PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Tuesday led the opening of the Central Luzon Link Expressway (CLLEX) Contract Package 4 Aliaga–Cabanatuan Section, a four-lane segment expected to enhance connectivity across Central Luzon.
Speaking to reporters, Marcos said the new CLLEX segment would not only cut travel time from Tarlac to Cabanatuan City but also help reduce transportation cost of commodities, particularly rice, as Nueva Ecija produces the highest volume of rice in the country.
“You know that Nueva Ecija is the rice granary of the Philippines, and this will help reduce transport costs; by lowering transport costs, rice prices will remain stable,” Marcos said during a chance interview.
The president also said the CLLEX expansion, which is expected to serve about 11,500 vehicles daily, would be toll-free until December 2026.
He said that lower logistical expenses were critical in preventing price increases in essential goods, particularly food, which were often affected by rising fuel prices.
“We are continuing to do this to make travel easier for people and to finally open it, because if you look at our highways, they mostly run north-south,” Marcos said.
“Once this is completed — once we reach the east coast of Luzon — this will be the first major east–west highway to pass through,” he added.
The newly opened segment extends CLLEX from the San Juan Interchange in Aliaga, Nueva Ecija, to the Cabanatuan exit, completing Phase 1 of the 29.2-kilometer, four-lane expressway.
The CLLEX Phase 1 is a P10-billion project funded through official development assistance from the Japan International Cooperation Agency.
Once completed, CLLEX will improve access across Luzon, decongest major roads like the MacArthur Highway, and make it easier to move goods and people throughout the region.
Marcos said the project formed part of broader efforts to enhance transportation networks, particularly by developing east-west corridors.
