With the completion of the 25-kilometer Las Pinas-Zapote River Drive, Sen. Cynthia Villar is expecting a significant reduction in the volume of vehicles plying Alabang-Zapote road, a major thoroughfare in the South.
Metro Manila Development Authority has named the four-lane Alabang-Zapote Road as one of the major bottleneck areas in the southern part of Metro Manila.
Senator Villar, Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu, Public Works and Highways Secretary Mark Villar, and Las Pinas Rep. Camille Villar, led the recent inauguration of the completed river drive project.
The new road project will also lessen travel time from Cavitex to MCX to 25 minutes, the senator said.
She added that she is fully aware of the terrible traffic affecting Las Pinas residents and all motorists and commuters passing through the Alabang-Zapote Road.
Aside from faster traffic flow, the senator braced for easier business movements to and from Las Pinas and adjacent areas.
“I initiated this road project to make travel easier and less burdensome for our people,” said Villar, adding that this will also help lessen flooding in the city, resulting from the massive cleanup of Las Pinas and Zapote River.
Due to the cleanup component of the road project, the city has rid the river of tons of garbage. “We can help stop flooding in Las Pinas and Bacoor,” the senator said.
Villar said the completion of the road project includes 25 kilometers starting from C5 Road to Brgy. Longos in Zapote, passing Zapote Underpass, Brgy. Pamplona Dos, BF Resort Village, Moonwalk Village, Soldiers Hills Village, Ayala Southvale, Springville Heights, Versailles, Enclave, Portofino, Evia Mall to Daang Hari and MCX.
She said the new road will also complete the 25-kilometer project from Cavitex to MCX, connecting Cavite, Las Pinas, and Muntinlupa to the Southern Luzon Expressway (SLEX).
The completed Las Pinas-Zapote River Drive is part of the 32-kilometer river drive road improvement initiated by Senator Villar in 2012. The other projects include Molino River Drive which is set to be completed in the next two years.
“Not only will the Las Pinas and Zapote River Drive, and the Molino River Drive ease up the traffic woes and flooding, they will also maintain the cleanliness of the river, which is considered the artery of the city and nearby areas. The people along the river cannot throw their waste there anymore because the road is already fenced,” the senator cited.
Villar has spent decades ensuring the cleanliness, maintenance, and rehabilitation of the Las Pinas-Zapote River. It was previously clogged with garbage hindering water flow and causing water pollution and massive flooding.
She has created various livelihood projects out of waste like water hyacinth, waste coconut husks, plastic and kitchen waste, and garden waste from the river, as raw materials. For protecting water resources and providing livelihood to Filipinos, her initiative program, “Sagip-Ilog” received the Best Practices Award from the United Nations in 2011. 
