Monday, February 28, 2022
Tugade assures completion of LRT-1 Cavite Extension project
DEPARTMENT of Transportation (DoTr) Secretary Arthur Tugade has assured that the much-awaited LRT-1 Cavite Extension project would continue to take shape and finally be realized under the Duterte administration, as DoTr and its development partners remained committed to pursuing the completion of project key components.
Among the latest developments in the project was the completion of civil works for the expanded Baclaran Depot, which was inaugurated on February 23.
Tugade led the inauguration and inspection of the expanded depot, which added 4.2 hectares to the existing 6.4-hectare Baclaran Depot, allowing the handling of additional trains and the extension of rail tracks. In his message, the DoTr chief said the completion of civil works for the expanded Baclaran Depot formed part of vital milestones that the LRT-1 Cavite Extension has, so far, reached toward its realization.
"With these three milestones being presented, the highly awaited project, started in 2000, is finally here and will be complete under the administration of President Duterte," he said.
He identified three milestones achieved recently: the arrival of new, fourth-generation light rail vehicles in early 2021; the erection of the last span of vertical structure for phase one, completed last February 7; and the completion of civil works for LRT-1 Cavite Extension's Baclaran Depot.
Once fully operational, the LRT-1 Cavite Extension would increase the rail line's capacity from 500,000 to 800,000 passengers per day and significantly cut travel time between Baclaran, ParaƱaque to Bacoor, Cavite from the present 1 hour and 10 minutes to just 25 minutes.
Sunday, February 27, 2022
Saturday, February 26, 2022
Friday, February 25, 2022
Thursday, February 24, 2022
Requirements para ibaba sa Alert Level 1, naabot na ng Metro Manila: Duque
(UPDATE) Naabot na ng Metro Manila ang lahat ng requirements para maibaba ito sa pinakamababang alert level status, sabi ngayong Huwebes ni Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, bagaman may mga agam-agam pa rin kaugnay nito.
Ayon kay Duque, nakamit na ng National Capital Region ang lahat ng panuntunan na inilatag ng Department of Health para mailagay sa Alert Level 1 ang isang lugar.
Kasama umano rito ang pagkakaroon ng "low" o "moderate" average daily attack rate, mababang health care utilization rate, at ang paniniguro na fully vaccinated na ang hindi bababa sa 80 porsiyento ng mga senior citizen sa buong rehiyon.
Ayon kay Duque, sa 1.22 milyon senior citizens sa Metro Manila, 1 milyon na o 83.9 porsiyento ang fully vaccinated.
Nakatakdang talakayin hapon ng Huwebes ng mga opisyal ng pamahalaan kung dapat nang ilagay sa Alert Level 1 ang NCR pati ang iba pang lugar sa bansa.
Nauna nang inirekomenda ng mga alkalde sa Metro Manila na ilagay ang rehiyon sa Alert Level 1 pagsapit ng Marso.
Sa ilalim ng Alert Level 1, na tinatawag ding "new normal," papayagan nang mag-operate sa kanilang 100 porsiyentong kapasidad ang mga establisimyento, bagaman may pagsunod pa rin sa health protocols.
Pero para kay Dr. Ted Herbosa, adviser ng National Task Force Against COVID-19, mas mainam na manatili pa rin sa Alert Level 2.
Sa panayam ng Teleradyo, sinabi ni Herbosa na hindi numero ang intervening o sagabal sa pagbaba sa Alert Level 1 kundi ang campaign season.
Kapag inilagay aniya sa Alert Level 1 ang Metro Manila, tiyak na lahat ng kandidato ay magsasagawa ng mass gathering at political rallies.
"Kung maalala niyo last year, ganyan ang nangyari sa India. Naalala niyo 'yong India, inalis niya restrictions. Pagkatapos in-allow nila 'yong campaign, tapos kumalat 'yong delta [variant]," ani Herbosa.
Nagbukas noong Pebrero 8 ang campaign period para sa mga national position candidates sa May 9 elections. Sa Marso 25 naman ang opisyal na simula ng pangangampanya ng mga local candidates.
Bagaman pabor din ang OCTA Research na ipatupad ang Alert Level 1 sa NCR, inamin ni OCTA fellow Dr. Guido David na may panganib pa ring muling tumaas ang mga kaso ng COVID-19.
Dapat balansehin ng gobyerno ang public health at ekonomiya, ani David.
Aniya, dapat handa ang gobyernong itaas ulit ang alert level kapag dumami na ulit ang kaso.
Patuloy pa ring bumababa ang kaso sa Metro Manila at inaasahang bababa pa ito sa 200 cases kada araw pagdating sa Marso, sabi ni David.
Pabor naman si vaccine expert panel head Dr. Nina Gloriani na isailalim sa Alert Level 1 ang Metro Manila basta tuloy aniya ang pagsunod sa health protocols.
"Kasi we have to really normalize. Hindi naman puwedeng parang parati na lang tayong takot na takot," ani Gloriani.
"Alam na natin ngayon, ano ang tamang pagsusuot ng mga [personal protective equipment], kailangan lang tama lahat ito -- masking, physical distancing," dagdag niya.
Kahit wala pang pinal na pasya tungkol sa susunod na alert level status ng Kamaynilaan, naghahanda na rin ang maraming negosyo sakaling ibalik na sa 100 porsiyento ang kapasidad at operasyon.
"We will still follow the safety protocols na mayroon tayo. Of course what we don't want is 'pag nagluwag tayo then biglang magkaroon na naman ng pag-surge," sabi ni Christian Enmoso, director for membership ng isang sikat na fitness center chain.
— May ulat nina Katrina Domingo at Doris Bigornia, ABS-CBN News
https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/02/24/22/alert-level-1-requirements-nakamit-na-ng-ncr-duque
DOTr inaugurates expanded LRT-1 Baclaran depot
The Department of Transportation (DOTr) has completed the expansion of the Light Rail Transit-1 Baclaran depot, which serves as another vital component in the LRT-1’s Cavite extension project.
Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade together with officials from the Japanese embassy, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), and Pasay City government led the inauguration of the expanded Baclaran depot of the LRT-1.
With the expansion of the LRT-1 Baclaran depot, 4.2 hectares were added to the existing 6.4-hectare depot, giving way to more rail tracks and maintenance facilities to support more train sets.
The project was funded through official development assistance received from JICA.
Tugade said JICA has provided funding of P33 billion for the LRT-1 Cavite extension project, which included P5 billion for the Baclaran depot expansion.
“This is a humble gesture of highlighting the good relationship between Japan and the Philippines through a completed project assisted ably by Japanese business and by the Japanese government,” Tugade said.
Japanese Ambassador Koshikawa Kazuhiko vowed to support the Philippines in its bid to advance its infrastructure.
LRT-1 private operator Light Rail Manila Corp. welcomed the civil works completion of the Baclaran expansion depot as it prepares for the operations of the new facility.
https://www.philstar.com/nation/2022/02/24/2162928/dotr-inaugurates-expanded-lrt-1-baclaran-depot
Civil works completed for expanded Baclaran depot of LRT-1 Cavite Extension
The Transportation Department said on Wednesday that the civil works of the expanded Baclaran Depot of the Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT-1) Cavite Extension project have been completed.
The expansion “adds 4.2 hectares to the existing 6.4-hectare Baclaran Depot to give way to more rail tracks and to accommodate more trains,” the Department of Transportation (DoTr) said in a statement.
The project was funded through official development assistance from the Japan International Cooperation Agency.
“With the expansion of the Baclaran Depot, 21 stabling and maintenance tracks will be added to the existing 45, increasing the depot’s stabling capacity from 130 to 182 Light Rail Vehicles (LRVs) and increasing its heavy and light maintenance capacity from 30 to 48 LRVs,” the DoTr said.
Light Rail Manila Corp. (LRMC), the private operator of LRT-1, said that with the civil works completion of the new depot, it is all set to provide the electromechanical and rail systems works, including traction power supply, overhead catenary systems, and track works.
The company’s role is to “ensure that these works are compatible with the existing LRT-1 system and the future Cavite Extension system,” it noted.
The first phase of the Cavite Extension project was nearly 68% complete as of end-December 2021.
The P64.9-billion LRT-1 Cavite Extension project, a public-private partnership 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 ParaƱaque.
The viaduct of the first phase of the project has been completed. The first phase is expected to be completed by late 2024 or early 2025.
The entire Cavite Extension is expected to be fully operational by the second quarter of 2027.
Once completed, the line’s daily ridership is expected by the Transportation Department to increase to 800,000 passengers from 500,000, with Baclaran-Bacoor travel time to be cut to 25 minutes from up to two hours.
LRMC is a joint venture of Ayala Corp., Metro Pacific Light Rail Corp. and Macquarie Infrastructure Holdings (Philippines) Pte. Ltd.
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/civil-works-completed-for-expanded-baclaran-depot-of-lrt-1-cavite-extension/
Wednesday, February 23, 2022
DOTr inaugurates LRT-1 Cavite Extension’s expanded Baclaran Depot
The Department of Transportation (DOTr) is back yet again with more updates on the LRT-1 Cavite Extension Project. After announcing that electromechanical works on extended rail line have begun, the agency has now inaugurated the newly expanded Baclaran Depot.
The expansion adds 4.2 hectares to the existing 6.4-hectare depot to accommodate more trains and 21 new stabling and maintenance tracks. This will increase the depot’s stabling capacity from 130 to 182 light rail vehicles (LRVs), as well as its heavy- and light-maintenance capacity from 30 to 48 LRVs.
More equipment for the depot will be delivered by August this year.
Once operational, the Cavite Extension is expected to increase the LRT-1’s daily capacity from 500,000 to 800,000 passengers in total. It will also supposedly cut travel time between Baclaran in Manila and Bacoor in Cavite down to just 25 minutes.
Baclaran Depot of LRT-1 Cavite Extension project completed
The Department of Transportation (DOTr) has completed the Baclaran Depot of the Light Rail Transit (LRT)-1, which authorities said, serves as a manifestation of the improvement in the government’s mass transport system from Metro Manila to the province of Cavite.
The completion expanded the LRT-1 Baclaran Depot to additional 4.2 hectares for the setting up of rail tracks and to accommodate more trains.
“With the expansion, 21 stabling and maintenance tracks would be added to the existing 45 to increase the depot’s stabling capacity from 130 to 182 Light Rail Vehicles (LRVs) and increase its heavy and light maintenance capacity from 30 to 48 LRVs. The depot is expected to be delivered by August,” said DOTr Sec. Arthur Tugade.
https://mb.com.ph/2022/02/23/baclaran-depot-of-lrt-1-cavite-extension-project-completed/
Tuesday, February 22, 2022
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Friday, February 18, 2022
Pasig pushes 'mega dialysis center' opening to 2nd quarter of 2022
Katrina Domingo, ABS-CBN News
Pasig's mega dialysis center will not be operational until the second half of 2022, Mayor Vico Sotto said Friday, about 7 months after he first announced that one of the Philippines' largest dialysis centers would be opened by the end of 2021.
The local government needs to abide by several policies such as the publication of several documents in newspapers since it would be established under a public-private partnership scheme, Sotto told ABS-CBN News.
"We want to do things legally," he said.
"We want to do things correctly so lahat nakakasa na 'yan pati 'yung construction nung building (everything is in place including the building's construction)," he said.
In an interview in July 2021, Sotto said that the "building is finished" and the local government is "just fixing the sewage treatment plant and the drainage."
“By December, mabuksan na kahit na initial machines lang muna,” he said hours before delivering his 2021 State of the City Address.
(By December, we can open it with initial machines.)
Sotto said they "expected that everything with the building and the agreement is okay" but later on found that more technicalities had to be met.
"In principle, the agreement is already good," he said.
"In reality, ready na naman 'yung private partner pero when we studied the legalities, kailangan pa pala may publication sa dyaryo, kailangan aantayin mong may magka-counter offer," he said.
(In reality, the private partner is already ready but when we studied the legalities, there needs to be a newspaper publication and we have to wait for a counter offer.)
Sotto's push to integrate patients’ records in some 40 health centers in the city was also delayed.
"Ang pinaka-bottleneck namin diyan ay yung mga internet connections
although it is already being pilot tested," he said.
(Our main bottleneck is internet connection issues although it is already being pilot tested.)
"It's being used but there are certain things that need adjustments. 'Yung mga iba naman as simple things as hindi namin makabitan ng internet yung isang health center," he said, noting that some impoverished areas in the city have yet to have access to the internet.
(It's being used but there are certain things that need adjustments, while others involve simple things as the lack of internet connectivity in a health center.)
Last year, Metro Manila’s 4th richest city allocated 21 percent of its P12-billion budget for health projects.
In succeeding years, Pasig will allocate at least a quarter of its annual budget to health care, the Mayor said.
"For succeeding years, we can expect to peg the budget for health care at a minimum of 25 percent and at a maximum of 30-33 percent," he said.
Aside from health care, Sotto - who is vying for re-election - said that "more focus will be [given to] boosting the local economy" should he win another term.
"Being business-friendly is one of the things that I will personally take a look at and focus on in the next 1-2 years given the chance," he said, noting that in 2020 alone, about 5 percent of registered businesses in Pasig filed for retirement due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Ang focus natin (Our focus) is helping the local economy, helping businesses thrive which will necessarily provide more jobs for more PasigueƱos," he said.
Pasig regularizes a third of some 10,000 city hall workers under Vico Sotto's first term
Katrina Domingo, ABS-CBN News
Pasig has regularized some 3,300 city hall workers in about 2 and a half years as the local government pushes to insulate its bureaucracy from politicking, Mayor Vico Sotto said.
Before July 2019, Pasig only had 955 regular workers out of some 10,000 people employed in the city hall, Sotto said in a recent interview with ABS-CBN News.
"When I assumed office, halos walang regular dito (there weren't a lot of regular workers here)," he said.
"Approximately 9 percent of the employees were regular. That's a very small number considering that the previous leadership had roughly 27 years to do this," he said, referring to the Eusebio dynasty, which has ruled Metro Manila's 4th richest city for nearly 3 decades.
There was a need to fix the labor status of city hall workers from "contractual", "job order" or "casual" positions to more regular posts to "remove the culture of systematic fear" among them, Sotto said.
"Noong naupo ako, maraming nag-advice sa akin - without mentioning names - na, 'Vico, kapag naging mayor ka, huwag ka mag-permanent.'"
(When I took office, a lot of people - without mentioning names - advised me , "Vico, if you become mayor, don't give permanent positions to workers.")
"Ang katwiran nila, kapag permanent na yan, hindi na takot yan mawalan ng trabaho, hindi na yan susunod sa iyo."
(Their reasoning is that if we make permanent positions for workers, they will no longer have the fear of losing their jobs, so they will no longer follow the mayor.)
"That's the thinking of many traditional politicians."
Several workers have been employed on a contractual basis for 20 years already, while one man held that labor status for nearly half a century, the mayor said.
"Forty-three years in service, he was [employed as a] casual [worker]," Sotto said.
"We're talking about dignity of labor, security of tenure," he said.
"We should insulate our bureaucracy from politics if we want a government that is truly merit-based, that is based on the competence and qualifications of our bureaucracy," he said.
Labor contractualization - or the practice of hiring long-term workers under a renewable 6-month contract - has been a long-standing problem in the Philippines as several Filipinos have been denied of benefits usually given to employees who hold a permanent status in a company or government office.
In 2018, President Rodrigo Duterte certified as urgent the Security of Tenure Bill, in a bid to give more job security to Filipino workers by prohibiting the practice of contractualization.
But Congress has yet to pass the measure 3 years since the President urged the legislative branch to end the said labor practice.
Duterte also made no mention of his supposed anti-contractualization push in his last State of the Nation Address in 2021.
Despite Sotto's program to address the problem of contractualization in Pasig, Vice Mayor Iyo Bernardo has questioned the mayor's hiring policy, saying key positions in the city hall have been awarded to non-Pasig residents.
"Nakakalungkot na ang Pasig, naging isang pelikula na lamang. Puro palabas," Bernardo said in a video uploaded on his Facebook page last month.
(It is sad that Pasig has been turned into a movie, all for show.)
"Nakakalungkot isipin na sinakop na tayo. Wala ka bang bilib sa kakayahan ng mga PasigueƱo?" he said, without naming city hall officials.
(It's sad to think that we have been invaded. Are you not confident with the abilities of PasigueƱos?)
"Ano ang mayroon sa mga nakaupo ngayon na taga-Quezon City at San Juan na wala sa mga pinamumunuan mo?" he said.
(What do Pasig city hall officials who are residents of Quezon City and San Juan have that your constituents do not have?)
In an earlier interview, Sotto said Bernardo should raise his issues "through formal mechanisms, not social media."
Sotto and Bernardo are both vying for Pasig's mayoralty post in the upcoming 2022 elections.
Sotto is seeking to be re-elected with a promise to continue his program of regularizing the employment status of more city hall workers.
"We're not going to stop there. May election ban. We will have to pause for a while," Sotto said.
"[But] It's beyond the regularization here or giving permanent status to the employees. It's about introducing a new brand not just of politics but of governance."
https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/02/18/22/pasig-regularizes-3300-workers-under-vicos-first-term
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Thursday, February 17, 2022
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ODA-funded projects to continue during election period — DPWH
By Arjay L. Balinbin, Senior Reporter
THE implementation of projects funded through official development assistance (ODA) will not be disrupted during the election season, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) said.
“The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has to be notified and informed. Most of these are ODA-funded projects, so these are actually exempted from the election ban, except for those that are actually in the pipeline where there is no yet financing. What I am referring to are [those] projects that are still yet to be approved by the NEDA (National Economic and Development Authority) Board,” Public Works and Highways Undersecretary Emil K. Sadain said during a virtual briefing on Tuesday.
“Projects with approved loan agreements… can proceed [with] the implementation,” he added.
Under the Omnibus Election Code of the Philippines, the prohibition on releasing, disbursing or expending any public funds for public works does not apply “to ongoing public works projects commenced before the campaign period or similar projects under foreign agreements.”
The Comelec has said the public works ban for the May national elections will run from March 25 to May 8, 2022.
Also exempted from the public works ban, according to the Comelec rules posted on its website, are maintenance of existing and/or completed public works projects and those undertaken by contract through public bidding or by negotiated contract awarded.
Payment for the usual cost of preparation of public works projects for working drawings, specifications, bills of materials, and estimates, purchase of materials and equipment, and other procedures preparatory to actual construction, and all incidental expenses for wages of watchmen and other laborers employed for such work in the central office and field storehouses is also exempted.
However, the prohibition does not cover emergency work during a public calamity but is limited to the restoration of the damaged facility.
The Comelec said department secretaries, chief executives, heads of agencies (including government corporations, government financing institutions, and state universities and colleges) with public works projects falling under any of the exceptions should apply for a “certificate of exception.”
NEDA Undersecretary Roderick M. Planta said there are 18 ODA-funded projects on the list submitted by the DPWH, including those projects funded by Japan, South Korea, Asian Development Bank (ADB), China, World Bank, and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). These projects are also part of the revised list of infrastructure flagship projects of the current administration.
Eight of the 18 projects that require Comelec certification are Japan ODA-funded, according to the list provided by Mr. Planta to BusinessWorld. These include Davao City Bypass Construction Project, Road Network Development Project in Conflict-Affected Areas in Mindanao, Cebu-Mactan Bridge (4th Bridge) and Coastal Road Construction Project, and Metro Manila Priority Bridges Seismic Improvement Project.
The other Japan-funded projects are Pasig-Marikina River Channel Improvement Project Phase IV; Flood Risk Management Project for Cagayan River, Tagoloan River and Imus River; Flood Risk Management Project for Cagayan de Oro River; and Cavite Industrial Area Flood Management Project.
The list also includes four South Korean ODA-funded projects: Samar Pacific Coastal Road Project, Panguil Bay Bridge Project, Integrated Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation Measures in Low-Lying Areas of Pampanga Bay, and consulting services for the Panay-Guimaras-Negros Link bridge.
Also included are three Asian Development Bank-funded projects: Improving Growth Corridors in Mindanao Road Sector Project, Reconstruction and Development Plan for a Greater Marawi, and Metro Manila Bridges Project.
A certificate of exception is also sought for the China-funded Ambal-Simuay River and Rio Grande de Mindanao River Flood Control Projects as well as the consulting services for the Davao River Bridge (Bucana Bridge), which is partly funded through the General Appropriations Act.
Moreover, the DPWH also included the Metro Manila Flood Development Project Phase 1, which is funded by the World Bank and the AIIB.
DPWH’s Mr. Sadain said the department is targeting to finish “about 24” projects this year, with 18 out of the 119 infrastructure flagship projects completed by the end of President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s term ending in June.
He said that of the 18 projects, 11 projects have been finished and seven more are being completed, including the Flood Risk Management project for Cagayan River, Tagoloan River, and Imus River; Binondo-Intramuros Bridge; Samar Pacific Coastal Road Project; LRT-2 East Extension; Motor Vehicle Recognition and Enhancement System; Unified Grand Central Station or North Triangle Common Station; and Malitubog-Maridagao Irrigation Project Stage 2.
He also noted that 89 projects out of the 119 on the list “will be carried out in 2023 and beyond.”
https://www.bworldonline.com/oda-funded-projects-to-continue-during-election-period-dpwh/
Monday, February 14, 2022
PH, Japan to hold high-level infra meeting on Feb. 16
The Philippines and Japan will hold their 12th high-level meeting on infrastructure development and economic cooperation on February 16 via teleconferencing, focusing on the accomplishments of the latter’s supported big-ticket projects under President Rodrigo Duterte’s signature program “Build, Build, Build.”
The meeting of the Philippines-Japan High-Level Joint Committee on Infrastructure Development and Economic Cooperation will center on the substantive feat made by the body on projects which include, among others, the Metro Manila Subway Project (MMSP), North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) project, rehabilitation of the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3), Dalton Pass East Alignment Road, Central Mindanao Highway, and the ParaƱaque Spillway.
Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III will chair the Philippine side, while Mori Masafumi, the Special Advisor to Prime Minister Fumio Kishida of Japan, will lead the Japanese delegation in the meeting.
In this week’s meeting, the two sides will provide updates on the financing extended by Japan for the Philippines’ coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) response programs and the progress of the Japan-funded programs in support of the Mindanao peace process.
Japan has been actively supporting these peace-building programs through the framework of the Japan-Bangsamoro Initiatives for Reconstruction and Development (J-BIRD).
Through various international organizations, Japan also provided the Philippines last month with a US$13-million emergency grant aid for the implementation of humanitarian assistance activities for the victims of Typhoon Odette that devastated thousands of communities in the Visayas and Northern Mindanao.
On July 8 last year, the Philippines received a shipment of over 1 million AstraZeneca doses donated by the Japanese government which, since the start of the pandemic, has been in close cooperation with Philippine officials in helping contain the spread of Covid-19.
These Japan-backed projects to help curb the spread of the virus include the Covid-19 Crisis Response Emergency Support Loan (CRESL), the Post-Disaster Standby Loan Phase 2 (PDSL 2), the joint clinical trial for the anti-flu drug Avigan, procurement of medical equipment, and establishment of laboratory surveillance sites, and the development of a cold chain system in the Philippines.
The first meeting of the high-level committee was held in March 2017 in Tokyo.
It was part of the commitment made two months earlier by then-Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to provide one trillion yen (about US$9 billion) in financing support to the Philippines over the next five years, and to establish a Joint Committee on Infrastructure Development and Economic Cooperation to coordinate this assistance.
This commitment was completed in July 2021 under the administration of then-Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, who was the Chief Cabinet Secretary during Prime Minister Abe’s term.
LRT-1 Cavite ext phase 1 viaduct completed – Tugade
"TWENTY years ago, the government had a vision of putting a Cavite extension for the LRT-1 line. This was just a dream 20 years ago," said Department of Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade on Monday, Feb. 7, 2022.
Tugade made the statement as he witnessed the erection of the last span for phase 1 of the LRT-1 Cavite extension project. Completing the milestone played a huge part in addressing mobility, connectivity, and convenience for Cavite and the southern part of Metro Manila.
"Putting together the phase 1 viaduct that links to Cavite will enable further mobility, connectivity, and convenience. And that's a big convenience," Tugade expounded.
"With the completion of the viaduct for phase 1 of the LRT-1 Cavite extension, the project is ever closer to reality," Tugade added.
As of December 2021, the overall progress rate of phase 1 of the LRT-1 Cavite Extension Project was 61.60 percent.
Tugade also expressed his gratitude to the local government of ParaƱaque and the Light Rail Manila Corp. (LRMC) for actively engaging in the project, adding that collaboration between the local government, the private sector, and the national government solidified trust and helped complete projects faster.
"If the local government did not give its support, the project would not have progressed," Tugade stressed.
"To the LRMC, despite the pandemic, you did not stop working. Rather, you took the challenge with great stride and greater resolve. I think it's just appropriate that we salute LRMC. This only goes to show that there is a real partnership between the local government, private sector and the national government," Tugade concluded.
The LRT-1 Cavite extension project will have eight stations and will connect Baclaran in ParaƱaque City to Bacoor, Cavite.
Sunday, February 13, 2022
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Philippine Administrative Divisions (2023)
Number of Islands: 7,641
Area: 300,000 square meters (120,000 square miles)
Population: 109,035,343 (2020)
Location: 116° -126° E longitude and 4° - 21° N latitude
Continent: Asia (Southeast)
Number of Regions: 18
Number of Provinces: 90
Number of Legislative Districts: 329
Capital: Manila
Currency: Philippine Peso
Official Languages: Filipino and English
Government: Democratic, Republican, and Presidential
Time Zone: UTC +8
Independence: June 12, 1898
National Anthem: Lupang Hinirang
National Flag: Flag of the Philippines
National Hero: Dr. Jose Protacio Rizal Mercado y Alonzo Realonda
Highest Mountain: Mount Apo
Longest River: Cagayan River
Motto: Maka-Diyos, Maka-Tao, Makakalikasan, Makabansa
Wednesday, February 9, 2022
NLEx operator starts work on Connector Road’s Sta. Mesa section
The tollroad unit of Metro Pacific Investments Corp. is starting work on the Sta. Mesa section of the NLEx Connector Road, an elevated expressway in Metro Manila that aims to connect the North Luzon Expressway (NLEx) and South Luzon Expressway (SLEx).
In a statement, NLEx Corp. said it started work on the foundation of the 3-km Sta. Mesa section. This forms part of the 8-km NLEx Connector, which is targeted for completion by the end of 2022.
“Progress of the NLEx connector Sta. Mesa section will be more visible now as we start laying the foundation for this segment,” said company president and general manager J. Luigi L. Bautista.
“The bored piles are crucial in providing a sturdy base for our elevated expressway project,” he added.
NLEx Corp. will install a total of 72 piers, a structure that provides support for the four-lane expressway. It will have interchanges in EspaƱa and Ramon Magsaysay.
Once completed, the NLEx Connector will cut travel time from NLEx to SLEx to about 20 minutes, similar to the Skyway 3 project of conglomerate San Miguel Corp.
The expressway will run from C3 up to the Metro Manila Skyway Stage 3 at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines, Sta. Mesa in Manila.
It will cater to all vehicle classes and help decongest Metro Manila’s roads by providing an alternative route for heavy trucks delivering goods to and from the port area.
The P23 billion toll road project will utilize portions of the existing right-of-way of the Philippine National Railways.
The PNR right-of-way will be shared by the NLEx Connector project and the North-South Commuter Railway, a flagship infrastructure project that was currently under construction.
The company earlier said it had secured commitments from the government for the delivery of right-of-way.
NLEx Corp. is a unit of Metro Pacific an infrastructure group involved in power distribution, water services, toll roads, railways, and logistics.
https://business.inquirer.net/340539/nlex-operator-starts-work-on-connector-roads-sta-mesa-section
LRT 1 extension viaduct finished
THE Department of Transportation (DoTr) has announced the completion of the Phase 1 Viaduct section of the Light Rail Transit 1 (LRT 1) Cavite Extension project that aims to provide faster mobility for 800,000 daily passengers.
Transportation officials and key partners witnessed the erection of the last span for Phase 1 Viaduct of the project.
"The completion of the viaduct for Phase 1 of the LRT 1 Cavite Extension only proves that the project is ever closer to reality. This was just a dream 20 years ago," DoTr Secretary Arthur Tugade said.
As of December 2021, the overall progression rate of Phase 1 of the LRT 1 Cavite Extension Project is at 61.60 percent.
Completing the milestone plays a huge part in addressing mobility, connectivity and convenience for Cavite and the southern part of Metro Manila, he explained.
Tugade expressed his gratitude to the local government of ParaƱaque and the Light Rail Manila Corp. (LRMC) for actively engaging in the project, adding that collaboration between the local government, the private sector and the national government solidifies trust and helps complete projects faster.
Delayed for almost 20 years, the 11.7-kilometer LRT 1 Cavite Extension Project is a joint project of the DoTr, the Light Rail Transit Authority and LRMC.
It will have eight stations and will connect Baclaran in ParaƱaque City to Bacoor in Cavite province.
Once fully operational, the project is expected to cut travel time between Baclaran and Bacoor, Cavite to just 25 minutes, from the present 1 hour and 10 minutes. It will also increase the LRT 1's capacity from 500,000 to 800,000 passengers daily. Ben Gines Jr.
Tuesday, February 8, 2022
DPWH tiniyak na magpapatuloy ang 'Build, Build, Build' projects
Tiniyak ng Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) na tuloy-tuloy ang infrastructure projects ng gobyerno sa ilalim ng "Build, Build, Build" program, bago matapos ang termino ni Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte.
Sa virtual presser ng Presidential Communications Operations Office, sinabi ni DPWH Undersecretary Emil Sadain na 18 major infrastructure projects mula sa 119 na proyekto ang makukumpleto na sa pagtatapos ng termino ni Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte sa Hunyo.
“We have actually a total of about 24, plus the first half of the year we have 7 projects completed and towards the mid-year of 2022 we have another 11 for a total of 18 projects. Towards the end of 2022, we can add another 12 projects. So if it’s 89 will be carried out in 2023 and beyond,” sabi ni Sadain
Ayon sa kaniya, kasama sa “portfolio list” ang nasa 112 infrastructure projects kung saan ang iba at popondohan pa rin sa ilalim ng Official Development Assistance (ODA) at ang ilan ay galing sa pondo ng gobyerno.
Aminado si Sadain na nakaapekto din sa mabilis na pagtatapos ng mga pagawaing bayan ang pandemiyang dala ng COVID-19 gaya na lang anya ng Binondo-Intramuros Bridge.
Samantala, tiniyak naman nito na dahil ang karamihan sa mga proyektong ito ay pinondohan sa pamamagitan ng Official Development Assistance (ODA), exempted din ang mga ito sa election ban.
“For the big-ticket projects especially on the ODA, since this actually exempted from the election ban, so we can proceed as scheduled both for the design and the construction and for some other ODA funded projects we actually requested already the exemption from the Comelec for us to proceed in the implementation also with the DOTr and other line agencies involved in the implementation of these 112 flagship projects,” ani Sadain.
Kumpiyansa si Sadain na sinuman ang maupo sa susunod na administrasyon matapos ang halalan ay magandang ipagpatuloy ang mga nasimulang infrastructure projects ng kasalukuyang administrasyon.
“For the 119 projects, we had already completed around 18 and 12 of these will be completed towards the end of 2023… So about 89 of these will be carried out to the next administration. I think they ( the next administration ) would proceed with the implementation, most of this projects have been properly reviewed by the NEDA-ICC board and it went through a process," ani Sadain.
Kasama sa "Build Build Build" program ang ilang proyekto na may kaugnayan sa transportasyon at ang pagbubuo ng mga expressway.
-- Ulat ni Johnson Manabat, ABS-CBN News
https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/02/08/22/dpwh-magpapatuloy-ang-build-build-build-projects