Monday, August 30, 2021
Thursday, August 26, 2021
Sunday, August 22, 2021
Thursday, August 19, 2021
COVID-19 task force weighing just 2 options for Metro Manila: ECQ or MECQ
Jamaine Punzalan, ABS-CBN News
The COVID-19 task force is weighing just 2 options for Metro Manila's quarantine level starting this weekend, Malacañang said on Thursday, as authorities sought to stump a climb in coronavirus cases linked to the highly contagious Delta variant.
Home to some 13 million people, the capital region is under the strictest of 4 lockdown levels or enhanced community quarantine until Aug. 20. The inter-agency task force on Thursday will meet about the next lockdown level for Metro Manila, said Palace spokesman Harry Roque.
"Dalawang option lang naman po 'yan: mananatili ang ECQ, in which case ang tanong, meron bang pang-ayuda—o ibababa sa MECQ (modified ECQ)," said Roque, who also serves as spokesman for the task force.
(There are just 2 options: ECQ stays, in which case the question is will there be funds for cash aid—or will it be lowered to MECQ.)
President Rodrigo Duterte might deliver a national address on Friday to bare the new quarantine levels, "unless he will give authorization to have it announced earlier," Roque said in a press briefing.
Authorities aimed to keep new COVID-19 cases below 20,000 per day with Metro Manila's lockdown, he noted. The health department, he pointed out, confirmed some 11,000 infections on Wednesday.
"We seem to be on track po dahil hindi naman po sumipa beyond the projections," said Roque. "And if we continue with our planned course of action, it will always be below 20,000."
(We seem to be on track because cases did not spike beyond the projections.)
The official also noted that the utilization rate of intensive care units in Metro Manila has gone down to moderate risk.
"The figures are very encouraging as of today," he said.
https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/08/19/21/ecq-mecq-only-options-for-metro-manila-palace
Wednesday, August 18, 2021
CoA flags nonpayment of P333-M concession fees for rail project
By Russell Louis C. Ku
LIGHT Rail Manila Corp., which operates two of three rapid transit systems in Metro Manila, owes the government P332.9 million in concession fees, according to state auditors.
In a report released on Tuesday, the Commission on Audit (CoA) said the company had failed to pay the fees for the Light Rail 1 (LRT 1) Cavite extension project for five straight quarters through Oct. 2020.
State auditors said the concession payments for the project were supposed to be paid in two installments of P935.01 million by Oct. 2, 2014 and Sept. 12, 2015 — the signing and effective dates of the contract.
The rest of the concession payments worth P7.48 billion are to be paid quarterly starting Oct. 30, 2019.
The Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) “should immediately demand the amount which is already due,” the commission said.
In an audit comment, the LRTA said it asked the Transportation department in October to send a notice of demand against Light Rail Manila Corp.
The company had been regularly paying concession fees to the government, spokesperson Jacqueline Gorospe said in a Viber message on Wednesday. “We offset our claims with the concession fees due, which is an allowed formula in our concession agreement,” she said.
The LRT 1 Cavite extension project is a P64.9-billion public-private partnership venture that the National Economic and Development Authority board approved in Nov. 2013. It seeks to extend the existing rail network by 11.7 kilometers by adding eight stations from Baclaran to Bacoor, Cavite.
The 32-year concession contract was awarded to Light Rail Manila, a joint venture of Ayala Corp., Metro Pacific Light Rail Corp. and Macquarie Infrastructure Holdings (Philippines) Pte. Ltd.
https://www.bworldonline.com/coa-flags-nonpayment-of-p333-m-concession-fees-for-rail-project/
Gov't adviser suggests Metro Manila MECQ, localized lockdowns
A government adviser on Wednesday urged the country's pandemic response leaders to de-escalate the quarantine level of Metro Manila by a notch, coupled with localized lockdowns in areas with clustering of COVID-19 cases.
The capital region's 13 million people returned to the toughest of 4 lockdown levels, the enhanced community quarantine, on Aug. 6. Its current ECQ status will lapse on April 20.
The Philippines on Tuesday recorded around 10,000 new cases, down from some 14,000 new daily infections 2 days before, noted Dr. Ted Herbosa, special adviser to the National Task Force Against COVID-19.
"Mukhang may tulong ang ating ginawang ECQ... Sana tuloy-tuloy na ang pagbaba at baka madalian ang desisyon ng IATF (inter-agency task force on COVID-19) na luwagan ang ating quarantine," he said in a televised public briefing.
(It seems that the ECQ we implemented is helping. I hope the cases will keep going down and it might make it easier for the IATF to loosen our quarantine.)
Government has to balance public health with potential job losses and hunger, Herbosa said.
"Kung opinyon ko lang ang masusunod... bababa ako sa MECQ (modified enhanced community quarantine) at paiigtingin ko ‘yong mga mayor, 'yung mga LGU, ‘yong localized lockdown, testing at saka tracing para hindi lahat napapahamak," he suggested.
(If my opinion is followed, I will go down to MECQ and direct mayors, local government units to ramp up localized lockdown, testing, and tracing so that not all areas will get in trouble.)
The IATF has yet to reach a consensus on the quarantine level, pending its assessment of data, Malacañang said on Tuesday.
With some 1.7 million coronavirus infections and 30,000 deaths, the Philippines is battling one of Asia's worst COVID-19 outbreaks, which the highly contagious Delta variant of the respiratory disease could worsen.
At least 12.7 million individuals are now fully vaccinated against the novel coronavirus. Government aims to immunize up to 70 million people before the year ends to safely reopen the economy.
Tuesday, August 17, 2021
PNR-Calamba to give NCR, South Luzon workers access to 300k jobs — study
The South Commuter Railway (SCR), also known as the PNR-Calamba project, will give workers access to more than 300,000 jobs across Southern Luzon and Metro Manila, an Asian Development Bank study found.
The study released Tuesday compared the number of jobs within an hour-long commute before and after the ADB-funded project’s completion. According to the Manila-based lender, the number of available jobs between Southern Luzon and the capital region was “highly unequal” at present.
“For example, commuters in Makati City in Metro Manila can access as many as 5.4 million jobs whereas those in the south can access as few as 31,000 jobs only. The discrepancy in job accessibility comes mainly from the high concentration of jobs in Metro Manila as well as the slow and unreliable commuting options between these regions,” the analysis said.
Once the railway is operational, it is projected to ease access to jobs by 15.3% in Southern Luzon and 8.5% in Metro Manila.
“For instance, a household in San Pedro City in Laguna will be able to access 3.4 million jobs via rail transport, compared with only 2.03 million jobs by road—a 67.5% increase in job opportunities,” the study noted.
Among Southeast Asian megacities, Metro Manila is the most congested city, an ADB research said in 2019.
The new ADB study elaborated that commuters from 48 out of the 64 cities that the railway passes through will discover more areas and job opportunities within a 1-hour window. ADB researchers reckoned that on average, households could access 300,000 jobs in that timespan alone.
At the same time, the study revealed that industrial workers who live in Southern Luzon could bat for higher-income jobs in Metro Manila as well once SCR is completed. Working in Metro Manila’s services industry, the ADB noted, nets monthly wages 29% higher than can be earned in South Luzon. The government plan, after all, interlinks the South commuter railway project with North Luzon provinces as well.
The SCR project is part of the longer 147-kilometer North-South Commuter Railway System which has 35 stations stretching from Calamba in Laguna to the Clark International Airport in Pampanga. Currently, the SCR is in the later stages of the government procurement process, and funding support for the project is already up for consideration by ADB’s Board of Directors in the fourth quarter of this year.
The SCR is designed to be 54.6 km in length with 19 stations between Blumentritt in the city of Manila in the north and Calamba in the south. Following the alignment of the existing PNR line, the SCR will pass through five cities in Laguna and five cities in Metro Manila. Each of these 10 cities will have one or more train stations.
The SCR will have a speed (likely average) of 80 km per hour, allowing riders from Calamba to get off at Blumentritt station within 1 hour — shorter than the usual 2- to 3-hour travel by bus.
Similarly, the findings support assertions that accessible public transport options could, in fact, ease the widening income gap in the Philippine capital, worsened by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Years before the pandemic, Metro Manila traffic has already deteriorated to levels unseen previously as commuter trains bogged down in a rush hour and private vehicles clogged public highways. When the pandemic hit in 2020, mass transport was restricted, forcing many workers to rely heavily on two-wheeled transport options like bicycles and motorcycles.
Wednesday, August 11, 2021
COVID-19 cases sa NCR posibleng bumaba kung magsasagawa ng 5 linggong ECQ: DOH
Sa datos ng Department of Health (DOH), may halos 21,000 active cases ng COVID-19 sa National Capital Region, na nasa ilalim ng pinakamahigpit na enhanced community quarantine (ECQ).
Ang pagbaba o ang pinangangambahang pagtaas ng active cases sa mga susunod na buwan ay nakadepende sa mga magiging hakbang ng gobyerno at pakikipagtulungan ng publiko.
Pero ngayon pa lang, may tantiya na ang DOH sa posibleng maging bilang ng mga aktibong kaso sa Kamaynilaan.
Puwede umanong bumaba sa 15,262 ang daily active cases sa katapusan ng Setyembre kung magsasagawa ng 1 linggong general community quarantine (GCQ) with heightened restrictions at 5 linggong ECQ.
Kung 1 linggong GCQ with heightened restrictions, 3 linggong ECQ, at 2 linggong modified ECQ (MECQ) naman, posibleng umabot ng 42,050 ang active cases kada araw.
Kapag 1 linggong GCQ with heightened restrictions, 2 linggong ECQ, at 3 linggong ECQ naman, maaaring umabot ng 58,255 ang active cases sa katapusan ng Setyembre.
Kasama na sa projection ng mga eksperto ang GCQ with heightened restriction noong Hulyo 30 at kasalukuyang ECQ.
Nagpaalala si Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire na maaari pa ring magbago ang projection depende rin sa kilos ng publiko.
"That is not cast in stone. These are projections. Maari natin 'yang mapigilan. Marami pang puwedeng gawin," ani Vergeire.
Sa ngayon, hindi talaga makakaiwas sa banta ng Delta variant, lalo't ang Mimaropa, Soccsksargen, Bangsamoro, at Caraga na lang ang mga rehiyong hindi nakapagtala ng variant of concern.
Pero nagpaalala rin si Vergeire na hindi naman malalaman sa sintomas kung ang variant na tumama sa isang tao ay Delta o hindi.
"We really can't distinguish at this point kung ano ang Delta and hindi," ani Vergeire.
"We should all assume na kung ano man ang nagta-transmit sa atin ngayon, we assume ito ay Delta variant. Kung ano man ang sintomas, 'yan ang kailangan pagtuunan ng pansin. Kailangan mag-isolate agad," dagdag niya.
Binawi na rin ng Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) ang mas pinaigsing quarantine period sa mga fully vaccinated pero naging close contact ng taong may COVID-19.
Lumalabas kasi sa pag-aaral na may ebidensiyang nagsasabing walang pagkakaiba ang viral load ng taong fully vaccinated sa taong hindi bakunado kapag Delta variant ang tumama sa kanila.
"Whether you are vaccinated or fully vaccinated, kapag kayo ay considered close contact, kailangan niyo pong tapusin ang 14 na araw na pag-quarantine," ani Vergeire.
Samantala, nakapagtala ngayong Miyerkoles ang bansa ng 12,021 bagong kaso ng COVID-19, ang pinakamataas sa loob ng 4 na buwan.
Dahil dito, pumalo sa 1,688,040 ang kabuuang bilang ng mga nagka-COVID-19 sa Pilipinas, kung saan 81,399 ang active cases.
— Ulat ni Raphael Bosano, ABS-CBN News
https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/08/11/21/covid-19-cases-sa-ncr-posibleng-bumaba-sa-5-linggong-ecq-doh
LRT-1 Cavite Extension now 58% complete
By Raymond Carl Dela Cruz
The Cavite Extension project of the Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT-1) is 58.03 percent complete after the girder has been installed along the Manila – Cavite Expressway (Cavitex).
Once completed, the project is seen to reduce travel time between Baclaran and Bacoor, Cavite from 1 hour and 10 minutes to just 25 minutes and increase passenger capacity from 500,000 to 800,000 daily.
Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Arthur Tugade said the girders, or horizontal support structures, were installed using the full span girder launching method using special equipment and were completed faster compared to traditional pre-casting.
“Further, these girders will no longer have to be transported via road transport, so as not to cause traffic congestion along the affected areas,” Tugade said in a Facebook post Wednesday.
Initially approved by the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Investment Coordination Committee in August 2000, the DOTr said zero percent of the right of way (ROW) was certified as “free and clear” by the project’s independent consultant back in 2016.
In May 2019, the DOTr expedited the acquisition of ROW for the project's first phase and worked with the Light Rail Transit Authority and the Light Rail Manila Corporation to begin its construction.
Monday, August 9, 2021
LRMC says LRT-1 Cavite Extension 60% finished
THE Cavite extension project of the Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT-1) is now 60% complete, its private operator Light Rail Manila Corp. (LRMC) said.
“The current progress for the Cavite extension is that it has reached about 60% completion,” LRMC President and Chief Executive Officer Juan F. Alfonso said at a recent press briefing of the Metro Pacific Investments Corp. (MPIC).
“The viaduct construction is now crossing from the Parañaque River, crossing Cavitex (Manila-Cavite Expressway) and going to Roxas Boulevard,” he added.
LRMC is scheduled to complete the viaduct by the end of the year.
“Afterwards, we will start with the electromechanical works — the laying of the rails and the installation of the electrical system as well as the stations,” Mr. Alfonso said.
The P64.9-billion LRT-1 Cavite extension project, a public-private partnership (PPP) 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 stretch with five stations between the Redemptorist Church area in Baclaran and Dr. Santos Ave. in Parañaque.
The Baclaran-Dr. Santos segment is expected to start partial operations in the first quarter of 2024, the Transportation department said. The government plans to conduct trial runs in March 2023.
The Cavite extension is expected to be fully operational by the second quarter of 2027.
Once completed, the Transportation department 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.
MPIC 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/lrmc-says-lrt-1-cavite-extension-60-finished/
Saturday, August 7, 2021
Wednesday, August 4, 2021
CAVITEX lanes near Parañaque bridge to be closed temporarily
Lanes will be closed temporarily from August 6 to 10.
The Light Rail Manila Corporation (LRMC) announced that several lanes along the Manila-Cavite Expressway (CAVITEX) will be closed temporarily from August 6 to 10. The said lane closure is due to the construction works for the LRT-1 Cavite extension project.
LRMC said that the lanes to be closed along CAVITEX will be near the Parañaque bridge. Both the south- and north-bound lanes will be temporarily closed to give way to the launching of girders for the LRT-1 Cavite extension project. Motorists are advised that counterflow and stop-and-go schemes will be implemented along the affected area.
Staring Friday, motorists driving along CAVITEX should expect the following temporary traffic arrangement near the Parañaque bridge:
August 6 (10 p.m. to 11:59 p.m.)
- Manila Bound Carriageway: Full closure
- Cavite Bound Carriageway: Counterflow scheme
August 7 (10 p.m. to 11:59 p.m.)
- Manila Bound Carriageway: Full closure
- Cavite Bound Carriageway: Counterflow scheme
*There will be two different closure times to be implemented on August 8.
August 8 (12 a.m. to 6:00 a.m.)
- Manila Bound Carriageway: Full closure
- Cavite Bound Carriageway: Stop and go with counterflow scheme
August 8 (10 p.m. to 11:59 p.m.)
- Manila Bound Carriageway: Full closure
- Cavite Bound Carriageway: Stop and go with counterflow scheme
*There will be three different closure times to be implemented on August 9.
August 9 (12 a.m to 3:59 a.m.)
- Manila Bound Carriageway: Full closure
- Cavite Bound Carriageway: Stop and go with counterflow scheme
August 9 (4 a.m. to 6 a.m.)
- Manila Bound Carriageway: Full closure
- Cavite Bound Carriageway: Counterflow scheme
August 9 (10 p.m. to 11:59 p.m.)
- Manila Bound Carriageway: Counterflow scheme
- Cavite Bound Carriageway: Full closure
August 10 (12 a.m. to 4 a.m.)
- Manila Bound Carriageway: Counterflow scheme
- Cavite Bound Carriageway: Full closure
The LRT-1 Cavite extension project will extend the current LRT Line 1 from its existing Baclaran Station to the upcoming Niog Station in Bacoor. The 11.7 km extension project will be passing the cities of Parañaque, Las Piñas, and Bacoor.
The Department of Transportation (DOTr) said that it will have eight stations, which include the following: Aseana, MIA, Asia World, Ninoy Aquino and Dr. Santos in Paranaque City; Las Piñas and Zapote Stations in Las Piñas City; and Niog Station in Bacoor, Cavite.
The LRT-1 Cavite extension is seen to accommodate 410,000 passengers per day, and it is targeted to be completed in the last quarter of 2021. As of June 30, 2021, the project is 64 percent complete. Of note, the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) approved the extension and alignment project of LRT-1 in 2011.
https://philkotse.com/market-news/cavitex-lane-closure-lrt-cavite-extension-project-11040
Tuesday, August 3, 2021
Monday, August 2, 2021
SM Prime books P11.6-B net income in first half, up 12 percent
SM Prime Holdings Inc reported a consolidated net income of P11.6 billion in the first six months of 2021, up 12 percent from P10.4 billion in the first half of 2020.
SM Prime said this was on the back of improvement in its second quarter net income to P5.2 billion from P2.1 billion in the same period last year.
"The reported improvement is due to the continued positive performance of the Company’s residential business in the first half of 2021, as well as the Company’s malls business in the second quarter of the year in spite of the effect of the reimplementation of stricter community quarantine from March to May 2021 in key areas such as Metro Manila and nearby provinces," the company said.
Last year, SM Prime's income was nearly halved as lockdowns imposed to check the spread of COVID-19 disrupted mall operations.
“In these challenging times, we are committed more in providing a safe environment to all our stakeholders by strict observance of health and safety protocols across all our developments. Along with this commitment is our initiative to support the national government’s vaccination program in our malls nationwide as well as providing free inoculation to thousands of our employees,” SM Prime President Jeffrey Lim said.
SM Prime said its residential business accounted for 60 percent of the company's consolidated revenues, while its Philippine malls business accounted for 26 percent.
"The malls business reported P10.7 billion revenues from January to June of 2021 as compared to P14.4 billion in the first six months of 2020. The reimplementation of Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) in the Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal (NCR-plus Bubble) from March to May 2021 has caused lower mall activities in the mentioned areas," SM Prime said.
The company’s China malls recorded a 48 percent growth in revenues to P3 billion in the first half from P2 billion in the same period last year.
SM Prime said its other business segments, which include offices and hotels, and convention centers, contributed P3.1 billion to the company’s consolidated revenues.
Metro Manila public transportation to remain during ECQ: official
(UPDATE) - Public transportation in Metro Manila will remain during the strict lockdown from August 6 to 20, the Department of the Interior and Local Government said Monday.
The transportation department has yet to advise if it would allow fewer public utility vehicles, said DILG Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya.
"Hindi po natin kailangan ng libreng sakay dahil...the current public transportation will be maintained," he told ABS-CBN's Teleradyo.
(We don't need free rides because...the current public transportation will be maintained.)
"Wala pa pong abiso samin ang Department of Transportation kung magbabawas but we understand the need to keep public transportation."
(The DOTr has yet to advise us if it would lessen public utility vehicles but we understand the need to keep public transportation.)
Authorized persons outside their homes will include essential workers and residents scheduled for COVID-19 vaccination, Malaya earlier said.
"Kailangan pong makapunta ang tao sa bakunahan (People need to get to vaccination sites) that is why we’re maintaining the level of public transportation right now," he said.
Malaya, meantime, said house-to-house vaccination was "not viable." Only bedridden residents may receive home vaccination, he added.
"Matagal na pong debate yan (This has long been a debate) but it is such a difficult process. 'Di po yan (It's not) viable," he said.
The DILG will also ensure that policemen stationed at checkpoints have a negative confirmatory test result for COVID-19, Malaya added.
This, after 82 personnel were deployed at President Rodrigo Duterte's final State of the Nation Address and later found to be positive for the coronavirus.
Some 1,134 policemen have so far been deployed in Metro Manila to man law enforcement checkpoints, Malaya said during a virtual press briefing.
The figure will reach more than 2,000 policemen once the enhanced community quarantine is implemented on Friday and quarantine control points are placed, Malaya added.
"Ang (PNP) Highway Patrol Group maaaring magsagawa ng mobile checkpoints. Baka umabot sa 5,000 ang ating kapulisan na maaassign sa buong NCR Plus area," he said.
(The Highway Patrol Group might conduct mobile checkpoints. Some 5,000 might be assigned in the whole NCR Plus area.)