MANILA, Philippines - President Benigno Aquino is hopeful the LRT Line 1 South Extension project will be completed by 2015.

This comes just a week after the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) board approved the P61.53 billion LRT 1 South Extension project from Baclaran to Bacoor, Cavite.

"The plan is to extend LRT Line 1 by almost twelve kilometers, from Baclaran, through Paranaque and Las Pinas, to Bacoor, Cavite—and, with a little luck, perhaps points further down. I have full faith that Transportation and Communication Secretary Mar Roxas will have this extension operational at the soonest possible time. And if I haven’t ridden on it by 2015, I will be very severely disappointed," he said, during the Philippines Investment Forum on Tuesday.

"That, in a little while, we will be able to expand transportation, and open the gates a little wider between Metro Manila’s and not just Cavite but the entire Calabarzon region’s economies."

The LRT 1 South Extension project involves the construction of 8 stations with provision for 2 additional stations.

The proposed 8 stations are the following: (a) Redemptorist Station in Redemptorist St., Roxas Boulevard; (b) MIA Station near the Coastal Mall in Roxas Boulevard; (c) Asia World Station near Asia World Development in Roxas Boulevard; (d) Ninoy Aquino Station in the east side of Ninoy Aquino Bridge that passes through Paranaque river; (e) Dr. Santos Station, south of Dr. Santos Road ; (f) Las Pinas Station, east of Quirino Avenue and south of Las Pinas river; (g) Zapote station, north of Alabang-Zapote flyover; and (h) Niyog Station, south of intersection of Niyog Road bypass and Aguinaldo Highway.

The two provisional stations are Manuyo Uno and Talaba stations.

The Dr. Santos, Zapote and Niyog stations will be designed as intermodal facilities, which would allow passengers to transfer to other road-based transportation services.

Also, Aquino said the DPWH has bidded out “nearly 90% of their 2,128 projects worth P63 billion this year.”
 
“Ninety-one percent of these projects have already been issued notices to proceed; and we are confident that, very soon, we will reach 100 percent,” he said. - With report from Willard Cheng, ABS-CBN News