IN many previous columns, I have discussed why we should oppose the Pasig River Expressway (Parex) — the proposed 19.37-kilometer, six-lane elevated expressway that will traverse nearly the entire length of the Pasig River. I am recounting several reasons why the project should be rejected in the hope that many more Filipinos will express their concern about it at forthcoming public consultations. (An online public hearing on the project has been scheduled by the Environmental Management Bureau on March 25, 2022 at 1 p.m. (Zoom meeting ID: 848 4992 5796; Passcode: 377888). For background documents, please go to www.eia.emb.gov.ph.)

Parex is the wrong transportation infrastructure for our country and the planet. When the welfare of the vast majority of Filipino who are not car owners is the priority, when fuel-efficient modes of transport — mass transit, walking and cycling — need to be promoted instead of private motor vehicles, when climate change dictates a sharp reduction in carbon emissions, when Metro Manila is starved for green public space, it will take us in the opposite direction.