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Gause OF REPRESENTATIVES

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Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Quezon City DATE: __—_—~"
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SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS | BY:

First Regular Session \

REGISTRATION UNIT

House Bill No.__ 627 BILLS AND INDEX SERVICE

introduced by HONORABLE SCOTT DAVIES S. LANETE, M.D.

EXPLANATORY NOTE

Article XIL, Section 1 of the 1987 Constitution declares, “The goals of the national economy
are a more equitable distribution of opportunities, income, and wealth; a sustained increase in the
amount of goods and services produced by the nation for the benefit of the people; and an expanding
productivity as the key to raising the quality of life for all, especially the underprivileged”. In
pursuing these goals, the Constitution provides that “all regions of the country shall be given optimum
opportunity to develop,

However, the State has continuously failed to promote simultaneous development among the
regions. 2014 marked the opening of the Tarlac-Pangasinan-La U: xpressway (“TPLEX”)
TPLEX is the third expressway connecting the country’s capital of Manila to the northern areas of
Luzon, The construction of TPLEX has brought immediate impact in the development of trade and
tourism in Northern Luzon. It made Baguio City, a popular tourist destination, more accessible. In
fact, travel time from Manila to Baguio had been cut short from seven hours to less than five. Thus,
Baguio City has experienced an exponential rise in the number of visiting tourists and consequently,
its revenues also increased significantly

In contrast, there are only two expressways leading to Southern Luzon ~ the North Luzon
Expressway and the Star Tollway and these two combined lead up to Batangas Province only. Thus,
compared to the expressways of Northern Luzon which cover at least five provinces, it can be inferred
Southern Luzon has been spared from development. The promising tourist destinations located in the
southern arcas of Luzon have remained stagnant, untapped and underappreciated due to difficulty in
access. Along with the underdevelopment of these areas comes the slow growth in terms of
commerce. In order to pursue optimum opportunity for development aniong the regions, there is
therefore the need to give attention to Southern Luzon. By constructing additional expressway’ that

would make areas as far as Sorsogon Province more accessible by road, only one result will be
achieved ~ progress

Hence, this Bill secks the construction of expressways expanding the reach of SLEX and Star
Tollway. By doing so, the State will be fulfilling its responsibility in promoting optimum growth
among the regions located in Southern Luzon. Through this Bill, it is envisioned that there will be an
improvement in the tourism industry that will translate to a developed and progsessixe citizenry.
‘Therefore, the immediate passage of this Bill is sought for.

SCOTT DAVIES S. LANETE, M.D.
fepresentative
Third District, Province of Masbate


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

627

House Bill No.

Introduced by HONORABLE SCOTT DAVIES S. LANETE, M.D.

AN ACT
MANDATING THE CONSTRUCTION OF
THE QUEZON-BICOL EXPRESSWAY (QuBEx)

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress
assembled.

SECTION 1. Short Title. — This Act shall be known as the “Quezon-Bicol Expressway Act.”

SEC. 2. Policy. — It is hereby declared the policy of the State to promote optimum
development among its regions.

SEC 3. Creation of the Expressway. ~ There is hereby created the Quezon-Bicol Expressway
(QuBEx) which shall be financed, constructed, operated and maintained by a grantee, offeror,
Consortium or proponent, under and by virtue of Republic Act No. 6957, as amended by Republic Act
No. 7718, otherwise known as the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) Law. This Expressway shall link
the province of Quezon with the Bicol region starting from Malicboy, Quezon and terminating in the
province of Sorsogon. The Department of Public Works and highways (DPWH) Engineering District
concerned shall construct the connector road for the purpose of linking the terminus of the South
Luzon Expressway (SLEx) Toll Road 4 (TR4) in Lucena City, and the entrance of the QuBEx in
Malicboy

SEC 4, Implementing Agency. ~ The DPWH shall be the lead implementing ageney for this
Act.

SEC 5. Appropriations. — The amount necessary to defray the cost of undertaking, and
completing the feasibility study for this project and other activities relative thereto shall be included in
the annual General Appropriations Act .

SEC 6. Implementing Rules and Regulations. ~ Within sixty (60) days from the approval of
this Act, the DPWH shall, in consultation with the stakeholders, formulate and promulgate the
necessary rules and regulations for the effective implementation of this Act.

SEC 7. Separability Clause. — Should any provision of this Act be d
unconstitutional, no other provision hereof shall be thereby affected.

red invalid or

SEC 8. Repealing Clause. ~ Ail laws, rules, regulations, orders, circulars, and memoranda
inconsistent with any provisions of this Act are hereby repealed or modified according

-C 9, Effectivity. — This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in the
Official Gazeue or in a newspaper of general circulation.

Approved