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 Parañaque.
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/