Friday, June 25, 2021
DOTR set to auction operations of two railway projects
The Department of Transportation said Thursday it plans to launch a bidding for the operations and maintenance contracts of two major railway projects in the fourth quarter this year.
“We are currently developing two operations and maintenance concessions together with Asian Development Bank and Public Private Partnership— one with Metro Manila Subway Project and the second is for North South Commuter Railway System,” DOTR Undersecretary for Railways Timothy John Batan said in a virtual briefing sponsored by the Joint Foreign Chambers of the Philippines.
Batan the agency was expecting an approval from the National Economic and Development Authority to bid out the O&M for the two projects by the third quarter of 2021.
He said the launching of the O&M bidding for Metro Manila Subway and NSCR will be in the fourth quarter of 2021.
Batan said the East Valenzuela station, PRI Building and depot of the Metro Manila Subway were expected to be completed by 2022. “We are getting a private operator [for Metro Manila Subway],” he said.
Dubbed as the “Project of the Century,” the P355-billion underground rail line is expected to serve 370,000 passengers daily in its first year of full operations.
Once completed and fully operational, the Metro Manila Subway Project will have 15 stations, including a terminal station at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3.
The whole Metro Manila Subway is seen to be completed by 2024 or 2025.
The 147-km North-South Commuter Railway System, which will run from Clark in Pampanga to Calamba, Laguna, is expected to be completed by 2024.
The PNR Clark Phase 1 segment of NSCR, or the Tutuban-Malolos line, was scheduled to be partially operational by December 2021. It will be followed by the PNR Clark Phase 2 project, a 53-km northern segment.
Thursday, June 24, 2021
Next administration must keep up railway development
LAST week, Vivencio "Vince" Dizon, the presidential adviser on flagships projects and chief of the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA), provided a summary of the Duterte administration's accomplishments in infrastructure development. Among the 119 "flagship projects" under the administration's multiyear Build, Build, Build program are a number of rail transport developments.
Most of these have already been initiated, but a few will be left to the next administration to undertake. It has typically been the practice of new administrations to review and modify plans left behind by their predecessors, and while there is some continuity, there is never a guarantee that any of the priorities of an outgoing administration will be taken up by its replacement. While the next administration, regardless of whether it is supportive of or opposed to President Duterte's policies and outlook, will certainly want to pursue its own priorities and build its own legacy, we believe it should maintain and if possible, increase the momentum toward development of rail infrastructure.
Major rail projects currently under way include the Metro Rail Transit Line 7 (MRT 7) connecting North Avenue in Quezon City to San Jose del Monte, Bulacan; the Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT 1) extension from Pasay to Bacoor, Cavite; the Metro Manila Subway project, which will eventually connect Valenzuela to Parañaque; the North-South Commuter Railway System, which will stretch from Clark in Pampanga to Calamba, Laguna; the Mindanao Railway Project, which will connect Tagum, Davao del Norte, Davao City and Digos, Davao del Sur; and the MRT-LRT Common Station at North Avenue, Quezon City, which will connect the LRT 1, MRT 3 and MRT 7 lines.
These projects are all in some stage of construction; some have only recently had preliminary work begun, while others are well advanced. In addition to these, the LRT 2 extension to Masinag, Antipolo has just been completed and the rehabilitation of the MRT 3 line, a job so big it should be counted as a major infrastructure project in its own right, is also nearing completion.
Completion of the work that has already begun on these is probably assured, but there are numerous other planned projects that may not be continued. These include additional phases of the Metro Manila Subway; connecting lines to the North-South Commuter Railway; additional phases of the Mindanao Railway to extend it beyond the Davao region; and the Philippine National Railway South Long Haul Project, which would connect Metro Manila to the Bicol Region.
Superior advantages
Even though railway development requires much higher development costs, they offer superior advantages to other forms of transport infrastructure that the Philippines cannot afford to overlook. They are the safest form of mass transportation and the most efficient in terms of passenger movement. They are also significantly more environmentally friendly than any other form of transportation. Fully electric trains have no direct emissions at all, and diesel-powered trains have emissions that are a fraction of those produced by road vehicles, ships or airplanes moving the same volume of passengers or goods.
There is also a historical context for rail infrastructure development. In virtually every country that has made the effort, expanding rail infrastructure, even in the modern era where it has competed with road and air transport, has positively correlated with economic growth. We can see this in examples such as Japan, Taiwan and South Korea in the post-World War 2 era, and most spectacularly in China since the 1990s.
Even if the next administration does not wish to give infrastructure so high a profile as the Duterte administration's Build, Build, Build program, maintaining the momentum in railway development will create a responsible legacy of facilitating the country's progress far into the future. This should be a key campaign issue in the upcoming national election and of critical interest to Filipino voters, many of whom would directly benefit from it.
Wednesday, June 23, 2021
Friday, June 18, 2021
Next leader to inherit legacy infra projects from Duterte admin
By Kris Crismundo
The present administration will be leaving legacy infrastructure projects to the next leadership when President Rodrigo Duterte ends his term in 2022, Presidential Adviser for Flagship Programs Vivencio Dizon said.
In a press conference on Friday, Dizon said 119 projects amounting to over PHP4.7 trillion are currently on the revised list of infrastructure flagship projects of the government.
Eleven of these projects amounting to PHP127 billion are already completed, with 29 projects costing PHP238 billion set to be delivered next year, Dizon reported.
He added that there are 51 ongoing projects with a cost of PHP3.3 trillion to be completed in 2023 and beyond, while there are 28 big-ticket projects amounting to PHP1.1 trillion in the pipeline.
“Not only they will be giving a legacy of completed projects by the time President Duterte ends (his term) in 2022, but they will also be leaving behind a legacy of projects, big-ticket projects that are ready to go,” Dizon said.
The administration’s “Build, Build, Build” program has also completed 212 airport projects, 446 seaport projects, 10,376 flood mitigation structures, 26,494 kilometers of road, and 5,555 bridges throughout the country, he added.
He said ongoing projects consist of 102 airport projects, 117 seaport projects, 1,090 kilometers of railway, 2,587 flood mitigation structures, 2,515 kilometers of road, and 1,020 bridges.
“We are very happy to report that despite all the challenges, including this once in century pandemic that has wreaked havoc throughout the entire world including our own country, we have achieved so much and we will continue to achieve more in the future,” Dizon said.
In the coming weeks, the government will be inaugurating projects under “Build, Build, Build” such as the Light Rail Transit-2 (LRT-2) extension project by next week, China-funded Estrella-Pantaleon Bridge in the next two weeks, and the Clark International Airport new passenger terminal building next month.
Wednesday, June 16, 2021
Demolisyon dulot ng NLEX-SLEX project, pinuna ng opisyal ng Archdiocese of Manila
Aminado ang Commission on Social Services and Development ng Archdiocese of Manila na maraming isyu na lalong nagpapalubog sa mga mahihirap ang kailangan matagunan dahil sa malaking epekto ng pandemya.
Ayon kay Rev. Fr. Erik Adoviso, tagapamuno ng nasabing komisyon, iba’t-ibang pagsubok ang kinakaharap ngayon ng mga dukha hindi lamang ang suliranin sa kanilang pang araw-araw na pagkain.
Aniya, sa kabila ng kawalan ng maayos na hanapbuhay at epekto ng pandemya ay suliranin din ngayon ng ilan ang pagpapaalis sa kanilang mga tirahan dahil sa kabi-kabilang mga imprasktraktura kung saan hindi naisasaalang-alang ang karapatan ng mga apektadong residente.
“Kung dati ang pinag-uusapan job security manatili ang mga manggagawa sa kanilang trabaho ang nagiging problema naman ngayon yun manggagawa pinapaalis sa kanilang mga bahay, nag-iiba ang mga nagiging kaso ngayon sa halip na una job security pero ngayon dahil sa pandemic ang ibinibigay na kaso sa amin ay ano po ang aming gagawin kasi pinapaalis na kami sa aming tirahan, dine-demolish ang bahay namin lalo na sa mga informal settler.” Pahayag ni Fr. Adoviso sa panayam ng programang Caritas in Action.
Ganito din ang naging pahayag ni Bro. Ernesto Roberto ng Ministry of Public Affairs ng Archdiocese of Manila kaugnay sa suliranin ng mga mahihirap na apektado ng demolisyon dahil sa pinagagawang NLEX-SLEX connection sa lungsod ng Maynila.
Aminado si Roberto na hindi napigil ng pandemya ang mga demolisyon sa halip ay naging karagdagang pasanin pa ito ng mga apektadong residente.
“Akala ko ay gagaan ang trabaho namin kasi walang demolisyon pero nagkamali ako, tumigil lang siya saglit pero nung sabihin ng pamahalaan na ituloy ang proyekto ng gobyerno ay nagtuloy-tuloy na din ang mga demolisyon sa ating mga kapatid na maralita.”
“Ngayon hindi lang informal settler kundi pati private property owner na tatamaan ng ating mga national project tulad ng sa PNR saka yun SLEX-NLEX project yun ang mabigat tapos dahil sa pandemic hindi tayo makapaglunsad ng panayam sa mga kapatid nating apektado.” Giit ni Roberto ng Ministry on Public Affairs.
Tiniyak ni Fr. Adoviso na sa kabila ng mga kasalukuyang suliranin ng mga mahihirap ay hindi sila tatalikuran ng Simbahan upang ipagtanggol ang kanilang mga karapatan.
“Palagay ko nararamdaman kahit papapano ng mga tao na nandiyan ang Simbahan nakita natin paano kumilos ang ating mga layko ang mga Pari patuloy na kumikilos yan para pagsilbihan ang mga mahihirap,” giit ng Pari.
Sa datos na nakalap ng Veritas846, tinatayang nasa 180 libong pamilya ang maapektuhan ng demolisyon dahil sa NLEX-SLEX connector road project at North-South Commuter Railway Project.
Nilinaw ni Roberto na hindi tutol ang Simbahang Katolika sa mga proyekto na naglalayon ng pag-unlad ngunit dapat aniyang isaalang-alang ang kapakanan lalo na ng mga walang boses sa lipunan.
“Yun ang isang malaking problema yun ang isang gawain ng aming ministry na dapat matiyak naman yun karapatan sa paninirahan ng mga kapatid natin na maralita ay ginagalang.“
Tugade sets railway infra build-up goal until 2022
By the end of his term, Transportation Secretary Arthur P. Tugade hopes that at least 1,000 kilometers of railways in the Philippines should be in various stages of construction with 400 kilometers running commercially.
During a virtual presser, he said the agency targets to “achieve 1,200 kilometers of rails” before the term of President Duterte ends, but “realistically” it might be able to achieve a little lower than that figure.
“Speaking of realities, I want to jump-start up to 1,200 kilometers of rails, but realistically, 900 kilometers to 1,000 kilometers is still a win for us,” Tugade said.
He noted, however, that 400 kilometers should be operational by the end of his term as transport secretary.
According to the railway plan for the Philippines, by 2022, there should be 1,209 kilometers of route length, comprising of 168 stations, 1,381 trains under 34 contracts. All in all, the rail program for the Philippines costs P1.67 trillion.
Tugade noted that this plan is a huge leap from the state of the railway sector in 2016, when only 77 kilometers of railways were operational with 61 stations, 234 trains, and only nine contracts awarded.
“In terms of actual operations, 400 kilometers will be there,” he said.
According to Transportation Undersecretary for Rails Timothy John R. Batan, the 400 kilometers will comprise of the following: Light Rail Transit (LRT) Line 1 Cavite Extension, LRT Line 2 East Extension, Metro Rail Transit (MRT) Line 7, Metro Manila Subway, and the North-South Commuter Railways.
During the briefing, Tugade also bannered his agency’s achievements in other transport sectors, including the maritime industry, aviation industry, and road sector.
Tugade is still unsure whether or not to run for public office after his term ends, noting that the decision will be based on President Duterte’s call.
“The President will decide. I am a good soldier—what the President says, so it will go,” he said.
For now, Tugade said he will “concentrate on finishing the projects” and not mind the upcoming elections.
https://businessmirror.com.ph/2021/06/16/tugade-sets-railway-infra-build-up-goal-until-2022/