SAN Miguel Corp. (SMC) submitted on Monday to the Department of Transportation (DOTr) an unsolicited proposal to transform the closed Pandacan oil depot into a P10-billion bus and food terminal.
The 33-hectare compound in Pandacan, Manila, used to house the storage facilities and distribution terminals of Petron Corp., Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corp. and Caltex Philippines —the so-called “Big Three”—before the Supreme Court ordered the relocation of the terminals in 2014.
Petron’s refinery is now located in Bataan, while that of Shell is in Batangas.
SMC President Ramon Ang said Shell and Caltex have agreed to convert the depot into a food and bus terminal, which can house as many as 5,000 buses at a given time. The proposed terminal can also accommodate UV Express vans.
Petron, which used to occupy 25 hectares of the entire Pandacan terminal, is owned by SMC.
“Maraming pwede ka-joint venture like Shell and Caltex. We are in talks with Shell and Caltex, at payag sila sa plan,” Ang said.
The proposed bus and food terminal sits well with the government’s plan to ban provincial buses along Edsa because the terminal’s location is strategic.
Ang explained that buses coming from Iloilo or Bicol could take the Skyway Road and traverse all the way down to Pandacan, Manila, where the terminal will be located. UV Express vans can also use the terminal to transport passengers of the provincial buses to their final destination.
The Nlex-Slex Connector Road, which currently connects C-3 road in Caloocan City to Santa Mesa, Manila, will soon be linked to the elevated Skyway Stage 3 road being constructed by SMC’s unit, Citra Central Expressway Corp.
The Skyway stage 3 is envisioned to connect the Slex via Makati to the Nlex entrance in Balintawak, Quezon City.
Ang said this route is seamless, convenient, fast, safe and efficient.
“Ngayon kasi pag sumakay ka ng provincial bus, bababa ka ng Bulacan tapos sasakay ka ng city bus papasok ng Edsa. From Bicol, sasakay ka ng bus then bababa ka ng Laguna tapos sasakay ka rin city bus,” he said.
“Kami, maganda ang solution. Sabi namin kapag galing ka sa Ilocos, ang bus aakyat sa Skyway Balintawak tapos bababa sa Pandacan. Tapos pwede mag turnaround yung bus; aakyat ulit pabalik ng Ilocos,” he said.
“Kapag sinundo mo ang pasahero galing Ilocos or Bicol at diyan bababa, madali ma-monitor. Karamihan ng students ay galing probinsya sa weekend at kung diyan sila bababa, ang dali sa kanila kase itong plano naming location ay sentro,” he said.
A portion of the terminal could also be transformed into a market, Ang said. “Right now, ang bagsakan ay nasa Balintawak or Divisioria at kung saan-saan. Lalagyan din natin ng cold storage and wet market and restaurant ang terminal. Magiging dampa din at bagsakan ng mga fish, gulay at goods,” Ang said.
He said Transportation Chief Arthur Tugade has warmly received SMC’s proposal.
“We have submitted this proposal to the DoTR secretary. We are in discussions with him and we have both come up with good ideas on how to help the public transport to be better.”
Construction could be finished in a year once government approves the proposal. Ang said the project cost is minimal since construction will consist mainly of access road, on-ramp and off-ramp, and stalls.
Image credits: Elmer Domingo