Manila, March 31 -- President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Tuesday said the newly opened segment of the Central Luzon Link Expressway (CLLEX) will help reduce travel time and lower the transport cost of rice, benefitting both farmers and consumers.

Marcos led the opening of the four-kilometer section of the expressway in Cabanatuan City, part of an east-west Luzon corridor linking Tarlac to Nueva Ecija.

According to the President, travel time between Tarlac and Cabanatuan City will be reduced from one hour and 30 minutes to just 20 minutes.

He added that shorter travel time would also translate into lower fuel consumption amid rising oil prices and help maintain the prices of commodities - especially rice, as Nueva Ecija, known as the Ph...