THIS year, Metro Pacific Tollways South (MPT South), a unit of Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation (MPTC), the toll road development arm of Metro Pacific Investments Corporation (MPIC), was able to cater to its host communities along the alignment of Manila-Cavite Expressway (CAVITEX) and Cavite-Laguna Expressway (CALAX) with over 5,000 beneficiaries including residents, students, drivers, and even pets, through its different community programs conducted this 2022.

As a result of all the hard work and kind heart shared by its pool of volunteer employees during the year-long initiatives, the toll road company successfully executed seven community programs and activities such as relief operations and donations; “Drayberks” road safety seminar; launching of Bayani ng Kalsada “Bayani Ka” Activity Book and the child safety caravan, “Alagang MPT South” Medical Mission, Love Pets Save Lives program, and “Paskong Saya Handog ng MPT South” gift giving activity.

MPT South has constantly been extending assistance and providing aid, especially in areas hit by different calamities.

This year, a total of 3,000 relief packs were donated to seven communities in Parañaque, Cavite, and Laguna that were razed by fire incidents and hit by the severe tropical storm “Paeng” that crossed the province of Cavite.

A total of 932 children and adult residents of Barangay Aplaya, Kawit, Cavite; Barangay 183, Pasay City; and Barangay Tibig, Silang, Cavite availed of free medical consultations and vitamins from the series of “Alagang MPT South Medical Mission” activities.

Aside from providing a helping hand to these communities, the toll road company continues to educate motorists and pedestrians on road safety and explain how they can take advantage of the safety practices on the expressway.

Four hundred seventy-four drivers underwent the award-winning “Drayberks” seminar and instilled road safety awareness to 160 children through an interactive and comic-inspired Bayani ng Kalsada or “Bayani Ka” activity book and children’s safety caravan.

With the return of face-to-face classes after two years of lockdowns, MPT South joined the Department of Education’s (DepEd) Brigada Eskwela 2022 and helped with cleaning, painting, and fixing cabinets in classrooms of six public schools in Cavite and Laguna.

Paints, painting materials, safety vests, cleaning materials, sanitation tower, and school supplies were also given to Alapan II Elementary School, Loma Elementary School, Digman Elementary School, Molino Elementary School, Emiliano Tria Tirona Memorial National Integrated High School, and Binakayan Elementary School.

The toll road company hit an incredible “stroke of genius” as it pioneered an animal welfare program to address cases of stray animals wandering along its expressway in a more sustainable and humane solution when MPT South partnered with the Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) and provided free spaying and neutering (kapon) to 863 pets (aspin-dogs and puspin-cats) and conducted responsible pet ownership seminars to indigent pet owners in its communities through a “Love Pets, Save Lives” program.

“It is the first of its kind for an expressway developer to launch an animal welfare program,” said Anna Cabrera, executive director of PAWS (Philippine Animal Welfare Society).

Indeed, Christmas is about loving and caring. Through “Paskong Saya Handog ng MPT South,” the toll road company brought smiles and hope to 300 disadvantaged children by providing them bags of Christmas gifts and goodies in communities of Silang, Cavite, and Santa Rosa, Laguna.

“Mounting in these kinds of activities is our way of expressing our gratitude to communities and stakeholders, especially those who reside near our expressways. We hope that through the programs we did for this year, we were able to give back to them and engage our employees in the constant care for our motorists and communities; equally important is these initiatives bring us closer to reaching our sustainability goals for progress, people and planet,” said Arlette V. Capistrano, MPT South Spokesperson and Assistant Vice President for Communication and Stakeholder Management Division.