Gov’t OKs higher cost of metro subway project

The rollout of the country’s first underground railway system moved a step closer after economic managers approved on Friday the increase in the cost of the Metro Manila Subway project.

Socioeconomic Planning Secretary and National Economic and Development Authority chief Ernesto M. Pernia said the project cost of the first phase of the subway was raised by P1.38 billion to P356.96 billion from P355.59 billion previously.

The adjustment in project cost was approved during the Neda Investment Coordination Committee-Cabinet Committee (ICC CabCom) meeting.

In a text message, Neda Undersecretary Rolando G. Tungpalan said the 0.36-percent hike in project cost “included relocation of utilities not considered earlier.”

The increase, he said, reflected an appraisal by the Japan International Cooperation Agency.

Last week, Tungpalan said the Department of Transportation will start next year the implementation of the Metro Manila Subway Project (Phase 1), a 25.3-kilometer underground rail that would connect Quezon City and Taguig City and extend to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

The subway, to be financed by the Japanese government, would be completed by 2027, he said.

The Department of Finance earlier said the Philippine government was set to sign this month with Japan the loan agreement covering the first tranche of financing for the subway project.



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DPWH resumes Mindanao Avenue extension project

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has resumed work on the Mindanao Avenue extension project that will connect North Caloocan to Quezon City and the North Luzon Expressway.

DPWH Secretary Mark Villar said the project started during the term of former president Ferdinand Marcos in the 1980s, but it took decades because of road right-of-way problems.

Villar said the construction of the 1.7-kilometer road improvement is being fast-tracked to help ease traffic gridlocks in the metropolis.

Once operational, he said the eight-lane Mindanao Avenue extension would significantly reduce travel time from Caloocan to Quezon City.

The project is 30 percent completed, the DPWH said.

Villar said they target to finish the project by the end of the year.

The road Segment 2C of the project covers drainage, slope protection and street lighting components.

“The 1.7-kilometer road improvement is the missing gap of a 3.2-km road network. It’s about time we are able to maximize the entire alignment,” Villar said.

GOOD NEWS: The construction of the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (ITX) is now at 60% COMPLETION!

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) instructed its concessionaire, Megawide-Waltermart (MWM), to mobilize more human and capital resources to meet its target completion date by APRIL 2018. The fast tracking of Parañaque ITX’s project implementation commenced upon the instruction of DOTr Secretary Arthur Tugade, immediately after the receipt of the ‘Notice to Proceed’ which happened during the CURRENT administration.

MRT-7 construction along North Avenue begins, heavy traffic expected

Construction of the 1st phase of MRT-7 along North Avenue began at 11 in the evening, Monday.

The contractor, EEI Corporation, will start the installation of barriers on one of the lanes of North Avenue in front of the Veterans Memorial Medical Center (VMMC).

Authorities are now advising the public to expect heavier traffic flow on North Avenue and nearby areas in the following days.

To address this, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) has designated alternate routes for motorists.

They may ply Mindanao Avenue, Visayas Avenue and Quezon Avenue to avoid the traffic congestion that may result during the construction of MRT-7 along North Avenue.

The project’s contractor said the completion of three segments of MRT-7 along North Avenue may take one year.

Alternative North Ave. route for the weekend out

By Anna Liza Villas-Alavaren

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) said construction activities for the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) Line 7 will reduce lanes along North Avenue in Quezon City starting this weekend, advising motorists to use listed alternative routes.

Jojo Garcia, MMDA assistant general manager for planning, said construction work will occupy one lane on each direction of the North Avenue, limiting to the lanes available for the motorists and public utility vehicles.

“He said construction work will be done in six phases. The Phase 1 will start on Saturday, 12 am along North Avenue from Veterans to Agham Road, said Garcia, in a press briefing in Makati City Friday.

To avoid being caught in traffic, Garcia advised motorists to leave an hour earlier than usual and use alternative routes instead:

Motorists traveling along North Avenue may turn left at Mindanao Avenue, right at Road 8, right at Visayas Avenue, right at QMC, then right at Commonwealth Avenue to destination and/or from Mindanao Ave right at Congressional Avenue, then right at Luzon Avenue to Commonwealth Avenue to destination. (vice versa).

Motorists traversing along Quezon Avenue may turn right at QMC right at Commonwealth Avenue to destination (vice versa).

Vehicles along East Avenue may take EDSA and/or V. Luna turn right at East Avenue to QMC, then right at Commonwealth Avenue to destination (vice versa).

Garcia said the MMDA have been conducting clearing operation to remove obstructions along alternative roads, calling on leaders in the Quezon local government to cooperate in their operation against illegal parking.

Garcia said the MMDA and contractors have agreed that movements that might affect traffic should be done during nighttime, from 11 pm to 5 am. A penalty will be imposed should the contractor violate the guidelines.

“Any movement should be coordinated with the agency and be confined to two lanes,” said Garcia.

He also appealed to bear with the expected traffic that the infrastructure project would cause.

The MMDA will deploy 20 traffic enforcers while contractor will position 16 flagmen to guide motorists passing by the area. Around 41,320 vehicles are traversing the North Avenue daily.

For her part, Evangeline Evangelista, public information office for MRT traffic management, said the construction of its first phase will begin in front of the Veterans’ Memorial Medical Center and on Agham Road.

The second phase will cover a part of Agham Road and Mindanao Avenue, while the third phase will start on EDSA and Mindanao Avenue.

The phase 1 will involve bored pile concrete pouring for the foundation for a station of the MRT 7, a 22-kilometer rail system that will begin on EDSA North Avenue and will end in San Jose del Monte, Bulacan.

The government targets to complete the construction in the last quarter of 2019. It is expected to service over 400,000 passengers in Metro Manila and nearby provinces of Bulacan and Rizal.

MRT-7 construction on North Avenue to only occupy two lanes —MMDA

The Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) said construction of the foundations for the Metro Rail Transit-7 beginning Saturday will only occupy the two innermost lanes of the North Avenue in Quezon City.

"They promised us that if they're going to get one lane each sa innermost, 'yung three lanes and two lanes po each side, ipa-promise nila na hindi mababawasan," MMDA Assistant General Manager Jojo Garcia said at a press conference Friday.

Garcia said the North Avenue will not be totally closed off but if traffic builds up in the area, motorists bound for or coming from the Quezon City Memorial Circle can be rerouted.

"Yung sa Circle pwede pumunta Mindanao, punta sa Road 3 lalabas ng Visayas," Garcia said.

The MMDA assured there will be a coordination between the contractors and the agency to prevent causing a heavy traffic flow.

"So any movement diyan, nagkaroon kami ng pag-uusap, talagang kailangan ng close coordination with the MMDA... I think mas mapapaganda 'yung flow ng traffic diyan," Garcia added.

He also said the contractors will be penalized if they fail to inform the agency about changes in their operations.

"Hindi na sila puwede gumalaw ng walang pagpaalam sa MMDA. Any movement na hindi namin alam, may penalty," he said.

The MMDA said "major construction" will only take place in the area between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m.

The contractor of the MRT-7 Hyundai Rotem-EEI consortium estimated that construction of the whole project, which has six phases, will finish in 2019.

"As with regards to the schedule, 'yung sisimulan kasi sa North Avenue tomorrow is 'yung foundation, that will take a month bago itayo 'yung poste. We can expect na 'yung construction along North Avenue tuloy tuloy na ito hanggang sa matapos sa 2019," an official said.

The consortium said the laying of the foundations will start from the Veterans Memorial Medical Center facing North Avenue to Agham Road, and will take about a month to finish.

"Du'n sa one month na 'yun, foundation lang siya, hindi pa siya 'yung buong structure. Wala pa 'yung column o poste, so that will be another schedule or timeline," the official further said. — MDM, GMA News

34 of 75 flagship infra projects to start in ’18

The government will break ground for 34 or almost half of the 75 “flagship” infrastructure projects under the Duterte administration’s ambitious “Build, Build, Build” program, state planning agency National Economic and Development Authority said yesterday.

In a forum, Neda Undersecretary Rolando G. Tungpalan said one project already broke ground before 2017, while 15 were rolled out last year.

Next year, 10 flagship projects will be launched, on top of four planned for rollout in 2020.

The groundbreaking schedules for 11 projects were yet to be determined.

As of Jan. 15, 66 of the 75 flagship projects were estimated to cost a total of P2.289 trillion, Tungpalan said.

Among the big-ticket projects to be rolled out this year are 12 bridges that will cross the Pasig River, Marikina River and the Manggahan Floodway.

The bridges to be constructed by the Department of Public Works and Highways this year until 2022 will “improve road transport network capacity and efficiency in Metro Manila” and alleviate traffic congestion, he said.

The DPWH will also roll out the P4.86-billion Panguil Bay Bridge project that will connect Tangub City in Misamis Occidental and Tubod, Lanao del Norte, for completion in 2021.

The Department of Transportation, meanwhile, will implement the P35.26-billion, 102-kilometer Mindanao Rail Project (Phase 1) that will connect Tagum City, Davao City and Digos City in Region 11. It is eyed for completion by 2022.

The DOTr will also start this year work on the P211.43-billion Philippine National Railway North 2 Project, the 69.5-kilometer extension of the PNR North 1 from Malolos to Clark International Airport and the sprawling Clark Green City, eyed for completion in 2024.

Also for roll-out in 2018 is the DOTr’s P175.3-billion PNR South Long-Haul Project, a 639-km rail consisting of these lines: 406-kilometer Los Baños to Legazpi; 117-km Legazpi to Matnog; 58-km Calamba to Batangas; and 68.5-kilometer Tutuban to Los Baños.

Tungpalan said the PNR South Long-Haul railway would be financed by China.

Next year, the DOTr will begin implementation of the P355.59-billion Metro Manila Subway Project (Phase 1), a 25.3-km underground rail that will connect Quezon City and Taguig City, and extend to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

The subway, to be financed by Japan, would be completed by 2027, Tungpalan said.

Under “Build, Build, Build,” the government plans to roll out 75 flagship “game-changing” projects. The government intends to spend up to P9 trillion on hard and modern infrastructure until 2022 to usher in “the golden age of infrastructure” after years of neglect.

Ayala Land, Eton tie up to build P53-B mixed-use estate

Property developers Ayala Land Inc. (ALI) and Eton Properties Philippines Inc. (EPPI) will jointly invest P53 billion to initially develop a 35-hectare mixed-use estate that spans portions of Pasig and Quezon City over the next 10 years.

Ma. Carmela Ignacio, assistant vice president of ALI’s Strategic Landbank Management Group, said in a press launch Thursday that bulk, or 75 percent of total spending, would be earmarked for the construction of 10 residential towers in the estate, Parklinks.

Ignacio said the residential developments would be introduced by its subsidiaries Ayala Land Premier and Avida Land Corp.

MMDA temporarily halts construction of MRT line 7 rail track in Quezon City

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) has explained that the MRT-7 Project traffic management task force gave them a short notice about the construction, prompting the agency to postpone it.

“The MMDA is 100 percent in support of the governments Build, Build, Build program. The public needs it. We are just fixing what is being done,” MMDA assistant general manager, Jojo Garcia said.

The agency added that it will study first the possible impact on traffic flow of the construction of MRT-7 along North Avenue, Quezon City.

The agency noted North Avenue is too narrow unlike Commonwealth Avenue, where some parts of the MRT line seven is being constructed.

The construction will occupy one lane of the North Avenue, leaving motorists with only two lanes to use.

“This will help discuss what really the plans are, like rerouting schemes, and if they have additional inputs, and if they need enforcement, we will do it right away,” MRT-7 Traffic Management Task Force PIO, Evangeline Evangelista said.

Based on the plan of MRT-7, the construction of its first phase will begin in front of the Veterans’ Memorial Medical Center and on Agham Road. The second phase will begin on a part of Agham Road and Mindanao Avenue, while the third phase will start on EDSA and Mindanao Avenue.

The MRT Line 7 is a 22-kilometer rail system that will begin on EDSA North Avenue and will end in San Jose del Monte, Bulacan.

The government targets to complete its construction in the first quarter of 2020.

Ayala waives fees from Taguig ITX

CONGLOMERATE Ayala Corp. has agreed for forgo the annual grantor payment that it previously sought for the construction, operation and maintenance of the Taguig Integrated Terminal Exchange (ITX).

Transportation Secretary Arthur P. Tugade said this would result in “P9 billion” savings on government funds, or about P277 million in grantor payments annually.

To recall, Ayala Land Inc. sought for P277 million in annual grantor payments for 35 years when it bid for the P4-billion Integrated Terminal System-South contract in 2015.

Tugade added he managed to have Ayala officials waive the said fee.

“Let’s find ways how we can stop the practice and paradigm of government paying the private sector royalty grounds as they operate terminals,” he said.

According to Tugade, discussions for the possible waiving of the fee started last year when he also convinced Ayala to share 2 percent of the facility’s income to the government.

“From the start of its commercial operation, until the end of the concession agreement, Ayala will share 2 percent of their income from the commercial spaces in favor of the government,” he said.

The said deal was part of the Aquino administration’s Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Program. It was then adopted by the “Build, Build, Build” (BBB) program of the Duterte administration, and was rebranded as Taguig ITX.

The facility is envisioned to be a six-story building on a 5.57-hectare property inside the Food Terminal Inc. (FTI) compound. It will house a passenger concourse, a centralized ticketing area and several business and retail establishments.

It will have a provision for 1,200 public utility buses and vehicles’ bays and parking.

Upon its completion, Taguig ITX is expected to house around 4,000 buses and accommodate up to 160,000 passengers daily.

The facility will also feature a pedestrian walkway connection to the Philippine National Railways FTI station and the proposed subway system.

Construction of the Taguig ITX is scheduled for the second half of 2018 and is expected to start operation by the first half of 2020.