MANILA - The government is confident it can pay back the first tranche of a loan used to finance the construction of the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEx) as scheduled, even as revenues generated by the toll road have not met expectations, officials yesterday said.

Increased toll proceeds from an expected pickup in vehicular traffic and additional revenue from the planned construction of fuel stations along the expressway will generate the needed funds, they said.

The 94-kilometer, four-lane road, opened to the public in April 2008, was financed by a Japan Bank for International Cooperation loan amounting to roughly P27 billion.

The P950-million first amortization, with interest, will be due in 2011, Isaac S. Puno III, Bases Conversion and Development Authority executive vice-president and SCTEx program director, told reporters at the sidelines of a news conference yesterday.

The state agency has set aside roughly half of the amount, P442 million, from toll proceeds collected from April 2008 to August 2009, Mr. Puno said.

More cars are expected to use the expressway this year, better than the 8,000-per-day average in 2008, because of lower fuel prices, he added.

Traffic peaked to 25,000 cars per day in April and May, the official noted.

Meanwhile, income-generating service areas along the SCTEx, including gasoline stations and food concessionaires, are expected to boost revenues, Mr. Puno said.

Bidding for the development of such service areas had failed three times, prompting the state agency to begin negotiations instead.

A firm, which Mr. Puno declined to identify, has already expressed interest to build gas stations and is willing to pay a fixed lease rate. "So we will start earning whether or not the service area generates revenues," Mr. Puno said.

The Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway, considered the longest in the country, links the Subic Bay free port to the Diosdado Macapagal airport at the Clark economic zone in Pampanga.