Wednesday, August 31, 2022
Tuesday, August 30, 2022
Monday, August 29, 2022
Sunday, August 28, 2022
Saturday, August 27, 2022
Friday, August 26, 2022
Thursday, August 25, 2022
NLEX Corp. says Connector project’s España section now 80% complete
NLEX Corp., a unit of Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. (MPTC), announced on Wednesday that the first five-kilometer section of its Connector project between Caloocan Interchange on Circumferential Road 3 (C-3) and the future España Interchange in Manila is now 80% complete.
This means that “in a few months’ time, truckers will have a 24/7 alternative route which will enable unimpeded delivery of goods,” NLEX Corp. President and General Manager J. Luigi L. Bautista said in an e-mailed statement.
The project is being implemented as a public-private partnership between the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and NLEX Corp.
It is expected to offer “a much-needed recourse to shorten the travel time of cargoes going to and from the north and south of Luzon,” according to the company.
“The DPWH has turned over 91% of the right-of-way for the España section and 83% for the Sta. Mesa section,” NLEX Corp. noted.
The 2.75-kilometer second phase between España and PUP Sta. Mesa is expected to be completed next year, according to the DPWH.
The P23.3-billion eight-kilometer Connector Road Project, on which construction started in May 2019, is an all-elevated four-lane toll expressway extending NLEX southward from the end of Segment 10 in C-3 Road Caloocan City to Sta. Mesa, Manila and connecting to the Skyway Stage 3, mostly along the route of the Philippine National Railways rail line.
When completed, the project is expected to cut travel time from South Luzon Expressway to NLEX from two hours to 20 minutes and reduce travel time from Clark to Calamba from about three hours to one hour and 40 minutes.
The project is expected to benefit at least 35,000 motorists or vehicles per day and improve connectivity between NAIA and Clark airports.
MPTC is the tollways unit of Metro Pacific Investments Corp., one of three key Philippine units of Hong Kong-based First Pacific Co. Ltd., the others being Philex Mining Corp. and PLDT, Inc.
Hastings Holdings, Inc., a unit of PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund subsidiary MediaQuest Holdings, Inc., has a majority stake in BusinessWorld through the Philippine Star Group, which it controls. — Arjay L. Balinbin
https://www.bworldonline.com/corporate/2022/08/25/470445/nlex-corp-says-connector-projects-espana-section-now-80-complete/
Wednesday, August 24, 2022
Tuesday, August 23, 2022
Monday, August 22, 2022
Sunday, August 21, 2022
Saturday, August 20, 2022
PNP prepares security for Maguindanao plebiscite next month
The Philippine National Police (PNP) has started the security preparations for the plebiscite in Maguindanao which is aimed at asking the residents whether or not they are in favor of dividing the province into two.
If the majority of the voters will approve during the plebiscite scheduled from Sept. 17 to 24, the new provinces will be called Maguindanao Del Norte and Maguindanao Del Sur.
PNP chief Gen. Rodolfo Azurin, Jr. said they have already started coordinating with the Commission on Elections (Comelec) and other government agencies.
“The PNP has committed to heightening security measures wherein more checkpoints will be placed in strategic areas to boost police visibility. All applicable laws issued by the Comelec during the plebiscite shall be strictly enforced,: said Azurin.
“We also have to make sure that minimum public health standard is observed as this will still happen at the middle of the pandemic,” he added.
Azurin said the focus of the security preparations is on providing security coverage in the transport or movement of plebiscite equipment, documents, and supplies.
He said he had already directed personnel to closely coordinate with the military to put the needed assets on standby for rapid response to any contingency.
Azurin said the PNP‘s active participation in similar election-related activities has been proven effective in many occasions of past electoral exercises.
“We just have to make sure that we are always on top of the situation so we can readily execute contingencies when original plan won’t work. I trust in the capabilities of our police officers whose pursuit is to provide a clean, honest, and safe plebiscite,” Azurin said.
https://mb.com.ph/2022/08/20/pnp-prepares-security-for-maguindanao-plebiscite-next-month/
Friday, August 19, 2022
Thursday, August 18, 2022
Wednesday, August 17, 2022
Tuesday, August 16, 2022
Monday, August 15, 2022
Sunday, August 14, 2022
Saturday, August 13, 2022
Friday, August 12, 2022
Thursday, August 11, 2022
BusinessWorld to find future home in PhilSTAR Media Group’s new building
By Chelsey Keith P. Ignacio, Special Features Writer
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| ARTIST'S PERSPECTIVE of the new PhilSTAR Media Group building. |
A new, modern office building will rise next year in Sucat Road, Parañaque City, where BusinessWorld will find its future home.
From its present home in Quezon City, BusinessWorld’s office and printing facilities will move to the new PhilSTAR Media Group building, now joining its sister publications in one facility.
BusinessWorld currently resides at Raul L. Locsin Building in New Manila, its office named after the newspaper’s founder.
“There’s nothing wrong with our present office,” BusinessWorld President and Chief Executive Officer Miguel G. Belmonte said in an interview. “In fact, the office was designed by National Artist [for Architecture] Leandro Locsin. So, our office in Quezon City is actually very nice.”
Nonetheless, the company’s move with some other newspapers under PhilSTAR Media Group to a single building could also bring further benefits to the group.
According to Mr. Belmonte, the main reasons behind the idea of housing PhilSTAR Media Group offices and printing facilities in one place are “efficiency, synergy, integration, and practical purposes.”
“The biggest benefit of all of our media outfits being in just one building is number one, synergy. There are so many areas that there’s some level of duplication, and nowadays, we have to try to be as efficient as we possibly can because the more efficient you are, the less costly also to operate,” he explained.
Joining BusinessWorld in the new building are The Philippine STAR, Pilipino Star Ngayon, Pang Masa, and the different digital properties of the PhilSTAR Media Group. The Freeman and Banat News offices, and printing facilities will continue operating in Cebu.
By having the PhilSTAR Media Group work together in one home, Mr. Belmonte expects collaboration to become easier and camaraderie to be cultivated among the group.
“When we’re all in the same facility, it’s going to be so easy for editors to communicate with each other and help each other out if necessary. And it goes the same for all departments,” he said. “So, being in one office building will make our working together so much easier.”
“And, of course, I’m hoping that it also gives us a better opportunity to develop our camaraderie amongst each other,” he continued. “It would be nice if our employees at the STAR, Pilipino Star Ngayon also get to know our staff members in BusinessWorld and vice versa. So, you try to develop a ‘one big, happy family’ kind of atmosphere. There’s a better chance of us achieving that if we’re all together in one facility.”
The new PhilSTAR Media Group Building is designed to provide a relaxing work environment for the employees and reflect the STAR’s past and principles.
The construction of the four-storey office building started in March last year, according to Mr. Belmonte. It was initially about to begin in 2020 but got delayed due to the COVID-19 lockdown.
Since the design of the building was already done before the pandemic, the concept of working from home was not yet thought of at that time and thus designed for the staff to be based in the office, said Mr. Belmonte. “Although even back then, we had already come up with a design where there’s a lot of areas for relaxation, leisure, [and] interaction,” he said.
“Now that the pandemic did hit us and we’ve learned a lot of things since then, the setup is going to be even more relaxed. We’ll still be continuing with certain work-from-home arrangements,” he added. “Our desire for all our staff to have a more healthy and more less strenuous and stressful work-and-life balance, we want to promote that as much as we can, especially when we move into our new office. So we’re looking forward for it to be a more homey, more comfortable, and less stressful environment for everybody.”
One of the features of the building is the 13th Street Café, which got its name from the STAR’s old address in the Port Area. This reference is also merely one of the new buildings’ features that is inspired by the STAR’s story.
“We see interior design as a form of storytelling. We celebrate the STAR’s history with nostalgic references in the details,” Disenyo Espasio’s Catherine Pascual, lead interior designer, told the STAR. “We also injected the personality and character of the STAR through raw and industrial elements, a subtle nod to where it all started — the printing press.”
As they design the interiors of the new office, the designers have the image of Old Manila in mind, seeing that the old PhilSTAR offices reside in the Port Area.
Ms. Pascual also shared that their work was influenced by National Artists Jose Maria Zaragoza and Leandro Locsin with their modern and brutalist influences.
The new building also honors STAR founder Betty Go-Belmonte by naming the library of the paper’s archives after her.
“We worked closely with the building architects in telling Philippine STAR’s story. We were inspired by what the paper stands for: truth, transparency, and transcendence. We wanted to reflect these values as design tenets. We wanted to give the people of Philippine STAR an environment that can truly inspire them,” Ms. Pascual added.
The new PhilSTAR Media Group building is more than 50% done, according to Mr. Belmonte. And if all goes in line with the schedule from now on, BusinessWorld and its sister publications are expected to be able to move into their new offices by the middle of 2023.
“Based on my last visit, [the office building] looks very promising,” shared Mr. Belmonte. “I can already envision how it will look in the future.”
Wednesday, August 10, 2022
Comelec to hold 4 plebiscites
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) will hold four plebiscites in the coming months or before the scheduled Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) on Dec. 5, 2022.
Comelec spokesman John Rex Laudiangco on Tuesday said that these plebiscites were scheduled between the months of August and October and include a plebiscite to ratify the division of the province of Maguindanao into two independent districts, to be known as the provinces of Maguindanao del Norte and Maguindanao del Sur as provided for under Republic Act 1150.
The Maguindanao plebiscite will be held on Sept. 17, 2022.
It has a budget allocation of P89,147,012.10.
The three others were the August 20 plebiscite to ratify the creation of Barangay New Canaan as a regular and distinct barangay (village) in the municipality of Alabel in Sarangani with a budget of P3,376,438.20; September 3 plebiscite to ratify the conversion of the municipality of Calaca into a component city of the province of Batangas with an allocation of P13,710,375.73; and the October 8 plebiscite to ratify the merger of Barangay District 1 with Barangay District 28 and the renaming of Barangay 29 in Ormoc City, province of Leyte, with a budget of P732,685.60.
Laudiangco clarified that the budget for the plebiscites will not be shouldered by the Comelec but by the respective local government units.
"Kindly note that the budget/funding for these plebiscites is sourced from the local government units involved and merely transferred/transmitted to Comelec, as provided in their respective enabling laws," he said.
Laudiangco said preparations for the BSKE polls are ongoing despite uncertainties arising from proposals in Congress to postpone them.
Director Martin Niedo of Comelec's Finance Services Department said the budget for the 2022 BSKE is P8.4 billion, consisting of allotments and corresponding cash allocations.
Niedo added that even if the BSKE would be postponed, any procurement of goods related to the elections would not go to waste as the same may be utilized on the new date of the same elections.
"This is similar to what the commission had authorized for the May 14, 2018 BSKE wherein we used ballots and accountable forms, which were all dated Oct. 23, 2017," he said.
"None of the procured goods, including indelible inks, pens and ballots, and others were wasted and all were accordingly put to their intended use," Niedo added.
https://www.manilatimes.net/2022/08/10/news/national/comelec-to-hold-4-plebiscites/1854074
Tuesday, August 9, 2022
Monday, August 8, 2022
Maguindanao allots P89-M for Sept. 17 plebiscite: Comelec
By Ferdinand Patinio
The province of Maguindanao will be allotting some PHP89 million for the conduct of a plebiscite this year seeking to ratify its division into two provinces, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said on Monday.
Comelec acting spokesperson John Rex Laudiangco said the Sept. 17, 2022 plebiscite to ratify the division of Maguindanao into two independent provinces -- Maguindanao del Norte and Maguindanao del Sur -- will have a budget of PHP89.14 million.
The plebiscite will be held next month after the passage of Republic Act (RA) 11550, which provides for the conduct of a plebiscite for the measure.
Another plebiscite that is also scheduled on Sept. 3 is on the conversion of the municipality of Calaca into a component city of the province of Batangas.
The conduct of a plebiscite for the measure provided under Republic Act 11544 has a budget of PHP13.7 million.
The first plebiscite that will be held on Aug. 20 seeks to ratify the creation of Barangay New Canaan into a regular and distinct barangay in the Municipality of Alabel, Province of Saranggani.
This activity has an allocation of PHP3.3 million and was approved under Provincial Ordinance No. 2009-6-044.
Another plebiscite scheduled on Oct. 8, also seeks to ratify the merger of Barangay District 1 and Barangay District 28, and the renaming of Barangay 29 in Ormoc City in the province of Leyte. It has a budget allocation of PHP732,685.
“Kindly note that the budget/fundings for these plebiscites are sourced from the Local Government Unit involved and merely transferred/transmitted to Comelec, as provided in their respective enabling laws,” he said in a statement.
Meanwhile, no date has been set yet for the conversion of the municipality of Baliwag into a component city of the province of Bulacan.
Sunday, August 7, 2022
Saturday, August 6, 2022
Friday, August 5, 2022
FVR icon of peace, patriotism: Manila archbishop
By Ferdinand Patinio
Manila Archbishop Jose Cardinal Advincula on Friday paid tribute to the good examples set by the administration of former president Fidel V. Ramos (FVR) in serving Filipinos.
“Recalling his service to the peace, freedom and prosperity of the Filipino people, we humbly commend his soul to the Almighty and merciful God. His life was marked by love of country and an all-embracing commitment to justice and peace," said Advincula in an interview over Church-run Radio Veritas.
At the same time, he expressed condolences to the family of the former President who passed away on July 31 at the age of 94.
The archbishop pointed out the support of the former president in maintaining peace in the country.
"The Archdiocese of Manila expresses deep sorrow at the passing of former President Fidel V. Ramos and extends condolences to his beloved family,” he added.
Advincula also acknowledged the humility and full support shown by the former president when then Pope John Paul II visited the country in 1995 for the celebration of World Youth Day.
"The success of the Tenth World Youth Day held in Manila can be attributed to his zeal and magnanimity in going through the details of the preparations himself," he said.
The Manila archbishop also offered prayers for the repose of the soul of the late chief executive.
"As a grateful nation, the former President will be well remembered in our prayers," he added.
Ramos served as the country's 12th president from 1992 to 1998.