The Department of Transportation (DoTr) said work on the Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT-1) Cavite Extension is advancing after the government resolved a key right-of-way (RoW) issue along the rail project’s alignment.

The LRT-1 Cavite Extension is one of Metro Manila’s longest-pending mass transit projects, first proposed in the late 1990s as a way to connect the capital to the densely populated cities south of Pasay and Parañaque. Successive administrations have pushed to complete the extension, which is seen as critical to easing chronic road congestion along the Baclaran–Bacoor corridor.

Transportation Acting Secretary Giovanni Z. Lopez said the RoW concern affecting the LRT-1 Cavite Extension alignment has been addressed, allowing the project to move forward.

The update follows an order by Ombudsman Jesus Crispin C. Remulla to investigate allegations that the Villar siblings had been blocking construction of the LRT-1 Cavite Extension project.

“Based on the report that we have, they want to donate the property as part of the extension,” Mr. Lopez said.

In June, Senator Mark A. Villar denied allegations that he had caused delays in the project.

Last month, President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. instructed the DoTr to ensure that the LRT-1 Cavite Extension is completed by 2028.

The Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) has said it is targeting completion within the year of the RoW acquisition for Segments 2 and 3 of the extension.

Light Rail Manila Corp. (LRMC), which operates LRT-1, opened Phase 1 of the Cavite Extension in 2024, adding five stations to the rail line.

That first phase extended LRT-1 by 6.2 kilometers, connecting Baclaran Station in Pasay City to Dr. Santos Station in Parañaque City.

Phases 2 and 3, which are intended to serve parts of Cavite, include the Las Piñas, Zapote, and Niog stations. Once fully operational, the extension is expected to connect commuters from Bacoor in Cavite all the way to the LRT-1’s northern terminus, providing a continuous rail link that has been absent since the line opened in 1984.

Mr. Lopez said one remaining challenge in completing the rest of the RoW acquisition is a flyover being built along the project’s alignment.

“There are suggestions about the possibility of (realignment) of the flyover, but to do that we would need (further assessments) and traffic study first,” he said, adding that the DoTr is confident the flyover can coexist with the current alignment of the LRT-1 Cavite Extension.

Last year, the DoTr sought an additional P3 billion to construct another station in Bacoor City as part of the LRT-1 Cavite Extension.

LRMC is a joint venture of Ayala Corp., Metro Pacific Light Rail Corp., and Macquarie Infrastructure Holdings (Philippines) Pte. Ltd. Metro Pacific Light Rail is a unit of Metro Pacific Investments Corp., one of three Philippine subsidiaries of Hong Kong-based First Pacific Co. Ltd., along with PLDT Inc. and Philex Mining Corp.

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