Thursday, September 1, 2016

Manila gets P17.7-m garbage-truck fleet

Manila Mayor Joseph “Erap” Estrada has acquired a fleet of garbage trucks worth P17.7 million.

Estrada said he intends to modernize the Department of Public Services (DPS) as well as all other departments of the city hall.

“DPS [Department of Public Services] has been using old, dilapidated trucks that have been acquired in the 1980’s, and keeping them serviceable has proven to be difficult and costly,” he said.

Each with a load capacity of five cubic meters, all six diesel heavy-duty Isuzu trucks are equipped with hydraulic hoists. Each costs P2.96 million.

DPS chief Belle Borromeo has received four of the six new trucks.

Borromeo said they have been using seven old and rusty dump trucks, only five of which remain in good condition.

Meanwhile, Estrada on Monday threw his support for the plan of the Philippine Ports Authority to revive the Pasig River ferry service, which he said would make Manila more accessible to commuters and traders.

The mayor met with PPA general manager Jay Daniel Santiago who offered to put up ferry terminals in busy areas in Manila, including Quinta Market on Carlos Palanca Street near the Pasig River in Quiapo whose P90-million renovation will be completed soon.

Estrada said that the ferry service will cut travel time to and from Manila, particularly in downtown Quiapo, the city’s center of commerce and worship.

He earlier appropriated funds for the construction of a port on the Pasig River at the back of Quinta Market to accommodate fish buyers using the river as their route but Santiago offered to undertake the construction of the port and ferry station.

Estrada said the ferry service and the Quinta port will decongest Quezon Boulevard, the major road leading to the traffic-prone Quiapo district.

“Black Nazarene devotees coming from all over Metro Manila will also be able to reach Quiapo in less time than they do by land,” he pointed out.

The ferry service is also expected to boost sales at Quinta Market, providing easy access to fish traders and consumers from Metro Manila and nearby provinces, the mayor added.

Santiago, who was appointed to the PPA by President Rodrigo Duterte only last month, told Estrada that his agency is ready to finance the revival of the Pasig River ferry service, including putting up modern ferry stops at Quinta Market and other locations in Manila.

The planned ferry service will also link up with Light Rail Transit 1 (LRT-1) stations in the city for faster and hassle-free travel, according to Santiago.

The present ferry service on the Pasig River is managed by the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority but its ridership remains low.

It has 14 stations including Pinagbuhatan, Maybunga and San Joaquin in Pasig City, Guadalupe and Valenzuela in Makati City, Hulo in Mandaluyong and PUP Sta. Mesa, Sta. Ana, Lambingan, Lawton, Escolta and Plaza Mexico in Manila.

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