The completion of the Cavite-Laguna Expressway (Calax) project remains up in the air as the right-of-way (ROW) issue has remained unresolved after the private owner of the land to be acquired asked a settlement amount for nearly four times the value appraised by the government.

Alex Bote, Public-Private Partnership (PPP) service director at the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), said in a recent statement that the 450 meters of land owned by private company Uneco Land Corp.—on which a critical portion of the Silang (Aguinaldo) Interchange of the P35.7-billion toll road needs to be built—was estimated to cost around P16 million.

The DPWH said its engineers had appraised the lot after the order issued by Tagaytay, Cavite Regional Trial Court.

Following the Road Right of Way Act, Bote said that P5 million was first deposited to the court. Bote said the government agency was ready to pay for the remaining P11 million but the court was "not in favor of accepting our deposit," citing an order requiring a third-party appraiser.

The DPWH, however, believes it was the "most reliable" party to estimate the property value as it was a "national undertaking."

Bote said that Uneco was "demanding something like P50 [million] to P60 million," way above the initial appraisal by the DPWH.

The DPWH official said they were willing to pay the higher price tag if favored by the legal authority.

"But per our latest estimate, it's just P16 million. We're okay to bring this matter to the court. It should be placed under just compensation. The government will still pay for that if the court decides that it's really P60 million," Bote explained.

The ROW issue has halted the construction of drainage and bridge, excavation and roadway earthworks, among others, at the Silang (Aguinaldo) interchange. This portion of the Calax project is currently 64.8-percent complete.

If the ROW issue was settled this month, the interchange could be operational within the first quarter, Bote said. INQ