Friday, January 22, 2021
NLEX Connector
For Right-of-Way (ROW) acquisition:
Representatives from DPWH, DOTr and NLEX Corporation conducted a virtual meeting last December 1 and 2 regarding the configuration of alignment for both government project. It was agreed in the meeting to conduct a joint site demarcation validation of both alignment in the possible area of overlapping on December 10 and 11.
After MECQ was lifted and GCQ is being implemented in Manila, the whole team is still trying to meet the scheduled target dates for ROW acquisition. Hence, the following are the latest accomplishment for the right-of-way activities:
- 365 of out 445 validated Informal Settler Families (ISFs) were already relocated and 75 ISFs were given a housing financial assistance for Caloocan Area.
- 253 out of 285 (88.77%) affected private structures were already demolished at Caloocan Area including Marulas Elementary School, Brgy. Hall, Health Center and all structures under EO 48.
- 59 out of 822 affected private structures were already demolished at Manila Area including the MLQHS Gym, New Antipolo Public Market, two (2) Barangay Halls and Market office.
- 100% completed tree cutting and earth balling activities for affected trees at Caloocan Area. Terminal report from the contractor already submitted to DENR. Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) issued tree cutting permit for the affected coconut trees at Section 2. FHG team, the tree cutting contractor started the tree cutting last December 11, 2020.
- LIAC Manila target schedule and process of relocation for the affected ISFs on January 2021 for the 112 ISFs. LIAC Manila started the swab testing of the ISFs as requirement prior to relocation.
- 259 out 282 (91.85%) of the Replacement Cost Estimates of affected structures already completed for Section 2 Manila Area.
- 38 out of 55 Expropriation cases at Regional Trial Court (RTC) Caloocan had issued Writ of Possession (***).
- 81.21% available Right-of-Way for the whole alignment composed of 96.51% for Section 1-Caloocan, 75.65% for Section 1-Manila and 81.65% for Section 2-Manila.
For Construction Activities
- DMCI conducted Pile Driving Analysis (PDA) at Pier 8 and 11 last November 23 and December 8, 2020 witnessed by the representatives from DPWH, NLEX Corporation, and Independent Consultant.
- For the advance works, Leighton Contractors already completed all coping beam construction and steel box girder installation. Deck slab construction already commenced between Pier 1 to Pier 3 and CR4-10 to CR4-15.
- Completed bored piles at Caloocan are 65 out of 96 composing of 42 piles at main line and 23 from on and off-ramps.
- 47 out of 96 columns at Caloocan area already completed, 5 of which also completed coping beam /pier head concreting.
- Ongoing false works installation, rebar and formworks installation for coping beam/ pier head for other columns.
- After the demolition the demolition of the New Antipolo Public Market, bored piling works for 10 piers location already commenced. 5 bored piles were already concreted for P-102 and P-106.
- Test Pit was conducted to available pile locations between Pier 82 to Pier 95 (Abad Santos to Blumentritt) and Pier 108 to Pier 116 (Leonor Rivera to Dimasalang Bridge)
- Ongoing construction of reaction beam, steel forms and framing installation for fabrication of Super T Girders. Eight (8) Super T Girders were already concreted for Span 17 (Pier 17 to 18), Girders 2-9 with length of 30m.
- The project has a cumulative accomplishment of 15.58% (Section 1).
Clark airport’s new passenger terminal turned over to DOTr, BCDA
By Marna Dagumboy Del Rosario
CLARK FREEPORT, Pampanga – The new passenger terminal building of the Clark International Airport has been officially turned over to the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) by Megawide GMR Construction Joint Venture.
In ceremonies held on Friday at the airport site here, Megawide handed over the certificate for the completion of the Clark International Airport new passenger terminal building’s engineering procurement and construction (EPC) works to the DOTr and the BCDA, marking the official handover of the facility to the Philippine government.
After the symbolic rites, the DOTr and BCDA officially turned over the operations and maintenance to the Luzon International Premier Airport Development (LIPAD) Corporation, the operator of Clark International Airport, for final fit-out prior to opening and full operations within the year.
The new passenger terminal building can accommodate 8 million passengers on its opening year, almost tripling the airport's capacity from the current 4.2 million to 12.2 million annually.
"When we envisioned this project, nobody believed that we can make it happen. There were doubts and skepticism which may have defeated us along the way and hindered the completion of our goal. However, our determination and resolve were much stronger than any disbelief. Now, they will finally believe," said DOTr Secretary Tugade in his speech delivered by Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) Director General Jim Sydiongco, who represented the Secretary during the ceremony.
“This important milestone will be forever etched in our history as a lasting legacy of the Duterte administration. Our gathering today marks another fulfillment of the promise of improved life for all,” he added.
Newly elected chair of the House Special Committee on Bases Conversion, Congressman Aurelio Gonzales Jr., likewise underscored the Clark International Airport’s role as a catalyst of progress.
"We envisioned this to be Asia's next premiere gateway which will help foster economic growth. This is indeed a testament of the government's goal in making Clark the next premiere metropolis of Asia and putting our country one step closer to progress and prosperity," Gonzales said.
Former President and current Presidential Adviser on Clark Flagship Programs and Projects Gloria M. Macapagal-Arroyo cited the significance of the project and its contribution to the country’s economic growth.
Clark Development Corporation (CDC) vice chairman of the Board of Directors Retired Lt. Gen. Benjamin Defensor read the remarks of former President Arroyo, saying that “This airport is the flagship of how I envisioned Subic-Clark when I was a President: a competitive logistics and service center in the southeast Asian region."
The 110,000 square-meter Clark International Airport new passenger terminal building is a joint project of DOTr and BCDA and is the first hybrid public-private partnership (PPP) project under the Build, Build, Build program of the Duterte administration.
It is located within the Civil Aviation Complex of the Clark Freeport Zone where its construction is the first phase of the airport's expansion.
The Megawide GMR Construction Joint Venture, which won the contract for the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) of the terminal, started construction on the facility in 2018, and completed the project in October 2020.
Megawide Construction Corporation chairman and CEO Edgar Saavedra, through assistant vice president and head of Group Corporate Affairs Jason Torres, said in his message, "We are very proud to once again be involved in one of the most vital airport projects of this administration, and its undertaking to create an effective multi-airport strategy in Luzon."
BCDA senior vice president for conversion and development Joshua Bingcang, for his part, said that the completion of the airport terminal reiterates BCDA’s commitment in making Clark the next premier economic hub in Asia.
"The construction of the Clark International Airport New Terminal Building was done in record time. We are very excited for the facility to finally operate this year, as it will not only decongest the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in Metro Manila and enhance the passenger experience for the Filipino people but will also boost economic growth here in Clark and of the whole region,” Bingcang said.
The world-class airport serves as a major gateway for Luzon, one of the solutions to the congestion of NAIA. It will be connected with the PNR North-South Commuter Railway and the Subic-Clark Railway. Its architecture is inspired by the Sierra Madre mountain range, and is designed to be disaster-resilient as well.
LIPAD Corporation, which was awarded the 25-year concession agreement for the operations and maintenance of the Clark International Airport, expects to complete its fit-out works and interior finishes and start operations by July 2021.
LIPAD CEO Bi Yong Chungunco, in her speech, said that it is high-time for the airport to have a new passenger terminal building.
"We hit four million passengers. And that's why, it is time for us to move into this new terminal, with a capacity of 8.2 million passengers," she said.
She expressed excitement over the operationalization of the new terminal saying, "we believe Clark International Airport is a major growth driver for the Central and North Luzon. Thus, getting the new terminal ready will contribute to our country's economic recovery".
LIPAD Corporation is the consortium of Filinvest Development Corporation, JG Summit Holdings Inc., Philippine Airport Ground Support Solutions Inc., and Changi Airports Philippines (I) Pte. Ltd.
Anomalous P170-M LRT 2 deals bared
The Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) has found inconsistencies in the procurement of P170.3 million worth of equipment for the Light Rail Transit Line 2 (LRT 2) to warrant the filing of charges.
Documents from the PACC obtained by The Manila Times on Thursday showed that re-railing and rolling stock diagnostic equipment delivered for LRT 2 were different from the brand specified in the bidding conducted by the Procurement Service of the Department of Budget and Management (PS-DBM).
The crate containing the equipment had a sticker printout identifying it as shipped by the Chinese firm CRRC Corp., as ordered by Kempal Construction and Supply Corp., the winning bidder.
The documents showed that the crate contained instead equipment from an Indian company, Bemco.
The Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA), the operator of LRT 2, had asked Kempal Construction, Maan Construction Inc. and IFE Elevators Inc. to submit bids to supply the re-railing equipment.
Evidence “indicates that the re-railing equipment did not come from CRRC but from Bemco,” the corruption watchdog said.
It said it appears the signature in the LRTA Inspection and Acceptance Report was forged, facilitating the switch of equipment.
The commission also cited irregularities in the procurement of escalators for the LRT 2 stations.
It said the actual capacity of the escalators delivered by JV Maan-IFE was 6,000 persons per hour, short of the required capacity of 9,000 persons per hour.
“Worse, the as-built blueprints of the subject escalators show that those in the custody of LRTA were tampered, which are also different from the blueprints submitted by the Office of the Building Official of the City of Manila,” the commission said.
The escalators also broke down long before the expiration of the two-year warranty period.
“[This shows] that these escalators were really substandard and do not fit the requirements of the outdoor, heavy duty escalators that LRTA needed,” it said.
The PACC said it was considering suing seven individuals in connection with the procurement of the equipment. They were engineer Julito Bernales, Rodger Ravelo and Jorge Mendoza of the PS-DBM, a certain Noralyn Salvador who signed a report that states Kempal delivered brand new CRRC re-railing equipment.
Three LRTA staff, Romel Correa, Cesar Legaspi and Robert Ruiz, could also face charges, the commission said.
“Documents have shown that the flaws in these equipment were blatant, apparent, clear and easily ascertainable through ordinary ocular inspection of the documents and observation of the items. Specifically, in the case of the re-railing and the rolling stock diagnostic tools, these items were never used, and some LRTA employees said that they were never properly tested in order to ensure that they can carry the load for which they were bought,” the PACC said.
It said it endorsed before the Ombudsman charges against the individuals it named for violating Section 3(e) of Republic Act 3109, also known as the “Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.”
The LRTA management has not replied to The Manila Times’ request for comment as of Thursday afternoon.
https://www.manilatimes.net/2021/01/22/news/headlines/anomalous-p170-m-lrt-2-deals-bared/830610/