the segment will be toll-free until the end of 2026.

READ: Naia logs almost 300,000 passengers ahead of Undas 2026

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“Siguro 40, 45 minutes ngayon [ang byahe], pero pagbukas nito, limang minuto na lang,” Marcos said in a brief statement.

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(Travel time is probably around 40 to 45 minutes now, but once this opens, it will only take five minutes.)

The President said the segment was not originally scheduled to open today but was fast-tracked to accommodate travelers during the Undas season.

“Nandito rin yung istasyon ng subway, nakikita natin… well, hindi masyado makita, sa ilalim, tapos na yung pagbutas,” he said, referring to the subway station being constructed beneath the expressway.

(The subway station is also here, as we can see… well, it is not very visible because the tunneling underneath has already been completed.)

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Meanwhile, Marcos announced that the MVP Group and the San Miguel Corp. Group had committed a P120 billion in investments for the construction of an elevated road connecting Balintawak to Bocaue, Bulacan.

A large volume of travelers is expected ahead of the observance of All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day over the weekend.

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Data released by the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange showed that 745,769 passengers had passed through the terminal from Sunday, Oct. 25, to Wednesday, Oct. 28, as of 8 a.m. Thursday.

Also, nearly 300,000 passengers had passed through the Ninoy Aquino International Airport since Tuesday. /jpv