Binondo-Intramuros Bridge seen completed within 2021

By Joyce Ann L. Rocamora

The construction of a China-funded bridge connecting Binondo and Intramuros is expected to be completed within 2021, the Chinese Embassy in Manila said Thursday.

The flagship project under the “Build, Build, Build” program would offer a two-way, four-lane bridge over the Pasig River.

Chinese Ambassador Huang Xilian and Public Works and Highways chief Mark Villar visited on Thursday the Binondo-Intramuros Bridge site project to check on the construction's progress.

"The main bridge of the project is so far 90 percent completed and is expected to open within this year. By then, it will serve over 30,000 vehicles per day and substantially relieve the traffic congestion along the river," the embassy said in a statement.

The initiative was one of the first China-granted infrastructure projects in Metro Manila constructed under President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration.

Iconic landscape

Villar said the China-funded bridge will become a new iconic landscape of the country. 

“By September 2021, this attractive design of the arch bridge that symbolizes the friendly cooperation between China and the Philippines will become a new iconic landscape connecting the Binondo and Intramuros districts of Manila,” he said in a statement.

He said the project, with a total cost of PHP3.39 billion, employed many advanced construction methods shared by Chinese to the Filipino workers such as the steel arch bridge assembly, pushing method and the bottom construction method of the boxed cofferdam and building a solid piling foundation.

DPWH Undersecretary for Unified Project Management Office (UPMO) Operations Emil Sadain said the Binondo-Intramuros Bridge involves the construction of four-lane, basket-handle tied steel arch bridge.

It will have a total length of 680 lineal meters connecting the District of Intramuros at Solana Street and Riverside Drive and District of Binondo at Rentas Street/Plaza Del Conde Street and Muelle dela Industria having a viaduct structure over Estero de Binondo, he added.

It is designed with the new seismic specifications and taking into consideration the impact of climate change.

Another China-funded project, the Estrella-Pantaleon Bridge linking Makati and Mandaluyong is now also 79 percent done and on track for an opening date in the first half of 2021.

The embassy said three priority bridges funded by China "just concluded the commercial contracts last December and is expected to kick off by June this year."

Citing Huang, the embassy noted that the government-to-government cooperation projects between Manila and Beijing have now entered into a new stage of implementation.

"With the joint efforts of both sides, 11 projects have been completed and 12 projects are being implemented or are about to be implemented," it said.

Among these infrastructure projects are the Philippine-Sino Center for Agricultural Technology-Technical Cooperation Program Phase III and the Chico River Pump Irrigation Project both expected to be completed by the end of 2021.

There are also 10 more projects under active negotiation, the embassy said. (With reports of Ferdinand Patinio)

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1129679

Mag-asawa patay sa pamamaril sa Taguig

Isang mag-asawa ang patay matapos sila pagbabarilin sa Central Bicutan, Taguig City Lunes ng hapon.

Ayon sa mga awtoridad, tinambangan sina Marcelo at Zener Tomas ng mga di pa kilalang salarin sa San Diego St. ala 1:10 ng hapon.

Dead on the spot ang dalawa dahil sa tama ng bala. 

Nagsasagawa na ng follow-up operation ang Taguig PNP sa mga salarin na agad tumakas. Inaalam pa ang motibo sa pamamaril.

Ayon sa pulisya, parehong call center agent ang mag-asawa.--Ulat ni Jeck Batallones

https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/02/01/21/mag-asawa-patay-sa-pamamaril-sa-taguig

Destination Video - Roxas Blvd and Manila Bay, Metro Manila, Philippines

MRT-7 New Update From SM North/Trinoma to Quirino Hiway/Pangarap

SMC says right-of-way issues delaying road linking Skyway 3 to NLEx

Conglomerate San Miguel Corp. (SMC) said a 1.2 kilometer road linking its Skyway Stage 3 project to the NLEx Connector project is facing delays because of right-of-way issues.

The NLEx Connector project is set to be finished in 2022. Being built by a unit of Metro Pacific Investments Corp., the project is a second elevated tollroad after the Skyway Stage 3 that would link the North Luzon Expressway (NLEx) and South Luzon Expressway (SLEx) in Metro Manila.

SMC said the 1.2-km road link is part of the detailed engineering design of the Skyway Stage 3, which was inaugurated by President Rodrigo Duterte last Jan. 14. It is also a vital project since it connects two major road infrastructure projects in Metro Manila.

SMC, however, said it is currently facing right-of-way problems at the Nagtahan to Sta. Mesa areas in Manila.

SMC president Ramon S. Ang said in a statement that the conglomerate planned to finish the road within 24 months after right-of-way issues are settled.

The acquisition of right-of-way for major infrastructure projects is typically handled by the government. But Ang said SMC was also allocating funds to hasten the buy out of land along the road’s alignment.

“We’re already mobilizing our contractors to start work in areas that are unobstructed, where we’re permitted to work,” Ang said. “We’re also already committing the funds needed to buy the ROW properties, so hopefully, these issues will be resolved the soonest,” he added.

Right-of-way acquisition is a perennial cause of delay for big-ticket infrastructure projects. Ang said it was also the “single biggest constraint” for the Skyway Stage 3, whose groundbreaking ceremony was held in 2014.

“The alignment for this connection to the NLEx connector project, which the Metro Pacific Tollways Group is building, was supposed to be built together with Section 2 of Skyway 3 in the Nagtahan to Sta. Mesa area,” Ang said.

“However, about two years since we first worked on workable areas for Skyway 3, the ROW issue in section 2 threatened to stall the project,” he added.

Ang said these issues also caused the company to revise the alignment of the Skyway Stage 3 “so that the project could be completed faster and provide a solution to traffic.”

https://business.inquirer.net/316593/smc-says-right-of-way-issues-delaying-road-linking-skyway-3-to-nlex

Work on Skyway 3-NLEX connector project link begins

San Miguel Corporation has started work on a 1.2-kilometer road that will connect the 18-km Skyway Stage 3 to the ongoing 8-km. NLEX connector project, a second elevated expressway that will further link the northern and southern parts of Metro Manila.

The expressway project runs from C3 road all the way to Santa Mesa in Manila.

This, despite the pending right-of-way acquisition (ROW) negotiations that have delayed the construction of the vital link.

In a news release Thursday, SMC President and Chief Operating Officer Ramon Ang said the company is “working on what’s workable,” in order to mitigate delays in ROW acquisition for the connection, located at the Nagtahan to Sta. Mesa areas in Manila.

The connection, part of the detailed engineering design of the Skyway 3 project, can be completed within 24 months or less soon as the ROW issues with the landowners are resolved, Ang said.

“This connection is vital because it will link two major expressways, Skyway Stage 3 and the Metro Pacific Tollways’ connector road project -- making accessibility, interoperability, and ease of travel even better for the public,” Ang said.

"We’re already mobilizing our contractors to start work in areas that are unobstructed, where we’re permitted to work. We’re also already committing the funds needed to buy the ROW properties, so hopefully, these issues will be resolved the soonest," he added.

The ROW acquisition was the single biggest constraint to the Skyway Stage 3 project, Ang said. While advance work was started in 2014, actual work on the main sections 1-4 only started in 2015, because of ROW issues.

The company mitigated the delays by starting construction in “available” areas, to improve the chances of completing the project soonest and immediately address the worsening traffic in Metro Manila.

However, even then, a lot of ROW issues remained unsettled, prompting numerous realignments and redesigns. The SMC also paid for all the ROW properties and spent for the transfer of vital utilities as well as the reconstruction of three bridges, in order to complete Skyway 3.

“The alignment for this connection to the NLEX connector project, which the Metro Pacific Tollways Group is building, was supposed to be built together with Section 2 of Skyway 3 in the Nagtahan to Sta. Mesa area. However, about two years since we first worked on workable areas for Skyway 3, the ROW issue in section 2 threatened to stall the project. That is why we proposed to realign Skyway 3 along the San Juan River, so that the project could be completed faster and provide a solution to traffic—not cause more of it,” Ang said.

He added: “To show our commitment to complete the connection, even if the main alignment was already moved to San Juan River, we signed a memorandum of agreement with the Toll Regulatory Board and Department of Public Works and Highways. We basically already committed the budget for the ROW acquisition--we will pay for it--and we will complete this section within 24 months.”

Ideally, the connection would be complete before or by the time the NLEX connector road is completed.

Ang said even as the company negotiates for the settlement of ROW issues, it has already started work on available areas and has employed a "just-in-time" sequence, anticipating the timely delivery of the ROW.

“Originally, this was supposed to be delivered December 2020, but it’s now pushed back. But we want to assure the public and government that we will do everything to complete it in less than 24 months, once we get the ROW,” Ang said.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1128842

Families now dwell in streets after Parañaque demolition amid pandemic

Despite the memorandum  circular released by the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) in April 2020 to postpone all administrative demolition and eviction activities, over 50 families in Parañaque City were rendered homeless after their houses near the coastal area of the city were demolished.

Urban poor group Kalipunan ng Damayang Mahihirap (Kadamay) condemned the demolition on January 19 in a statement on Wednesday and called it a “heartless” and “illegal” incursion against the poor.

Kadamay said that the residents were initially housed in the local gymnasium temporarily, however, they were again evicted last Monday. Now they have set up encampments along roads as street dwellers.

The demolition was enacted to make way for the expansion of the LRT 1, according to Kadamay.

On Wednesday, the Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino said the residents held a mobilization demanding accountability from the Local Government Unit of Parañaque. The group decried how the authorities have conspired to leave the families “homeless and without relocation.”

The groups cited DILG’s Memorandum Circular No. 2020-068 postponing any eviction related activities while the nation remains in a state of national emergency. President Duterte declared the nation to still be under state of calamity until September 2021 through Proclamation No. 1021.

The memorandum stated that “only the identified dwellings qualified under Section 28(b) of the Urban Development and Housing Act and related Section 4(s) of Republic Act 11469 otherwise known as the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act shall be allowed eviction or demolition.”

“Provided that the eviction or demolition of the identified dwellings are crucial in the general objectives stipulated in RA 11469,” it read.

“Provided further that prior to the conduct of eviction and demolition, LGUs shall provide interim shelter facilities for affected communities who will be demolished within the locality and finally provide financial assistance, relief, and other basic services,” it continued.

The memorandum also stated that “all local government units shall provide interim shelter facilities to all homeless families and/or individuals found in their respective jurisdiction, and appropriate financial assistance, relief, and other basic services.”

Manila Bulletin has reached out to Parañaque City Mayor Edwin Olivarez but he has not replied as of this writing.

https://mb.com.ph/2021/01/27/families-now-dwell-in-streets-after-paranaque-demolition-amid-pandemic/

Bagong train sets ng LRT1, planong i-test agad lalo't magsisimula na rin...

Train cars for LRT-1 Cavite extension starting to arrive

 THE Transportation department said Tuesday that it took delivery of the first batch of train cars from Spain and Mexico for use of the Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT-1) Cavite extension.

“This means that after 19 long years of waiting, the LRT-1 Cavite extension is finally turning into reality,” the department said in a statement.

Japan, through the Japan International Cooperation Agency, funded the manufacture of the 120 fourth-generation light rail vehicles.

The train cars will be provided to the LRT-1, with Mitsubishi Corp. as the implementing contractor, the Embassy of Japan in Manila said in a separate statement.

Light Rail Manila Corp. (LRMC), the private operator of LRT-1, said Spanish rail equipment manufacturer Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles started the production of the train cars in Spain and Mexico in 2019, after winning a tender conducted by the Transportation department.

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“The train sets will arrive in batches, with at least one train set arriving every month until May 2022,” the company noted.

The Transportation department said on Jan. 18 that the LRT-1 Cavite extension project was 51.61% complete as of Dec. 31.

It also said the Cavite extension is expected to start partial operations by the end of 2021.

The P64.9-billion LRT-1 Cavite extension project, a public-private partnership venture that the National Economic and Development Authority board approved in November 2013, aims to add an 11.7-kilometer Baclaran-Bacoor, Cavite segment to the current 18.1-kilometer train line. The new stretch will have eight stations.

The first phase of the extension consists of a seven-kilometer segment with five stations between the Redemptorist Church area in Baclaran and Dr. Santos Ave. in Parañaque.

The remaining three stations are scheduled for completion in 2022.

Once LRT-1’s Cavite extension opens to the public, the DoTr expects daily ridership along the entire line to increase to 800,000 passengers from 500,000, and Baclaran-Bacoor travel time to be cut to 25 minutes from up to two hours.

LRMC is the joint venture of Ayala Corp., Metro Pacific Light Rail Corp. and Macquarie Infrastructure Holdings (Philippines) Pte. Ltd. It holds the P65 billion, 32-year PPP contract to operate LRT-1 and build its extension to Cavite.

Metro Pacific Investments Corp. is one of three Philippine subsidiaries of Hong Kong’s First Pacific Co. Ltd., the others being PLDT, Inc. and Philex Mining Corp. Hastings Holdings, Inc., a unit of PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund subsidiary MediaQuest Holdings, Inc., maintains an interest in BusinessWorld through the Philippine Star Group, which it controls. — Arjay L. Balinbin

https://www.bworldonline.com/train-cars-for-lrt-1-cavite-extension-starting-to-arrive/

New trains for LRT1 Cavite Extension arrive | 24 Oras

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) on Tuesday unveiled the first batch of new trains for the Light Rail Transit Line 1’s (LRT1) Cavite extension.

During the arrival ceremony, the four new trains were displayed to the public which comprise the first batch of 120 train cars from Spain and Mexico.

“Nineteen years ago, this project was started. So, under the Duterte Administration, we pushed and pushed hard. That is why today, we see the steps of the whole realization of this project--partial operability within this year, by accepting the trains and the cars,” Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade said.

Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines Kazuhiko Koshikawa expressed support for the Duterte administration's programs.

“I served JICA as an Executive Senior Vice President for four years, so I share this same ardent passion with the DOTr leadership. Now that I’m here in this country, I made it my commitment to work closely with our friends from the Philippine government to achieve these infrastructure goals, together with JICA,” Koshikawa said.

Upon completion of the extension project, LRT1 is expected to connect Baclaran and Bacoor, Cavite in just 25 minutes from the current travel time of one hour and 10 minutes.—LDF, GMA News

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/regions/773366/four-new-trains-for-lrt1-cavite-extension-arrive/story/