Presidential Adviser for Flagship Programs and Projects Vivencio Dizon said the government would deliver infrastructure projects under the “Build, Build, Build” program, which are targeted for completion in 2020 and 2021 despite the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) crisis.
During an online forum of the Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines on Thursday, Dizon said these projects would help the country recover from the impact of Covid-19.
“The ‘Build, Build, Build’, or (the) unprecedented infrastructure program under the Duterte administration, is one of the key interventions that the government must do and must do swiftly in order to help us get out (of) the mess that has been brought about by Covid-19,” he said.
For this year, the government targets to complete the Metro Manila Skyway Stage 3, now 76-percent complete and is expected to be delivered by December; the Harbor Link that connects the North Luzon Expressway to North Harbor, estimated to be completed by the end of the year; the Clark International Airport, now 93-percent complete and is targeted to be delivered by July; the Light Rail Transit Line 2 (LRT-2) East Extension, which was 71-percent complete in October 2019 and is expected to be completed this year; and the Bonifacio Global City - Ortigas Center Link Road, which is 45-percent complete and will be delivered by December 2020 or early 2021.
Dizon, who is also president and chief executive officer of the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA), said the construction of two new bridges across Pasig River would be completed by 2021.
These include the Estrella-Pantaleon Bridge and Binondo-Intramuros Bridge, which are scheduled for completion by February 2021, he said.
“By 2021, we are also going to complete two bridges across the Pasig. So there will be a total of three new bridges across the Pasig. This is the most number of bridges we did within one administration across the Pasig River and we are even envisioning to start five more bridges through an ODA (official development assistance) from China,” he added.
Dizon further said the government would push through with its rail projects, such as the LRT-1 Cavite Extension and Metro Rail Transit Line 7 (MRT-7), which will be partially operational by 2021; the MRT-3 Rehabilitation Program to be completed by July 2021; and the Philippine National Railways (PNR) Phase 1 connecting Tutuban, Manila to Malolos, Bulacan, which is targeted to be completed by the fourth quarter of 2021.
On the other hand, the government moved the target completion of the Bicol International Airport from July to next year, he said.
Dizon added that the administration would also pursue big-ticket legacy projects, including the North-South Commuter Rail connecting Clark and Calamba, as well as the Metro Manila Subway.
https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1104242
Thursday, May 28, 2020
Wednesday, May 27, 2020
Duterte names Aaron Aquino head of Clark International Airport Corporation
President Rodrigo Duterte has named outgoing Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency chief Aaron Aquino as head of the Clark International Airport Corporation (CIAC), Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea said Wednesday.
Medialdea confirmed the appointment after Duterte tapped PDEA Northern Mindanao head Wilkins Villanueva as the new director general of PDEA.
“Mr. Aquino's nomination as the President/CEO of Clark International Airport Corporation has been approved by President Rodrigo Duterte and is now forwarded to the aforesaid corporation's Board of Directors,” the Office of the Executive Secretary said.
A former police official, Aquino served PDEA for more than two years before he was moved to the CIAC.
In a statement, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque expressed Malacañang’s gratitude to Aquino for his “immense contribution” to the administration’s campaign against illegal drugs.
Roque also said Villanueva is “no stranger to drug law enforcement.”
“He has been working with PDEA for many years before reaching the agency's top position. We therefore believe DG Villanueva will lead PDEA and the fight against illegal drugs to greater heights with professionalism, passion and integrity,” Roque said. —AOL/KBK, GMA News
https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/739956/duterte-names-aaron-aquino-head-of-clark-international-airport-corporation/story/
Medialdea confirmed the appointment after Duterte tapped PDEA Northern Mindanao head Wilkins Villanueva as the new director general of PDEA.
“Mr. Aquino's nomination as the President/CEO of Clark International Airport Corporation has been approved by President Rodrigo Duterte and is now forwarded to the aforesaid corporation's Board of Directors,” the Office of the Executive Secretary said.
A former police official, Aquino served PDEA for more than two years before he was moved to the CIAC.
In a statement, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque expressed Malacañang’s gratitude to Aquino for his “immense contribution” to the administration’s campaign against illegal drugs.
Roque also said Villanueva is “no stranger to drug law enforcement.”
“He has been working with PDEA for many years before reaching the agency's top position. We therefore believe DG Villanueva will lead PDEA and the fight against illegal drugs to greater heights with professionalism, passion and integrity,” Roque said. —AOL/KBK, GMA News
https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/739956/duterte-names-aaron-aquino-head-of-clark-international-airport-corporation/story/
LRTA to reopen 3 LRT-2 stations
The Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) is planning to reopen three LRT Line 2 stations hit by a fire by September, an official said yesterday.
The LRT-2’s Santolan, Katipunan and Anonas stations were shut down in October 2019 after a fire destroyed a rectifier in the Katipunan area.
During yesterday morning’s Laging Handa briefing, LRTA spokesman Hernando Cabrera said the stations may be reopened in September if they are able to resume and complete the procurement process for the project next month.
“With the timetable that we are able to award (the contracts) within June, they would have July, August, until the end of September to make the temporary power supply system,” Cabrera said in the briefing.
Since last year, the fire left the three stations unusable as repairs were not immediately started.
The three stations’ closure was scheduled for nine months. The other stations, from Recto to Araneta Center, operated normally until the government shut down all modes of public transport as part of a lockdown to curb the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019.
Cabrera also said there would be no fare increase for LRT-1 and LRT-2 once they resume operations.
The Department of Transportation earlier said the LRT-1 will carry 158 passengers per trip or 12 percent of its capacity while the LRT-2 will carry 160 passengers per trip or 10 percent of its capacity.
‘Apprehended’
The National Capital Region Police Office has offered its services to the LRTA. Passengers who defy social distancing and other quarantine protocols or instigate disorder would be “apprehended,” according to NCRPO chief Maj. Gen. Debold Sinas.
“We have a plan to deploy 500 personnel in different LRT stations, depending on their request. We will be reasonably strict,” Sinas said.
Simulation
Also yesterday, the NCRPO and the LRTA staged a simulation exercise at the LRT-2’s Recto station to prepare for the enforcement of social distancing once the rail lines resume operations.
At least 500 police trainees, acting as passengers, took a train ride to and from Cubao.
LRTA administrator Reynaldo Berroya appealed to commuters to use the ticket vending machines and allot extra time for their trips since each train will carry a maximum of 160 passengers and only two persons will be allowed in elevators.
Passengers will be provided monobloc chairs while waiting in line.
Security personnel will not frisk passengers, who will not be allowed entry if they fail to wear masks and have their bags inspected. Neil Jayson Servallos, Rey Galupo
Return to operations for 3 LRT-2 stations delayed to September
THE resumption of operations at Santolan, Katipunan, and Anonas stations of the Light Rail Transit Line 2 (LRT-2) was delayed to September due to the pandemic, the Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) said Tuesday.
In a virtual briefing, LRTA Spokesperson Hernando T. Cabrera said the three stations were originally due to return to operations next month, but repairs to the power system were disrupted by the lockdown.
He said the new target is for the procurement of the temporary power supply system to get going by June.
“We hope by June masimulan ulit natin ‘yung (to once more start the) procurement process and award within June. (The contractors will) have until end-September para magawa ‘yung tinatawag na temporary power supply system (to set up the temporary power system),” he said.
The LRTA, which operates LRT-2, halted operations at the three stations after a fire in October.
Meanwhile, the East Extension of the LRT-2 is expected to be completed by December. “By Q1 2021, magagamit na ‘yung mga stations (the stations will be ready for use by the first quarter of 2021),” Mr. Cabrera said, referring to Emerald Station in Marikina City and Masinag Station at the Masinag Junction in Antipolo City.
The East Extension is expected to add 80,000 passengers to the LRT-2’s current 240,000 daily ridership, which currently connects Recto Avenue in Manila to Santolan station in Marikina.
When completed, travel time from Recto to Masinag is expected to be 40 minutes, as against three hours bus or jeepney, according to the Transportation department.
The consortium of Japan’s Marubeni Corp. and engineering and construction firm D.M. Consunji, Inc. are in charge of the $62-million East Extension Project.
D.M. Consunji is in charge of the trackwork procurement and construction, as well as the installation of electrical and mechanical systems. — Arjay L. Balinbin
LOOK: It’s training day for PNP, LRT-2 as new normal sets in
As Metro Manila mayors recommend placing the NCR under general quarantine from June 1, the Philippine National Police and the Light Rail Transit Authority simulated Line-2 operations under a new normal on Tuesday.
Clad in a white shirt and jeans, some 500 police trainees played the role of passengers during the exercise, which ran from Recto Station in Manila to Cubao in Quezon City.
Having been shut down for almost 11 weeks, the LRT-2 will operate in a limited capacity once it is opened allowing for only 10% of its passenger load every ride due to physical distancing measures expected to be put in place.
This could prove to be a challenge not only to LRTA management, but to people who regularly use the LRT as their commute will surely take longer than before.
Here are some scenes from the dry run.
Clad in a white shirt and jeans, some 500 police trainees played the role of passengers during the exercise, which ran from Recto Station in Manila to Cubao in Quezon City.
Having been shut down for almost 11 weeks, the LRT-2 will operate in a limited capacity once it is opened allowing for only 10% of its passenger load every ride due to physical distancing measures expected to be put in place.
This could prove to be a challenge not only to LRTA management, but to people who regularly use the LRT as their commute will surely take longer than before.
Here are some scenes from the dry run.
Tuesday, May 26, 2020
Santolan to Anonas stations of LRT-2 might reopen by September: operator
The Light Rail Transit Line 2 (LRT-2) Santolan to Anonas stations may be fully operational by September, its operator said Tuesday, nearly 8 months since a fire shut the stretch of the train line.
The reopening of the Santolan, Katipunan, and Anonas stations was slated for June but was pushed back because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Light Rail Transit Authority spokesperson Hernando Cabrera said.
This will leave only the Anonas to Cubao link inoperable. The LRT-2 Cubao station connects the line to the MRT-3 on EDSA.
Several stations of the LRT-2, which runs from Pasig to Manila, have been operating on a limited capacity since October last year after a fire razed its power transformer.
https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/05/26/20/santolan-to-anonas-stations-of-lrt-2-might-reopen-by-september-operator
The reopening of the Santolan, Katipunan, and Anonas stations was slated for June but was pushed back because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Light Rail Transit Authority spokesperson Hernando Cabrera said.
This will leave only the Anonas to Cubao link inoperable. The LRT-2 Cubao station connects the line to the MRT-3 on EDSA.
Several stations of the LRT-2, which runs from Pasig to Manila, have been operating on a limited capacity since October last year after a fire razed its power transformer.
https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/05/26/20/santolan-to-anonas-stations-of-lrt-2-might-reopen-by-september-operator
LRTA eyes reopening of LRT2’s Santolan to Anonas stations by September
The Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) is targeting to reopen the Light Rail Transit Line 2’s (LRT2) Santolan to Anonas stations in September after the COVID-19 crisis stalled the stations’ supposed resumption of operations by June.
“Ang timetable natin para maayos ang power supply ng tatlong istasyon ay dapat po by March ay na-award na po ang kontrata at ‘pag na-award na po siya ‘yung contractor po natin meron silang tatlong buwan para maisagawa at matapos yung tinatawag natin na temporary power supply system,” LRTA spokesperson Hernando Cabrera said during the Laging Handa public briefing Tuesday.
“Ang timetable po natin noon kung na-award po siya ng Marso ay by end of June matatapos na po siya at puwede natin gamitin ang tatlong istasyon... unfortunately po inabutan po tayo ng COVID-19 pandemic kaya hindi na natuloy ang procurement process hanggang sa pag-award,” he added.
Three stations of the LRT2 -- Santolan, Katipunan, and Anonas -- have been shut down since October after two rectifiers got damaged by a fire incident.
The LRTA official said that once quarantine measures are relaxed by June, the agency can resume the procurement process.
“Pag ma-award natin siya within Hunyo meron silang Hulyo, Agosto hanggang katapusan ng Setyembre para maisagawa ang temporary supply system at para magamit na natin ang tatlong istasyon na Santloan, Katipunan at Anonas,” Cabrera said.
If the modified enhanced community quarantine in Metro Manila will be shifted to a more relaxed general community quarantine, which allows public transportation to operate, the Recto to Cubao operations of LRT2 will resume.
“This coming June hind pa rin magagamit ang tatlong istasyon (Santolan-Katipunan-Anonas) magmula Recto hanggang Cubao pabalik pwedeng pwede na po mag-operate,” Cabrera said. --KBK, GMA News
https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/739799/lrta-eyes-reopening-of-lrt2-s-santolan-to-anonas-stations-by-september/story/
“Ang timetable natin para maayos ang power supply ng tatlong istasyon ay dapat po by March ay na-award na po ang kontrata at ‘pag na-award na po siya ‘yung contractor po natin meron silang tatlong buwan para maisagawa at matapos yung tinatawag natin na temporary power supply system,” LRTA spokesperson Hernando Cabrera said during the Laging Handa public briefing Tuesday.
“Ang timetable po natin noon kung na-award po siya ng Marso ay by end of June matatapos na po siya at puwede natin gamitin ang tatlong istasyon... unfortunately po inabutan po tayo ng COVID-19 pandemic kaya hindi na natuloy ang procurement process hanggang sa pag-award,” he added.
Three stations of the LRT2 -- Santolan, Katipunan, and Anonas -- have been shut down since October after two rectifiers got damaged by a fire incident.
The LRTA official said that once quarantine measures are relaxed by June, the agency can resume the procurement process.
“Pag ma-award natin siya within Hunyo meron silang Hulyo, Agosto hanggang katapusan ng Setyembre para maisagawa ang temporary supply system at para magamit na natin ang tatlong istasyon na Santloan, Katipunan at Anonas,” Cabrera said.
If the modified enhanced community quarantine in Metro Manila will be shifted to a more relaxed general community quarantine, which allows public transportation to operate, the Recto to Cubao operations of LRT2 will resume.
“This coming June hind pa rin magagamit ang tatlong istasyon (Santolan-Katipunan-Anonas) magmula Recto hanggang Cubao pabalik pwedeng pwede na po mag-operate,” Cabrera said. --KBK, GMA News
https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/739799/lrta-eyes-reopening-of-lrt2-s-santolan-to-anonas-stations-by-september/story/
Monday, May 25, 2020
Downgrade of Metro Manila quarantine seen
The coronavirus task force will watch the numbers and then sit down this week to decide whether to ease further the quarantine measures in Metro Manila. The Metro mayors are divided on loosening the restrictions.
Quarantine restrictions in Metro Manila could be further loosened starting June 1 as the country pursues a phased return to economic activity after nearly three months of lockdown due to the new coronavirus pandemic.
Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana on Sunday said the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases would watch the coronavirus trend this week and then decide whether to downgrade the “modified enhanced community quarantine” in Metro Manila to “general community quarantine.”
The downgrade means only villages in the metropolis with high numbers of confirmed coronavirus cases would be locked down, with local officials making the decision. The rest of the National Capital Region would be free to begin a gradual return to normality, but under strict orders to follow public health measures.
In a text message, Lorenzana cited some indicators that the task force would watch before making a decision for a downgrade: confirmed cases not increasing, deaths occurring in single digits, and recoveries increasing.
On Sunday, the Department of Health (DOH) reported 258 new infections, the largest single-day increase in one week, which raised the national total to 14,035. Of the new cases, 195, or 75 percent, were recorded in Metro Manila, epicenter of the local coronavirus outbreak.
The DOH reported five new deaths, raising the death toll to 868 and continuing a week of single-digit deaths that was broken only on Friday, when 11 patients were reported to have died.
Recoveries continued to outstrip deaths, with 72 more patients getting well, bringing the total number of survivors to 3,249.
Besides Metro Manila, the provinces of Bataan, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Zambales and Laguna remain sealed off because of their high risk for infection.
On Saturday, during a military event at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City, Lorenzana told reporters that the purpose of the gradual easing of restrictions was to get the public accustomed to measures necessary to prevent a second wave of infections, such as wearing protective masks, physical distancing and frequent hand-washing.
The Metro Manila Council will hold an “urgent meeting” on Wednesday to discuss whether the quarantine restrictions, loosened on May 16 to allow partial business reopenings, should be eased further, according to the metropolitan policy-making body’s chief, Parañaque City Mayor Edwin Olivarez.
Olivarez said on Sunday that most of the 17 mayors in the metropolis were “torn between the economic side and health issue” of the quarantine.
He said some of the mayors wanted the quarantine to be extended anew for fear of a resurgence of the virus if the restrictions were eased some more.
On Saturday, 10 of the 18 villages in Navotas City were locked down again until May 31 due to the increasing number of infections, which stood at 160 as of Friday.
Olivarez said he wanted the restrictions to be loosened some more to allow economic recovery in the metropolis.
But Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon said Metro Manilans might have to stay home longer because the government did not have accurate information to support a decision to loosen the quarantine restrictions.
Drilon blamed the situation on the lack of mass testing by the DOH.
He said the absence of reliable data from the DOH would also affect lawmakers’ decision whether to renew Republic Act No. 11469, the law passed by a joint session of Congress in March to enable President Duterte to respond to the coronavirus pandemic.
Lockdown again and again
“Until we’re able to secure accurate data [on coronavirus cases], the [lockdown order] will be extended again and again,” Drilon said in a radio interview on Sunday.
“And why is there no accurate data? It’s because there’s no sufficient testing. We don’t know [the actual number of infected people],” he said.
The senator noted that the DOH had reported that 20,264 people had tested positive for the new coronavirus that causes the severe respiratory disease COVID-19, but only about 14,000 had been confirmed to have been infected.
The DOH blamed the gap on the shortage of staff validating the test results, which became pronounced after the agency expanded its testing capacity with the acquisition of thousands of testing kits and the accreditation of more testing laboratories.
Drilon said the disparity meant more than 6,000 people could be out in the streets unknowingly spreading the virus.
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1280345/downgrade-of-metro-quarantine-seen
Quarantine restrictions in Metro Manila could be further loosened starting June 1 as the country pursues a phased return to economic activity after nearly three months of lockdown due to the new coronavirus pandemic.
Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana on Sunday said the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases would watch the coronavirus trend this week and then decide whether to downgrade the “modified enhanced community quarantine” in Metro Manila to “general community quarantine.”
The downgrade means only villages in the metropolis with high numbers of confirmed coronavirus cases would be locked down, with local officials making the decision. The rest of the National Capital Region would be free to begin a gradual return to normality, but under strict orders to follow public health measures.
In a text message, Lorenzana cited some indicators that the task force would watch before making a decision for a downgrade: confirmed cases not increasing, deaths occurring in single digits, and recoveries increasing.
On Sunday, the Department of Health (DOH) reported 258 new infections, the largest single-day increase in one week, which raised the national total to 14,035. Of the new cases, 195, or 75 percent, were recorded in Metro Manila, epicenter of the local coronavirus outbreak.
The DOH reported five new deaths, raising the death toll to 868 and continuing a week of single-digit deaths that was broken only on Friday, when 11 patients were reported to have died.
Recoveries continued to outstrip deaths, with 72 more patients getting well, bringing the total number of survivors to 3,249.
Besides Metro Manila, the provinces of Bataan, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Zambales and Laguna remain sealed off because of their high risk for infection.
On Saturday, during a military event at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City, Lorenzana told reporters that the purpose of the gradual easing of restrictions was to get the public accustomed to measures necessary to prevent a second wave of infections, such as wearing protective masks, physical distancing and frequent hand-washing.
The Metro Manila Council will hold an “urgent meeting” on Wednesday to discuss whether the quarantine restrictions, loosened on May 16 to allow partial business reopenings, should be eased further, according to the metropolitan policy-making body’s chief, Parañaque City Mayor Edwin Olivarez.
Olivarez said on Sunday that most of the 17 mayors in the metropolis were “torn between the economic side and health issue” of the quarantine.
He said some of the mayors wanted the quarantine to be extended anew for fear of a resurgence of the virus if the restrictions were eased some more.
On Saturday, 10 of the 18 villages in Navotas City were locked down again until May 31 due to the increasing number of infections, which stood at 160 as of Friday.
Olivarez said he wanted the restrictions to be loosened some more to allow economic recovery in the metropolis.
But Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon said Metro Manilans might have to stay home longer because the government did not have accurate information to support a decision to loosen the quarantine restrictions.
Drilon blamed the situation on the lack of mass testing by the DOH.
He said the absence of reliable data from the DOH would also affect lawmakers’ decision whether to renew Republic Act No. 11469, the law passed by a joint session of Congress in March to enable President Duterte to respond to the coronavirus pandemic.
Lockdown again and again
“Until we’re able to secure accurate data [on coronavirus cases], the [lockdown order] will be extended again and again,” Drilon said in a radio interview on Sunday.
“And why is there no accurate data? It’s because there’s no sufficient testing. We don’t know [the actual number of infected people],” he said.
The senator noted that the DOH had reported that 20,264 people had tested positive for the new coronavirus that causes the severe respiratory disease COVID-19, but only about 14,000 had been confirmed to have been infected.
The DOH blamed the gap on the shortage of staff validating the test results, which became pronounced after the agency expanded its testing capacity with the acquisition of thousands of testing kits and the accreditation of more testing laboratories.
Drilon said the disparity meant more than 6,000 people could be out in the streets unknowingly spreading the virus.
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1280345/downgrade-of-metro-quarantine-seen
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