The Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) has signed an agreement covering seven Villar Group properties needed for the Las Piñas Station of the Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT-1) Cavite Extension, advancing the government’s access to part of the project’s remaining right-of-way. Securing the properties is necessary before work on the station and the corresponding section of the extension can proceed on the required government-provided corridor.

In a statement on Thursday, the LRTA said six of the seven lots would be donated to the government, while the seventh would be covered by a right-of-way usage agreement.

Two deeds of donation covering two of the properties have already been signed, LRTA Administrator Hernando T. Cabrera said. Those properties remain subject to the completion of title and other documentation requirements. Two other properties are awaiting release from a local bank.

The properties are expected to be released within September, Mr. Cabrera said.

“They [Villar Group] are very confident regarding the property’s release this September,” he said.

Mr. Cabrera said the LRTA would be allowed to enter the properties once the conditions under the agreement take effect.

“By Oct. 11, we will now have the right to enter,” he said.

Under the agreement, the LRTA expects to obtain access to five of the seven properties. Access to the remaining properties will depend on the completion of title documentation and the release of mortgaged lots. The agreement also provides for the issuance of a permit to enter after the prescribed 30-day period. These documentation, bank-release, and access milestones will determine how quickly the government can make the remaining sites available for the extension.

Light Rail Manila Corp. (LRMC), the private concessionaire of LRT-1, operates and maintains the railway and is responsible for constructing the Cavite Extension under its concession agreement with the Department of Transportation and the LRTA. The government, through the grantors, is responsible for securing the right-of-way required for the project.

The LRTA has previously committed to completing the entire LRT-1 Cavite Extension before the end of the Marcos administration in 2028.

Phase 1 of the extension connects Baclaran Station in Pasay City with Dr. Santos Station in Parañaque City through five operational stations: Redemptorist-Aseana, MIA Road, PITX, Ninoy Aquino Avenue, and Dr. Santos.

The remaining Cavite leg, covering Phases 2 and 3, will include three stations that have yet to be constructed: Las Piñas, Zapote, and Niog.

— Sheldeen Joy Talavera