Veteran broadcaster Joe Taruc dies

Industry colleagues and politicians pay tribute to the 'legendary' Joe Taruc, who passed away at age 70

After decades of interviews and reports on air, veteran radio broadcaster Jose "Joe" M. Taruc, Jr. signed off for the last time on Saturday, September 30.

Taruc anchored Damdaming Bayan and Pangunahing Balita on dzRH, where he was vice president. He just turned 70 on September 17.

In a tweet, Senator Juan Edgardo Angara remembered Taruc as an "institution in the broadcast industry."

"As someone undergoing dialysis, he supported our free dialysis bill," Angara said.

Senator Grace Poe remembered Taruc as a "sharp" commentator whose reports always sided with the ordinary Filipino.

"Sana'y magsilbing inspirasyon sa mga mamamahayag ng kasalukuyan at hinaharap si Manong Joe. Nakikiramay po kami sa kanyang naulilang pamilya at mga tagapakinig sa buong bansa," Poe said in a statement.

(May he serve as an inspiration to present and future journalists. We offer our condolences to his family and listeners nationwide.)

Communications Secretary Martin Andanar remembered the broadcaster as "legendary."

"I will forever be grateful," said Andanar, himself a broadcaster before joining government.

ABS-CBN leads nationwide ratings

ABS-CBN kept its lead in nationwide TV ratings in August, bringing values-oriented programs and relevant news stories to more viewers in the country.

ABS-CBN said in a statement that it remained unbeatable nationwide with an average audience share of 46 percent compared to GMA’s 33 percent, based on data from Kantar Media.

ABS-CBN said it ruled the primetime block (6 p.m. to 12 a.m.) with an audience share of 50 percent, 19 points higher than GMA’s 31 percent.

According to ABS-CBN, it continued to strengthen its lead with its morning (6 a.m. to 12 noon) and afternoon blocks (12 noon to 3 p.m.) that scored average audience shares of 40 percent an 43 percent, respectively, against GMA’s 30 percent and 38 percent.

ABS-CBN said it also kept its total day lead in other areas such as Total Luzon as it hit 42 percent versus GMA’s 35 percent; in Total Visayas with 55 percent versus GMA’s 26 percent; and in Total Mindanao with 54 percent versus GMA’s 29 percent.

“FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano” (38.6%) still led the list of most watched programs in August, followed by “Little Big Shots” (35.9%), KathNiel-starrer “La Luna Sangre” (33.7%), “A Love to Last” and “TV Patrol” (32.5%), “Wansapanataym” (28.1%); “MMK” (27.4%); and “Wildflower” (25.3%).

Also landing on the Top 20 list were “Ikaw Lang ang Iibigin”, “It's Showtime”, “Pusong Ligaw”, “The Better Half”, “Home Sweetie Home” (24.9%) and “Goin’ Bulilit” (22.7%), which is currently celebrating a decade of bringing fun and laughter to viewers.

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What’s super in Marian?

In a recent interview, Meg Imperial and Kim Domingo, two of the stars of the GMA primetime series “Super Ma’am” were asked what they find “super” in the Kapuso Primetime Queen Marian Rivera.

Kim answered quickly it’s Marian’s being “Super totoo!” And Meg said “Super mom,” referring to her doing perfect role as mother to her and Dingdong Dantes’ daughter Zia.

Fans are thrilled that the three actresses wand respectful relationship off-cam; after all this is important to establish good working chemistry on the set.

This early, viewers are hooked on the primetime series because of its unique story, and the exciting elements like the actionpacked initial scenes, the fantasy and even comic parts.

“Super Ma’am” airs weeknights on GMA Telebabad.

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Tidbits: Happy b-day greetings today, Sept. 30, go to former Senator Leticia Ramos-Shahani, former beauty queen and DOT Sec. Gemma Cruz, PDI lifestyle editor Thelma San Juan, Ruth Abao, Virgilio Gonzales, Gerry Contreras, Arthur R. Lingad, Baby Canales Santamaria, Leonida Andrade, Dr. Adora P. Veal, Aida Arceo, Theresita Brazil, Baby Vidal Lavarro, Ruben Silvestre, Ma. Cristina Maralit, Sari Paz Villar Tan, Edwin G. Trumpeta, Mike Sandejas, Raquel Monteza, Danny Jamora of Malacañang, Michael Fernando and Denise Laurel of Star Magic…Oct. 1: Fr. Gerry Orbos, GMA-7’s Marivin Arayata, Charito Makalintal, Charo G. Yu. Reginald A. Oben, Vikki Lizzi, Ma. Elena Sen Lim, Remy Umerez, Angelita Consignado-Lim, Jap Uminga, Juliet Lee-uy, Mario A. Somera, US-based Rhoeda Farolan, Shirlee S. Castro, Jojo Lasaga Labrador of California, Reynald Oro and Mico del Rosario of Star Cinema…Oct. 2: Ma. Theresa “Maite” T. Defensor, Almond N. Aguila, Rose Hilario-Libongco, Emily Joy Legados, Angie Favis, US-based Terry Aldeguer, Anna Josefil “Jojo” B. Cadiente, Edgardo Cepe, Graiebelle Banaria Espiritu, Zeny Yumol-Sato, Angelita Villena-Castllo, Chit Guerrero and Atty. Adel Tamano…

LRT-MRT common station operational in 2-3 years: Tugade

The Common Station linking the Light Rail Transit (LRT) and Metro Rail Transit (MRT) system is expected to start operating in two to three years after its construction began Friday.

“We want to thank our private sector partners for making the Common Station a reality. They have set aside their private interests for the good of the country,” Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade said in his address during the groundbreaking ceremony held in Quezon City.

Tugade said building the Common Station is a manifestation of the government’s commitment to ensure the comfort of commuters.

“We will finish this project for the convenience of the riding public,” he said.

The Common Station will connect the LRT-1, MRT-3, and MRT-7, as well as the proposed Mega Manila Subway System.

The 13,700-square meter station will be built between The Annex at SM City North EDSA and Landmark Trinoma with a spacious concourse area that will facilitate the seamless transfer of passengers from one line to another.

Light Rail Manila Corp. (LRMC) President Rogelio Singson described the location as ideal for the expected volume of passengers.

“Passengers of LRT-1, of which LRMC is a shareholder, can now travel from Quezon City to Baclaran in under an hour. And when the extension project is completed, passengers from Cavite may reach Quezon City in an hour,” Singson said.

The Common Station is expected to serve approximately 478,000 passengers daily by 2020.

Ayala Corp. likewise committed to start the construction of the concourse by next month.

“The Common Station will provide safety and convenience to hundreds of thousands of passengers. We are glad to be a step closer to completion and we promise to go full blast with construction,” said Bobby Dy, President and CEO of Ayala Land Inc.

Among those who attended the ceremony were Presidential Communications and Operations Office (PCOO) Secretary Martin Andanar, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Chief Representative Susumu Ito, Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) Administrator Reynaldo Berroya, MRT-3 General Manager Rodolfo Garcia, Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista, Ayala Corp. President and CEO Fernando Zobel de Ayala, and SM Prime Holdings Inc. (SMPHI) President Jeffrey Sy Lim.

It is a joint project of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Department of Transportation (DOTr), SMPHI, San Miguel Corp., LRMC, North Triangle Depot Commercial Corp., Department of Public Works and Highways, and the LRTA.

Last January, a memorandum of agreement was signed by the government, Metro Pacific Investments Corp. Chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan, SMPH Director Hans T. Sy, Ayala Corp. CEO Jaime Zobel de Ayala, and SMC President and CEO Ramon S. Ang, ending a deadlock spanning nearly eight years.

The government will shell out PHP2.8 billion for the construction of the Common Station’s Area A where the head-to-head platform for LRT-1 and MRT-3 will be located between Landmark and Trinoma Mall.

The Detailed Engineering Design by the Independent Consultant and finalization of the Parcellary Survey Plan with the help of Google Maps, while the 3D renders by a Hong Kong-based international firm, while the station drawings are: Landmark Station street level, concourse (2nd floor) and platform levels (3rd floor) floor plan cross section, existing North Avenue MRT-3 station with footbridge street level, concourse and platform level floor plan and cross section.

The station will be financed and built by the DOTr, while its operation, maintenance, and development will be split between LRMC for LRT-1 and DOTr for MRT-3.

Eat Bulaga OBB | September 30, 2017

Hitachi eyes Manila subway, railway to Clark

Japanese conglomerate Hitachi Ltd. is interested in the Mega Manila Subway and Manila-Clark railway projects as it looks to exand its business in the Philippines..

“We have a very strong turnkey engineering solutions,” Asia Pacific Hitachi Ltd., Railway Systems Business Unit Shinya Mitsudomi said in a press briefing on Friday.

Mitsudomi said the company had met with government officials about participation in several infrastructure projects. He also said that Hitachi was in talks with “several” Philippine business groups that are interested in investing in the rail sector.

Both the proposed Mega Manila Subway and Manila-Clark railway projects will be funded by official development assistance from Japan.

“The rail project is a massive project…We have to employ a lot of Philippine people in order to execute the project,” Mitsudomi said.

Hitachi has previously said that it was keen on public-private partnership projects in the Philippines, particulary for transportation, either as a supplier or contractor.

Where Duterte is doing better than Aquino

Last of 2 parts

AS recounted in the first part published Tuesday, President Rodrigo Duterte has been quick to address the runaway crime and massive underspending under his predecessor Benigno Aquino 3rd. That has given Duterte public approval ratings nearing or exceeding 80 percent in all major polls.

After tripling under Aquino, overall crime incidence fell by about one-third within months of Duterte’s takeover. And from 13 percent of national budgets unspent in 2014-2015, leaving some ₱1 trillion unused when Aquino stepped down, nearly all allocations were utilized this year.

Now, let’s look at corruption and national security. On sleaze, Duterte avoided one Aquino trait that abetted graft: cronyism.

Aquino jailed perceived opponents, including his predecessor Gloria Arroyo over charges the United Nations called politically motivated. But Aquino defended appointees, starting with shooting buddy Rico Puno, accused of getting jueteng payoffs and mishandling the August 2010 Luneta hostage crisis.

This despite dubious contracts in train maintenance and upgrading, vehicle plates and driver’s licenses; drug trafficking and illegal furloughs in the national penitentiary; and police firearms overpricing, which Aquino himself uncovered but never punished. He even paid the bail for Liberal Party mates indicted for graft.

And when more than 2,000 uninspected and untaxed cargo containers went missing in 2011—the biggest spate of smuggling in the country ever—Aquino ordered no investigation, and the Palace even suspended a Customs deputy commissioner who blew the whistle after 600 boxes had vanished.

Result: contraband tripled to an unprecedented $26.6 billion in 2014, from $7.9 billion in 2009, based on International Monetary Fund data. The estimated undeclared or misdeclared value of imports topped ₱4 trillion under Aquino, with evaded value-added tax alone exceeding ₱700 billion.

Contrast all that with Duterte’s firing of two longtime supporters over reported irregularities, including a stalwart of his PDP-Laban party then handling police and local governments. And he has promised to resign if his children are proven corrupt. No wonder two-thirds of Filipinos approve of his anti-graft campaign, as surveyed by US pollster Pew Research Center.

For sure, like drugs, corruption will take forever to eradicate, as Duterte himself admits. But swift action on drug smuggling through customs and trafficking at New Bilibid Prison, in stark contrast to Aquino’s inaction, are reversing past ills.

The war on terror

On terrorism, some experts blame President Duterte and his security chiefs for not moving fast and strong enough against extremists. No matter that he instantly declared martial law over all Mindanao when told of the Marawi assault while visiting Moscow, even without such recommendation from the Department of National Defense or the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

What belies critics claiming Duterte, DND and AFP complacency are the months of offensives waged against Islamic State-linked extremists, including the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), which broke away from the main Muslim insurgency, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, when the MILF shelved secession and began talks for autonomy in the 1990s.

Aquino too faced Muslim rebel attack: the siege of Zamboanga City by the Moro National Liberation Front, from which the MILF broke away after the MNLF accepted autonomy in a 1996 peace accord. The older Front felt excluded and disadvantaged by Aquino’s MILF negotiations.

Which leader fought terrorism more effectively? One can’t compare two different situations, but in one crucial respect, Duterte may have done better. The MILF is now mounting offensives against the BIFF with AFP support.

That’s the exact opposite of what happened in the January 2015 police commando raid to kill Malaysian bomb terrorist Marwan in a BIFF lair in Mamasapano, Maguindanao province, central Mindanao. MILF and BIFF rebels wiped out 44 troopers of the elite Philippine National Police Special Action Force.

In the massacre—the worst in PNP history—the AFP did not fire artillery or send reinforcements to save the SAF 44, apparently for fear of scuttling the MILF accord, the concern cited by a senior general in command of units that could have responded. The Manila Times also reported that Aquino, worried over the peace pact, ordered the military to stand down.

Plainly, having the MILF battling terrorists with the AFP is far better than the insurgents joining extremists in decimating our troops. And if Filipinos were asked if they approved of Aquino’s counter-terrorism strategy, he would score far below Duterte’s 64 percent Pew rating.

Dealing with the world

The final comparison has to be foreign affairs: Aquino’s pro-American, anti-Chinese stance vs Duterte’s “independent” policy ratcheting down ties with the US, while leveling up with China and Russia.

With Aquino’s adversarial approach, there were Chinese encroachments on Philippine-claimed waters and islets. His Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement would escalate US military presence and give America access to Philippine bases. In response, Beijing built up military-capable facilities in the South China Sea.

President Duterte’s approach, on the other hand, has seen Filipino fishermen return to Panatag Shoal. The Chinese have largely ceased reclamation in the Spratlys. And Beijing has been quick to defuse tensions.

Indeed, Western experts concede that China, in practice, is complying with last year’s ruling on the Philippine case in The Hague’s Permanent Court of Arbitration against Chinese maritime encroachments, even as Beijing formally rejects the PCA decision.

As for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Asian and China have agreed on the framework for the Code of Conduct on activities and issues in the South China Sea.

Lastly, the Philippines is set to receive much more foreign aid and investment, as China, Japan and the US vie for Duterte’s favor. As the economy surges, we can in time acquire the maritime surveillance aircraft, anti-ship missiles, and anti-aircraft systems urged by US defense experts to defend our territorial interests.

In the Pew survey, most Filipinos approve of President Duterte’s handling of relations with both China and America. And if surveyed whether we would like Aquino’s camp to replace Duterte’s at the nation’s helm, it would be no contest.

MRT team readies takeover

The management of Metro Rail Transit (MRT) Line 3 on Friday said it is prepared to take over the maintenance of the mass rail system if the Department of Transportation decides to terminate the contract of Busan Universal Rail Inc. (BURI).

“Actually, we are preparing just in case Secretary Tugade will cancel. We are prepared to take over and have a continuity in the maintenance of the line,” MRT3 general manager Rodolfo Garcia said on the sidelines of the groundbreaking ceremony of the Common Station for LRT1, MRT3, MRT7 and Metro Manila Subway.

Garcia said the management of MRT3 was preparing a transition team to take over the maintenance of the system.

Groundbreaking held for common station

Groundbreaking for a common station that will connect key Metro Manila railway lines was held on Friday and officials said the project — deferred and delayed for nearly a decade due to a dispute over its location — would finally be completed in 2019.

“We will finish this for the benefit of the majority,” Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade said in the vernacular during ceremonies in Quezon City.

The common station will connect the Light Rail Transit-1, Metro Rail Transit-3, the upcoming MRT-7 and the just-approved Metro Manila subway.

To be built at a cost of P2.8 billion, the 13,700-square meter facility is expected to serve 478,000 passengers daily by January 2020.

The SM Group was awarded rights to the common station on September 28, 2009 after it paid the government P200 million in exchange for locating it beside, and naming it after, the SM City North EDSA mall.

A change in government when Benigno Aquino III took over from Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on June 30, 2010, however, led to a decision to relocate the station to the nearby TriNoma mall as this would reportedly lead to some P1.4 billion in savings.

"We intend to bid out the project in another three to four months and will take one year to construct. Hopefully, it will be finished within the term of the President," he said.

The government is reviewing where the "turn-back" system would be constructed. This is the area where the trains would maneuver and change directions.

The SM Group sued in June 2014 and the Supreme Court subsequently restrained the government from implementing the project on August 1, 2014. It was only when the Duterte government took over on June 30 last year that a compromise was reached on September 28.

The common station will now be located between and connect the Annex at SM City North EDSA and Landmark TriNoma malls.

Duterte's infrastructure drive: It's railing, it's pouring

A commentary

The World Economic Forum recently released its Global Competitiveness Report for 2017-2018, where it ranked 137 countries based on 12 categories. The Philippines ranked 56th overall, climbing up only one notch and still trailing behind its fellow members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). One of the 12 pillars is infrastructure, where the country's score remained the same but its rank dropped by two places. At 97th, the Philippines is well into the bottom half of all the countries covered.

What accounted for this drop? Several infrastructure sub-indicators are on the downward trend. To no surprise, these include the quality of our roads, railroads, ports, and airports. Once again, the country lagged behind its neighbors in the region. In the same report, infrastructure was cited as one of the top 5 most problematic factors for doing business in the country.

Silver lining in spending

Our infrastructure may be in dire straits, but at least the administration appears to be approaching the worsening situation with open eyes. It has committed to investing heavily in the sector to help compensate for the years of underinvestment that have plagued it. Earlier this year, the government launched its Build, Build, Build campaign, which promises to usher in a "golden age of infrastructure." As part of its plan, it intends to spend between P8 to P9 trillion in the next six years. That's almost double the proposed national budget for 2018, which was P3.7 trillion pesos. This year alone, it set aside around P850 billion, equivalent to 5.4 percent of GDP. In context, the World Bank recommends around 5 percent.

For 2018, the infrastructure budget is planned to increase to P1,097.5 billion. This is 6.3 percent of our projected GDP for next year. Fulfilling its promise to expand infrastructure investments, the Duterte administration has raised the budgets for the Department of Transportation and the Department of Public Works and Highways, two agencies primarily tasked with implementing infrastructure projects.

For example, the 2018 DOTr budget will increase by one third, or 33 percent, amounting to some P73.8 billion. Around 48 percent of the agency's budget will be spent on the proposed railways, around 24 percent will be spent on road-based transport projects, while 18.5 percent will be set aside for spending on aviation projects.

On the other hand, DPWH will get a 38 percent increase in its budget for next year, amounting to P6.43 billion, ranking second among all government agencies, next only to the Department of Education. Around 26 percent of the agency's budget is meant to be spent on projects geared toward improving the sustainability and resilience of communities nationwide—an especially important point for reducing our country's vulnerability to the hazards of climate change.

For those of us living in highly-clogged urban areas, another 25 percent of the DPWH budget will be used to reduce the congestion of traffic along our thoroughfares. Complementing this, 15 percent will be used to make our transport system more integrated and seamless. Examples of this are the Mindanao infrastructure logistics network, inter-island linkages nationwide, and connecting gaps along existing national roads. Geographically, almost half of the agency's budget will be spent for projects in Luzon, a third will be allocated for Mindanao, and the rest will be spent on projects in the Visayas region.

Alongside increasing infrastructure spending, the government has also taken strides to hasten and streamline the approval of various infrastructure projects in the pipeline, where some have stagnated since the Aquino administration. As of September 2017, the board of the National Economic Development Authority has already approved 35 projects worth some P1.2 trillion.

Varieties of financing

Unlike its predecessor, the Duterte administration has favored financing from Official Development Assistance loans over Public-Private Partnerships, arguing that the latter take longer to implement. ODAs have been a key resource for governments in implementing its priority projects. Under the Duterte administration, two-thirds of the NEDA-Board approved projects will reportedly be funded by ODA loans, amounting to P1.074 trillion.

Japan has been one of the country's longest developing partners, and for the first semester of the 2017, Japan still remains the Philippines' top ODA partner. In contrast, China is not even among our top 10 ODA partners. However, the warmer ties with China under the Duterte administration might change that sooner rather than later. The government is already negotiating with its Chinese counterpart to finance at least three projects.

Some of the administration's big-ticket ODA projects are the North and South commuter lines of the Philippine National Railway spearheaded by the DOTr. In November 2016, the NEDA Board approved the South Line Project of the PNR, worth around P299.4 billion. The government tapped China to finance the project, which will consist of a 72-kilometer commuter line between Solis-Hermosa station in Manila and Los Baños, Laguna and a 581-km long-haul line that will link Manila, Laguna, Batangas, Quezon, Albay, Camarines Sur and Sorsogon.

On the opposite end of the railway, last June 2017, the NEDA Board approved the Malolos-Clark Railway Project, the north line of the North-South Commuter Railway, which will run from Tutuban to Clark through Malolos, Bulacan. The project is worth an estimated P211.43 billion and will be financed by the Japanese. The 106-kilometer rail line will deliver passengers from one end to another in just 55 minutes. Once these projects are completed, perhaps we will no longer complain that the ride to the airport takes longer than most domestic flights. This must also be a relief for the people working at the Department of Transportation, which is moving its headquarters to Clark.

Conclusion

It's good news that the Philippines is attempting to climb out the hole that its infrastructure has been in for decades. In the short run, we should begin to turn our eyes into the implementation and operationalization of all of these projects. The future of this country deserves continued diligence from our parts to ensure that we are doing more than trapping ourselves in a debt burden.

To end, catching up with our neighbors is one thing, but transforming our transportation system into a fully functioning and integrated system is another.

More than the work of one administration, this could be a challenge for an entire generation.

Dindo Manhit is the president of think tank Stratbase Albert del Rosario Institute, a partner of Philstar.com.

http://www.philstar.com:8080/business/2017/09/29/1743884/dutertes-infrastructure-drive-its-railing-its-pouring

‘Eat, Bulaga!’ to crown ‘Miss Millennial Philippines’ on Sept. 30

After weeks of promoting the beauty and charm of her province, one young Filipina gets to wear the “Miss Millennial Philippines” crown.

Happening this Saturday, Sept. 30, at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City, the grand finale of “Eat, Bulaga!’s” anniversary segment is the culmination of the tourism campaign spearheaded by 38 millennials from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.

The winner will not only get a condominium unit from Bria Homes, a Mitsubishi Montero Sport and cash prize, but also a special crown fit for a queen.

“Eat, Bulaga!” commissioned accessory designers Micki Olaguer and Arnel Papa to create a crown that would best represent a strong, independent and nurturing young Filipina.

A patriotic ode to Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao, the crown design represents the hope, pride and ambition of the millennials who dream big and strive to become the best version of themselves.

It will also feature “38” swirl patterns inspired by the initials and anniversary year of “Eat, Bulaga!”.

Olaguer, a young jewelry designer, said it was an honor for her design to be part of the anniversary celebration of the longest running noontime variety program in the country.

She said it was challenging at first to come up with a crown that best represents the beauty and ambition of the young modern Pinays, but learning the objective and aspiration behind the segment made the project even more special.

“I’m very happy that they are celebrating our generation and giving them opportunities to help their hometowns. It makes me proud because it’s not just all frills, it’s not shallow. It’s a concrete way of really helping the province through tourism. I’m honored to play a small role in the design.”

Olaguer added that aside from coming up with the crown design, she’s grateful for the collaboration with Papa, a well-known international Filipino jewelry designer.

“It’s a first for me to design a pageant crown and I’m honored that I somehow got to collaborate with Arnel Papa because I look up to him very much. I’m honored that he agreed to produce my design.”

Papa, whose local clients are the who’s who of the entertainment and fashion world, made sure to source local products in the execution of Olaguer’s design. He used Philippine gems and mother of pearl for the Miss Millennial crown.

“I’m very happy and privileged that I was tapped to manufacture the crown. The ‘Miss Millennial’ winner is one very lucky lady because this is no ordinary headpiece. There’s a lot of thinking behind its design and it took us weeks and a couple of hands to create it.”

Both Papa and Olaguer said they are looking forward to the coronation and seeing the first Miss Millennial Philippines winner accomplish big things.

They hope the crown will not only serve as a symbol of beauty, but also a reminder of one’s love for the motherland.

Aside from the “Miss Millennial Philippines 2017” grand finale, loyal dabarkads will also be treated to fun surprises this weekend. Host Ryan Agoncillo and the phenomenal love team Alden Richards and Maine Mendoza travelled from Batanes to Jolo to showcase the beauty and charm of the Philippines.

Don’t miss the exciting happenings in “Eat, Bulaga!” at 11:30 a.m. this Saturday on GMA-7.

DOTr starts rail station works

The Department of Transportation said it expects to start by next month the construction of the P2.8-billion common station for LRT Line 1, MRT3, MRT 7, and Metro Manila Subway Project.

“We will finish it in 2.5 years to 3 years for the convenience and reliability of transportation,” Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade said during the groundbreaking ceremony of the Common Station Project.

The Common Station will connect the four main lines in Metro Manila: MRT-3, LRT-1, MRT-7, and the soon-to-be-constructed Metro Manila Subway.

At 13,700 square meters, the Common Station will have a spacious concourse area that will facilitate the seamless transfer of passengers from one line to another. It will be built between SM North EDSA and Trinoma. The design also ensures a defined level of service by all parties, convenient walk-in the platform, bigger space, and connection between two major malls.

The Common Station is expected to serve approximately 478,000 passengers daily by 2020.

The private shareholders—SM Prime Holdings Inc., Ayala Land Inc., San Miguel Corp., and Light Rail Manila Corp.—were all represented in the groundbreaking ceremony.

Each made a commitment to follow timelines and deliver the Common Station on schedule.

Rogelio Singson, president, and chief executive of LRMC, said the project was a “game-changer” for mass transport in Metro Manila and that the location was ideal for the passengers of LRT Line 1.

“The Common Station will provide safety and convenience to hundreds of thousands of passengers. We are glad to be a step closer to completion and we promise to go full blast with construction,” Bobby Dy, president, and chief executive of  ALI said.

“We have been waiting for this for so long. We will make sure we will follow timelines,” San Miguel representative Manuel Bonoan said.

The common station project started in 2009 and was put on hold due to legal issues. The Light Rail Transit Authority signed a deal with SM Prime Holdings, Inc. to build the station near The Annex at SM City North EDSA.

Five years later, the then-Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) decided to build the station near Ayala Land’s Trinoma citing reasons to cut costs. The court intervened and issued a temporary restraining order in favor of SM Prime to stop the construction of the project.

But in January this year, the government and private shareholders signed an agreement to build the common station for LRT1, MRT3, and MRT7.

The project will also deliver dual tracks for LRT-1, MRT-3, and MRT-7 for increased operational efficiency. The ground level of the Common Station will serve road-based PUVs for intermodal interoperability. This will allow not only seamless railway-to-railway transfers but also seamless railway-to-bus-to-jeep-to-AUV transfers.

http://thestandard.com.ph/business/biz-plus/248151/dotr-starts-rail-station-works.html

LRT-MRT common station breaks ground

The government broke ground yesterday on a common station which will interconnect lines 1 and 2 of the Light Rail Transit, Metro Rail Transit line 3, and the soon-to-be-built MRT line 7 and the Mega Manila Subway.

Speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony held yesterday, Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade said the event was made possible following the cooperation of private sector stakeholders such as Metro Pacific Investments Corp. (MPIC), SM Prime Holdings, Inc., Ayala Corporation, and San Miguel Corp. (SMC).

“Without them, this would not be possible. They set aside their own interests for the interests of the public,” he said.

The P2.8-billion structure, which will be built between the Annex at SM City North EDSA and Trinoma shopping malls will be completed in 2019, the transportation department said.

“The common station will provide safety and convenience to hundreds of thousands of passengers. We are glad to be a step closer to completion and we promise to go full blast with construction,” Ayala Land Inc. president and chief executive officer Bobby Dy said.

The Ayala group has committed to start construction by next month.

“We have been waiting for this for so long. We will make sure we will follow timelines,” Manuel Bonoan of San Miguel Holdings Inc. said.

LRMC president and chief executive officer Rogelio Singson said the common station would be beneficial as it would serve up to 500,000 passengers daily, once the Cavite extension of the LRT-1 is completed.

“This is going to be a game-changer as far as mass transport is concerned,” he said.

Apart from allowing seamless transfer from one railway to the next, the common station will also deliver dual tracks for LRT-1, MRT-3, and MRT-7 for increased operational efficiency.

Its ground level, meanwhile, will serve public utility vehicles, making it easier for passengers to transfer from the railways to buses or jeepneys.

Construction of the common station was put on hold earlier amid legal issues.

On July 30, 2014, the SMPHI obtained a TRO from the high court to prevent the then Department of Transportation and Communications from transferring the common station near Trinoma.

The SMPHI had entered into an agreement with the LRTA on September 28, 2009, to put up the common station in front of SM City North EDSA.

EDITORIAL - Institutional weakness

Finally, groundbreaking pushed through yesterday for the common station connecting the Metro Rail Transit and Light Railway Transit lines in Quezon City. The project has been 10 years in the making, and commuters must wait for another two and a half years at least before the project is completed.

The project was delayed by corporate competition for the location of the common station, which will now be shared by SM City North EDSA and Ayala Malls’ TriNoma. The competition is typical and can be expected from companies. Unfortunately for the public, the inordinately long wait for the resolution of the dispute has also become typical in this country.

Such disputes should be settled quickly at the level of the executive agency concerned – in this case the Department of Transportation. Instead the project became a tug-of-war among competing corporate interests, with the executive branch failing to settle the issue. In June 2014, the case went to the courts, where it languished for another three years.

Apart from the long wait for commuters, the delay has also meant an increase in the cost of the project, from the original estimate of P2.6 billion to P2.8 billion. This is just the latest example of the weak capacity of the state to settle business disputes, even involving critical projects. The NAIA Terminal 3 and the NorthRail train project, both snagged by corruption scandals, are just among the examples of this institutional failure.

This problem has been among the factors that have made the country a regional laggard in attracting foreign direct investment. Combined with the inability of the state to guarantee the sanctity of contracts, the problem is a major disincentive to investments. To deal with these problems, investors from certain countries have taken to demanding the inclusion of a clause in their contracts that requires international arbitration in case of future changes or disputes in their projects.

With the common station finally moving, stakeholders should work with the executive and Congress to craft laws and regulations that will speed up business dispute resolution. Inadequate infrastructure is also among the factors driving away investors and pulling down national competitiveness. This inadequacy can be blamed in part on the weakness of mechanisms for resolving business disputes. If it takes 10 years to break ground just for a common light railway station, the nation will never catch up with its neighbors.

Hitachi eyes Mega Manila Subway, Manila-Clark Railway projects

Published September 29, 2017 3:30pm 

By TED CORDERO, GMA News

Japanese conglomerate Hitachi is eyeing two major railway projects of the Duterte administration to be funded by official development assistance (ODA) from Japan.

"We are very much interested in participating in the rail projects of the Philippines," Shinya Mitsudomi, Global chief strategy officer of Hitachi Rail Systems, said during a briefing in Makati City.

"The projects we are now focusing on are the Tutuban to Clark Airport Railway, another project might be the Metro Manila Subway," Mitsudomi said.

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/money/companies/627686/hitachi-eyes-mega-manila-subway-manila-clark-railway-projects/story/

After a decade, common station for 4 rail lines breaks ground in QC

It took almost a decade, but a project meant to make it easier for riders of mass transport systems to get to more points more quickly has finally broken ground and is expected to be completed in 2019.

The common station, or more particularly, what is called the Unified Grand Central Station will link MRT 3, LRT 1, the still-being-constructed MRT 7, and the planned first Metro Manila Subway.

The project had been entangled in lengthy disputes that even reached courts, but the Duterte administration and the key businessmen involved finally reached an agreement on the common station. It will rise between two big malls in Quezon City, Trinoma, and SM City North EDSA.

It is a joint project of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Department of Transportation (DOTr), SM Prime Holdings, Inc. (SMPH), Universal LRT Corporation (BVI) Limited of the San Miguel Corporation (SMC), Light Rail Manila Corporation (LRMC), North Triangle Depot Commercial Corporation (NTDCC), Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), and the Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA).

The 3-story structure will have a total of 13,700 square meters and is envisioned to make it quick and easy for riders to switch from one train line to another.

Residents of Cavite province south of Metro Manila are seen to be among the big beneficiaries of the project.

According to Rogelio Singson, president of the LRT 1 operator Light Rail Manila Corp. (LRMC), “when this is completed, people from the common station can go all the way to Baclaran in less than 1 hour — 45 to 50 minutes. And when we finish the Cavite extension, people from Cavite can travel all the way to the common station in a little over one hour. And I don’t think they can do that [with] any other mode of transport.”

The common station was first broached in 2006 and was supposed to rise adjacent to SM Annex on North Avenue, Quezon City.

Despite the deal having been forged, the previous administration decided to change plans, saying it would be cheaper to put up the station on the Ayala-owned Trinoma Mall.

The dispute reached the Supreme Court because when the government changed its mind, SM had already paid the government P200 million for the right to have the common station named after them.

On June 30, 2016, the new administration forged a compromise with the business groups involved, just to break the deadlock and get the project going

“Ang unang unang dapat pasalamatan ay ‘yung mga pribadong kumpanya na kung saan, itinabi nila ang kanilang mga interes pangkumpanya upang makiisa sa bayan [The first people who deserve our gratitude are the private companies that set aside their respective interests just to serve the public],” said Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade at the groundbreaking Friday morning.

According to the militant group BAYAN, however, taxpayers are at the losing end here because the original cost of P700 million has tripled.

The commuters were not consulted about it, said BAYAN secretary general Renato Reyes Jr.

“Taxpayers gave a virtual subsidy of P2.8 billion for the sake of big business. Secretary Tugade is just pursuing the plans of the Aquino-era DOTC Secretary [Joseph Emilio] Abaya. This common station should indeed be set up, but at least cost and free from the dictates of big business. Mr. Tugade said they consulted the ‘people who mattered’. Yes, they consulted everyone except the commuters and taxpayers. We don’t matter to them,” added Reyes, speaking mostly in Filipino.

Tugade for his part explained the bigger cost: The space is much bigger, he said, and the decade’s delay had meant higher cost of materials. “Yung cost ng mga materyales mo noong isang dekada, magiging kapareho ba yun? Hindi.”

The project will be completed in 2019, and at the start of 2020, before Pope Francis and Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI's visit for the World Youth Day in Metro Manila and Leyte, at least half a million people are expected to be able to use the common station.

Construction of MRT-LRT common station finally begins

The station linking the MRT7, MRT3, and LRT1 lines is targeted for completion in two and half years, according to the Department of Transportation

The construction of the common station connecting the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) and the Light Rail Transit (LRT), a landmark project 10 years in the making, finally began on Friday, September 29.

The common station, targeted for completion in about two and half years, will connect the MRT7, MRT Line 3 (MRT3), and LRT Line 1 (LRT1) through 3 separate concourses or atriums where train commuters can transfer from one line to another.

The station, which will cover an area of 13,700 square meters, is projected to handle a capacity of 1,280,000 passengers a day, while the passenger traffic is expected to average around 478,000 passengers per day by 2020, according to the Department of Transportation (DoTr).

The project went through a decade of legal spats between the government and the SM group with the Ayala Corporation, Metro Pacific Investment Corporation, and San Miguel Corporation (SMC) also in the picture.

Legal battle

The legal battle stemmed from the location of the station, which was sure to generate plenty of foot traffic. It was between placing it next to Ayala Land’s TriNoma mall or SM North EDSA.

On September 28, 2009, the Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) accepted P200 million from SM Prime Holdings Incorporated to place the common station beside SM North City EDSA and name it after the mall.

The location of the project was changed in 2013, under then Transportation Secretary Joseph Abaya. He decided to make the common station part of the P65-billion LRT 1 extension project of the Light Rail Manila Corporation (LRMC) – a consortium made up of the Ayala Group, Manuel V. Pangilinan’s Metro Pacific Investment Corporation, and Macquarie Infrastructure Holdings.

The transportation department then insisted on locating the the common station near TriNoma, saying this would save the government P1.4 billion.

In August 2014, SM Prime obtained a Supreme Court (SC) order stopping the transportation department and the LRTA from transferring the location of the common station to TriNoma.

When he assumed office under the presidency of Rodrigo Duterte, Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade brokered a deal between the two. This led to the new location of the common station between SM North EDSA and TriNoma.

'Unity'

“The corporate giants who all have stakes in the projects have finally agreed on a place for where to situate the common station. They fixed it and without them and this unity, there would not be a groundbreaking ceremony today,” Tugade said at the groundbreaking ceremony.

To illustrate this newfound unity among the conglomerates, Tugade noted the presence of heads of all the conglomerates with stakes in the project – Ayala Land Chairman Fernando Zobel de Ayala and SM Prime President Jeffrey Lim.

The deal came at a cost to the government. On top of the 10-year delay, the project price rose to P2.8 billion from the original P2.6 billion.

The station will have 3 main components which will be developed by each of the stakeholders.

The station will span 3 separate areas while the operation, maintenance, and development will be split between the LRMC for LRT-1, and DOTr for MRT-3.

Area A, which will cover the head-to-head platforms for LRT-1 and MRT-3, will be handled by the DoTR.

Area B, which will connect Areas A and B, will be built by North Triangle Depot Commercial Corporation (NTDCC), an affiliate of Ayala Land. It will also develop the area that includes mall expansion, with construction set to begin as early as October.

Area C, which covers the platform for MRT-7, will be financed and built by San Miguel Corporation, which will also operate, maintain, and develop the area.

LRT-MRT common station breaks ground

By 2020, New York might not be the only part of the world with a "Grand Central Station."

Transport officials on Friday led the groundbreaking of the long-awaited Unified Grand Central Station on EDSA.

The station will link four major metro train systems: the MRT-3, LRT-1, the MRT-7 that is under construction and the Metro Manila Subway, which was greenlit for construction on September 14.

Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade said the station is a game-changer in public transport and is expected to benefit at least half a million passengers every day.

Years in the works

The groundbreaking came after years of disputes over the location of the station.

 
The common station project started in 2009 when the Light Rail Transit Authority signed a deal with SM Prime Holdings, Inc. (SMPHI) to have the station built near SM City North EDSA. It was put on hold the same year due to legal issues.

However, when President Benigno Aquino III came to power on June 30, 2010, the project was stalled indefinitely.

Then DOTC Secretary Manuel Roxas II ordered a review of the project, and the agency proceeded to change certain project specifications.

But when former transportation and communications secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya took over, the direction of the project changed. Here is where the problem emerged.

 
However, the then-Department of Transportation and Communications decided in May 2013 to build the common station near TriNoma, a rival mall across the street from SM City North EDSA, to cut costs.

SMPHI took the matter to the Supreme Court, which issued a temporary restraining order in favor of SMPHI to stop the construction of the common station near TriNoma.

The dispute was finally resolved in September 2016, when SM and Ayala signed a memorandum of understanding to build the station between the two malls.

In January 2017, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with private companies and government agencies to start the construction of the station.

Comfort and convenience

The MOA contains the design parameters for the common station, which will be the basis of the detailed designs that will be developed after the signing.

The station, which will be located at the North Avenue station of the MRT-3, is being built under a Public-Private Partnership Project and will cost ₱2.8 billion.

The DOTr said that passenger comfort and ease of transfer are the primary considerations of the project as passengers will only have to walk between 50 to 200 meters to get to their trains using the common station, with terminals for jeepneys, buses and UV express shuttles located outside.

In addition, the plan includes a 13,700-square-meter main concourse so that commuters will no longer need to line up outside in the heat or under the rain.

Under the MOA, there will be three Areas located in the station:

• Area A, the platform and concourse where LRT-1 and MRT-3 are located head-to-head
• Area B, where the two concourses connecting Areas A and C are located
• Area C, where the platform for MRT-7 is located

According to the DOTr, Area A will be financed and built by the DOTr. The operation, maintenance, and development will be split between LRMC for LRT-1 and DOTr for MRT-3.

Meanwhile, Area B will be financed and built by the North Triangle Depot Commercial Corporation (NTDCC), an affiliate of Ayala Land Inc. It will also be operated, maintained, and developed by the NTDCC.

Finally, Area C will be financed and built by San Miguel, who will also operate, maintain and develop the area.

DOTr breaks ground on common station

The Department of Transportation on Friday led the groundbreaking for a common station to provide a seamless transfer of passengers from one railway line to another as well as a convenient walk for platform transfers.

The common station, which is estimated to cost P2.8 billion, will link the LRT-1, which runs from Roosevelt station in Quezon City to Baclaran station in Pasay City, the LRT-2 running from Santolan station in Pasig City to Recto station in Manila, the MRT-3 running from North Avenue station in Quezon City to Taft Avenue station in Pasay City, and the MRT-7 currently being built from EDSA corner North Avenue in Quezon City to Araneta-Colinas Verdes Subdivision, City of San Jose del Monte in Bulacan.

Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade earlier said a joint manifestation has been filed before the Supreme Court to address the temporary restraining order obtained by SM Prime Holdings Inc. (SMPHI) on the common station.

In his speech during the groundbreaking ceremony, Tugade assured the public that the Duterte administration will finish the project.

“Wag po ninyo ako pasalamatan. Ang unang-unang dapat pasalamatan ay ang mga pribadong kumpanya na kung saan itinabi nila ang kanilang mga interes pang-kumpanya upang makiisa sa bayan,” he said.

“We celebrate as we ground to break, but groundbreaking is one thing, finishing the project is another,” he added.

Last January, a memorandum of agreement was signed by Tugade, Public Works, and Highways Secretary Mark Villar, and Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) administrator Reynaldo Berroya with SMPHI, LRT-1 operator Light Rail Manila Corp., San Miguel Corp., which is building MRT-7, and North Triangle Depot Commercial Corp., to end the deadlock spanning nearly eight years for the common station.

The common station covers 13,700 square meters and will be located between The Annex at SM City North EDSA and Landmark-Trinoma mall in Quezon City.

The DOTr said the common station is expected to be completed by April 2019.

Construction of the common station had been put on hold due to legal issues. The Light Rail Transit Authority signed a deal with SMPHI to build the station near SM North EDSA.

On July 30, 2014, the SMPHI obtained a TRO from the high court to prevent the then Department of Transportation and Communications from transferring the common station near Trinoma.

The basis of the order was a September 28, 2009 memorandum of agreement between SMPHI and LRTA, agreeing that the common station should be beside SM North EDSA after the mall developer paid the government P200 million for the naming rights to the proposed station.

Despite the agreement, the government in 2014 insisted that putting up the proposed common station near TriNoma mall would result in "P1 billion in savings to the government" and benefit passengers as the Quezon City government is establishing the North Triangle area as a new business district.

When Tugade assumed office, he promised to get all stakeholders to reach an agreement on the common station within his first 100 days.

http://www.philstar.com/business/2017/09/29/1743883/dotr-breaks-ground-common-station

Finally, the "City of New Horizons" will be the proud home of the country’s first Common Station

Groundbreaking for train, subway common station

Transport officials on Friday break ground on a common station that will interconnect the capital's train systems. The terminal is part of President Rodrigo Duterte's P8-trillion plan to rebuild the country's infrastructure.

Construction of LRT-MRT Common Station begins

The government headed by Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade and the stakeholders from the private sector at around 10 am today, September 29 conducted the ground breaking ceremony for the long awaited LRT-MRT Common Station or the Unified Grand Central Station.



It is expected to be completed by 2019.

The common station will cover approximately 13,700 square meters of concourse area, will be built between SM North EDSA and Trinom, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) said.

The Common Station will seamlessly and conveniently connect LRT-1, MRT-3, the upcoming MRT-7, and the recently-approved Metro Manila Subway.

“Consistent with DOTr’s focus on multi-modal interoperability, the ground level of the Common Station will service road-based PUVs,” DOTr said. “This will allow not only seamless railway-to-railway transfers, but also seamless railway-to-bus-to-jeep-to-AUV transfers. Congestion in EDSA will be reduced since loading and unloading will no longer be at the curbside.”

BREAKING GROUND DOTr's Tugade vows to complete LRT-MRT common station by 2019

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) on Friday said the mass railway system common station will be finished within three years for the benefit of the benefit of most commuters.

"Tatapusin po namin ito sa kapakanan ng nakararami ... In two and a half to three years aandar ang common station," Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade said during the ground-breaking ceremony at the North Triangle Transport Terminal in Quezon City.

"We celebrate as we break ground, finishing is another," the Cabinet official said.

The common station will serve the Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT-1), the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3), the MRT-7—now under construction—and the recently approved Metro Manila Subway.

The 13,700-square meter station is estimated to cost P2.8 billion and is expected to be completed by 2019. It will serve approximately 478,000 commuters per day by 2020.

The common station will link Metro Manila's railway system has finally began construction on Friday after almost a decade of legal entanglements.

Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade led the groundbreaking ceremony along with government officials and private sector partners.

The project cost will covering a spacious concourse area, which is needed due to a larger number of commuter traffic from the extension of LRT-1 to Cavite, the completion of MRT-7 from City of San Jose Del Monte in Bulacan, and the connection to the Metro Manila Subway.

The common station will provide dual tracks for LRT-1, MRT-3, and MRT-7 for a higher level of operational efficiency.

The ground-breaking came months after the DOTr and the private sector stakeholders signed an agreement regarding the actual location.

On January 18, Metro Pacific Investments Corp., SM Prime Holdings Inc., Ayala Corp., and San Miguel Corp. signed a memorandum of agreement to build the common station between the 2009 proposed site in front of SM Annex and the 2013 proposed location near the TriNoma Mall. The agreement ended an eight-year deadlock that kept proponents of the common station from actually building the project.

House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez earlier criticized what was happening, saying it gave the interest of businessmen a higher priority than the plight of commuters.

The common station began to take shape in 2009 with a deal between the Light Rail Transit Authority and SM Prime Holdings to build it closer to the SM North EDSA mall.

But in 2013, the then-Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) decided to build the station near TriNoma, citing a study that the government could supposedly save P800 million to P1 billion if the project is relocated closer to the Ayala-controlled mall.

SM Prime Holdings sued the DOTC and LRTA for breach of the 2009 agreement.

In August 2014, the SC issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) in favor of SM Prime Holdings stopping the construction of the common station.

In May 2016, the SC extended the TRO to cover the relocation of the common station. — VDS, GMA News

Gov't breaks ground on common station for trains, subway

#ANCRecap: DOTr leads groundbreaking ceremony of the LRT-MRT common station. @jacquemanabat reports. pic.twitter.com/rlmmt6c0es

— ABS-CBN News Channel (@ANCALERTS) September 29, 2017

The government on Friday broke ground on a common station that will serve hundreds of thousands of commuters using the country's railways and planned subway system.

The P2.8-billion structure, which will be built between the Annex at SM North Edsa and Landmark-Trinoma shopping malls, will be completed in 2019, the Department of Transportation said in a statement.

The common station will interconnect lines 1 and 2 of the Light Rail Transit, Metro Rail Transit line 3 and the soon-to-be-built MRT line 7, and the Mega Manila Subway, the department said.

The ground level of the common station will be used by buses, jeeps, and Asian utility vehicles, according to the statement.

Construction on the common station was held back by a decade due to a dispute on its location. The Light Rail Transit Authority signed a deal with SMPHI to build the station near SM North EDSA.

On July 30, 2014, SM Prime Holdings, Inc. obtained a TRO from the high court to prevent the then Department of Transportation and Communications from transferring the common station near Trinoma.

The basis of the order was a September 28, 2009 memorandum of agreement between SMPHI and LRTA, agreeing that the common station should be beside The Annex at SM City North EDSA after the mall developer paid the government P200 million for the naming rights to the proposed station.

Despite the agreement, the government in 2014 insisted that putting up the proposed common station near TriNoma mall would result in "P1 billion in savings to the government" and benefit passengers as the Quezon City government is establishing the North Triangle area as a new business district.

When Tugade assumed office, he promised to get all stakeholders to reach an agreement on the common station within his first 100 days. -- with Jacque Manabat, ABS-CBN News

Infra boon to real estate

Continued government investment in infrastructure – both soft and hard – is necessary in order for the Philippines to maximize the potential of its real estate market, according to Rick Santos, chairman of Santos Knight Frank.

Santos said “infrastructure is very crucial” for the Philippines, whose main feature is its growing economy as a result of its young demographics.

“It’s infrastructure in terms of growth: rail, airport, education. It’s the raw material. It is the value of making sure the people are educated to a certain level. Also, make people to get around better, reducing time, making it easier to fly in the country as well,” he said.

Santos Knight Frank in a statement said the infrastructure is “critical” to keep the country on the growth track.

It said the government has lined up 64 major infrastructure projects in the Philippines, several of which are underway in Metro Manila such as the North Luzon expressway (NLEx)-South Luzon expressway Connector Road, Ninoy Aquino International Airport expressway Phase 2 and NLEx Harbor Link.

It also cited mass transport projects in the pipeline such as Mega Manila Subway, Manila-Clark Railway and expansion of the Light Rail Transit to decongest the metropolis and encourage development in the outskirts.

“With limited supply of land in the city core, new districts have emerged in the outskirts of Metro Manila. The next wave of expansion is happening in emerging areas such as Alabang, Nuvali, Bulacan and Clark. It is crucial that infrastructure is in place to provide efficient connectivity between various parts of this growing city,” said Santos.

Santos Knight Frank noted Manila is fast becoming a megacity “powered by a growing pool of high-value talent, real estate expansion and a robust consumption-driven economy.”

Santos likened Manila today to Hong Kong and Singapore 30 years ago.

“The level of development in the metropolis over the last decade has been unprecedented and reflects on the accelerated expansion of the property market. Manila has since become an important hub for industries such as IT-BPO (information technology-business process outsourcing) with huge opportunities of growth for other sectors,” he said.

With a population of more than 25 million, Manila has more people than Hong Kong and Singapore combined, he added.

“Its demographic is a high-value asset in industries such as IT-BPO, where Metro Manila ranks as fourth in the world based on the 2017 Tholons Services Globalization (Outsourcing) Index,” Santos said.

“That industry will likely account for 8 percent of the Philippines’ GDP (gross domestic product) by end-2017, having employed nearly 1.2 million direct jobs last year,” he added.

Kash Salvador, Santos Knight Frank associate director for investment and capital markets, said Manila’s property market remains robust vis-à-vis other Asian cities, with prime office rents up five to six percent annually from 2011.

Salvador said most recently, prime office rents in Metro Manila increased by 3.4 percent year-on-year during the second quarter of 2017, outperforming Tokyo (3.2 percent), Taipei (2.8 percent), Beijing (-1.9 percent), Shanghai (-2.0 percent), Singapore (-5.1 percent) and Jakarta (-8.3 percent).

He noted that Metro Manila had one of the lowest vacancy rates at 3.4 percent across Asia Pacific during the second quarter.

“On a regional basis, the performance and fundamentals of the Manila office market look solid. While some of the other Southeast Asian markets are seeing demand remain sluggish and the major Chinese cities are seeing huge amounts of new supply, the Manila market has one of the tightest vacancy rates in the region and looks set for a strong 2018,” said Nicholas Holt, Knight Frank Asia Pacific head of research.

In the next four years, Manila is expected to add more than 3 million square meters of new office space.

“About 2 million sqm of residential space and half a million sqm more for retail will come online by 2019,” said Salvador.

According to Jan Custodio, Santos Knight Frank senior director for research, investor-driven demand continues to bolster the local condominium market as average sales take-up rates across major central business districts continued to exhibit double-digit figures.

“Overall percentage units sold in Metro Manila is currently at 83.5 percent,” Custodio said.

PH, Japan speeding up subway, rail and flood projects

Philippine and Japanese officials have committed to fast-track the implementation of big-ticket infrastructure projects to be funded by Japan, the Department of Finance (DOF) said Tuesday.

Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III was quoted by the DOF as saying that “significant milestones have been reached in the processing of the jointly agreed project list between the two countries” during the Third Philippines-Japan High-Level Meeting of the Joint Committee on Infrastructure Development and Economic Cooperation held in Tokyo Monday.

To recall, the Philippine and Japanese sides at the second meeting held in Manila in July identified P315.4-billion worth of projects being eyed for financing from Japan.

“Now that our plans have progressed, we intend to lay out specific plans on how to expedite the processing and implementation of the flagship projects,” said Dominguez, who headed the visiting Philippine delegation.

Quoting Dominguez, the DOF said both sides agreed to fast-track their respective project approval processes while also establishing new measures that will allow “more efficient decision making, and swift execution such as in project preparation and formulation, due diligence, procurement process and project implementation including land acquisition and resettlement.”

“Our regular rounds of high-level meetings have brought about significant changes in the way we do things. Needless to say, we hope to continue pushing for improvements in order to accomplish more in less time,” Dominguez said.

Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto M. Pernia had said that eight projects will be pitched for financing by the Japanese government, namely: Cavite Industrial Area Flood Management Project; Circumferential Road 3 Missing Link Project; Dalton Pass East Alignment Alternative Road Project; Malitubog-Maridagao Irrigation Project Phase 2; Malolos-Clark Railway Project; Metro Manila Subway Project Phase 1; Pasig-Marikina Channel Improvement Project (Phase 4); as well as Road Network Development Project in Conflict-Affected Areas in Mindanao.

The National Economic and Development Authority had said that the Philippine and Japanese governments would likely sign the loan commitments for three big-ticket projects when Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visits Manila in November, namely the P230-billion Mega Manila Subway Project-Phase 1 (from Mindanao Avenue to FTI), the P211.5-billion Malolos-Clark International Airport-Clark Green City Rail Project, and the P9.99-billion Cavite Industrial Area Flood Management Project.

During his visit to the Philippines last January, Abe committed up to one trillion yen in official development assistance as well as investments to the Philippines in the next five years.

Meanwhile, after their Japan meetings, the Duterte administration’s economic managers headed by Dominguez will proceed to China for a series of roadshows from Sept. 27 to 29 to firm up Chinese financing for the ambitious “Build, Build, Build” infrastructure program as well as attract investors for the planned “panda” bond sale.

In their Sept. 27 meeting with Chinese ministry officials in Beijing, the economic team will “discuss the progress of the preparations for the Philippines’ big-ticket infrastructure projects that would be partly funded by official development assistance (ODA) from China,” the DOF said.

On Sept. 28, the economic managers will move to Shanghai to brief Chinese business leaders on the Philippine economy, the DOF added.

Also, the DOF quoted Dominguez as saying that “the economic team will also spearhead a non-deal roadshow to entice potential buyers of the Philippines’ panda bond offering, which is tentatively scheduled in the last quarter of the year.”

Dominguez had said they plan to issue $200-million in three- to five-year panda bonds by October or November.

Panda bonds are yuan-denominated debt paper issued in China by foreign governments or companies.

The Monetary Board, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ highest policymaking body, already approved in principle the planned panda bonds issuance, while the Philippine government was in the process of also securing approvals from the People’s Bank of China. /cbb

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EAT BULAGA OBB TEASER

PH, Japan cite measures to fast-track implementation of infra projects

TOKYO – In line with their mutually approved “Fast and Sure” principle, top Philippine and Japanese officials agreed here Monday to further streamline their respective approval processes and introduce new measures to put in the fast lane the implementation of big-ticket infrastructure projects presented by Manila to Tokyo for possible financing.

Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III, who heads the visiting Philippine delegation to the 3rd Philippines-Japan High-Level Meeting of the Joint Committee on Infrastructure Development and Economic Cooperation held here, reported during the session that “significant milestones” have been reached in the processing of the jointly agreed project list between the two countries.

“Now that our plans have progressed, we intend to lay out specific plans on how to expedite the processing and implementation of the flagship projects,” Dominguez said in his opening remarks during the meeting, referring to the infrastructure projects that the Philippines will be implementing in cooperation with Japan.

In their meeting, both panels agreed to speed up their respective project approval processes and come up with additional measures “for more efficient decision making, and swift execution such as in project preparation and formulation, due diligence, procurement process and project implementation including land acquisition and resettlement,” Dominguez said.

Noting that both governments have successfully introduced improvements in their key processes in the past, the meeting allowed both sides to discuss additional measures to streamline processing, including by introducing innovative mechanisms and actions. The Japanese side expressed openness to explore and discuss government to government measures.

Dominguez said the shortening of the processes would depend on the “complexity of the projects,” among other factors.
“Our regular rounds of high-level meetings have brought about significant changes in the way we do things. Needless to say, we hope to continue pushing for improvements in order to accomplish more in less time,” he said.

Dominguez said the close cooperation between the Philippines and Japan “has not only enabled high-level collaboration” in their bilateral meetings “but also technical-level exchanges on the ground.”

Such technical exchanges include a mission dispatched by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for the Metro Manila Subway, and the flood management, irrigation, and road projects as well as the visit of the Philippines’ “Build, Build, Build” team to the construction site of the Shin-Yokohama Subway in Tokyo, Dominguez said.

Apart from Dominguez, the Philippine delegation included Secretary Ernesto Pernia of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), who co-chairs the Philippine side of the high-level infra cooperation meeting; Philippine Ambassador to Japan Jose Laurel V, Secretaries Benjamin Diokno of the Department of Budget Management (DBM), Mark Villar of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Arthur Tugade of the Department of Transportation (DOTr), Alfonso Cusi of the Department of Energy (DOE), National Security Adviser and Director General Hermogenes Esperon, Jose Ruperto Martin Andanar of the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO); and Vivencio Dizon, president-CEO of the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA).

The Japanese side of this high-level meeting was led by Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga and Dr. Hiroto Izumi, who is a special advisor to Prime Minister Shinzo.

The other high Japanese officials present at the meeting were: Koji Haneda, Ambassador-Designate, Embassy of Japan in the Philippines; Director-General Kazuya Nashida, International Cooperation Bureau, Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Director-General Shigeki Takizaki, Southeast and Southwest Asian Affairs Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Deputy Director-General Takashi Miyahara, International Bureau, Ministry of Finance; and Deputy Director-General Kazuhisa Kobayashi, Trade and Economic Cooperation Bureau, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.

‘3-in-1’ streamlined process

Dominguez informed the Japanese officials that on the Philippines’ side, the government recently introduced the “3-in-1” process in which three necessary approvals prior to the signing of any loan agreement for projects funded by Official Development Assistance (ODA) loans will be issued simultaneously during NEDA Board meetings chaired by President Duterte.

Under the streamlined “3-in-1” process, Dominguez said the NEDA Board approval; the issuance of the Special Presidential Authority (SPA) to government officials to negotiate and sign the loan, guarantee or grant agreement for the project; and the Forward Obligational Authority for projects of national government agencies by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) would be issued simultaneously upon the projects’ approval by the NEDA Board.

This “3-in-1” streamlined process will shorten the processing time for loan approvals “by at least two to three months,” according to Dominguez.

In the meeting, the officials from the two countries also continued their discussions on the candidate flagship infra projects, as well as the other jointly agreed pipeline projects, after which “both sides reaffirmed to continue holding expert-level consultations to address issues concerning railway projects to ensure their smooth implementation,” including the planned first phase of the Metro Manila Subway (from Mindanao Avenue, Quezon City to NAIA) and the South Commuter Line (Tutuban, Manila to Los Banos) of the Department of Transportation.

The second high-level infrastructure cooperation meeting between Japan and the Philippines was held last July in Manila, where it was announced that an indicative list of projects with an estimated total cost of P315.4 billion were pipelined for possible Japanese financing.

On top of discussing infrastructure cooperation, the Department of Finance (DOF) said the two sides also exchanged views on the support for Mindanao and other areas of cooperation such as in power and energy, anti-illegal drug measures, public safety and counterterrorism, and information and communications technology.

“Both sides reaffirmed to continue discussions on a mid-and long-term action plan on anti-illegal drug measures and on a document indicating the future direction of the Philippines-Japan cooperation for the next five years, which are targeted to be announced at a future Philippines-Japan summit meeting,” the DOF said.

In the meeting, the Japanese delegation extended Japan’s condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in the crisis in Marawi City, and expressed Japan’s support for the Philippines’ needs for reconstruction and efforts against terrorism.

“The Japanese side also expressed its sincere hope that the situation in Marawi will be restored as soon as possible, and stressed its readiness and willingness to extend necessary assistance for the quick recovery and reconstruction of Marawi and development of Mindanao,” the DOF said.

Also representing the Japanese side at the meeting were: Deputy Commissioner Atsushi Taketani, International Affairs, Agency for Natural Resources and Energy, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry; Director-General Yasuhiro Shinohara, International Affairs, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism; Seiji Takagi, Director-General for International Affairs, Global Strategy Bureau, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications; Kazuhisa Yumikura, Managing Executive Officer, Global Head of Infrastructure and Environment Finance Group, Japan Bank for International Cooperation; Shinya Ejima, Senior Vice President, Japan International Cooperation Agency; Seiji Jige, Managing Executive Officer, Development Bank of Japan; and President & CEO Takuma Hatano, Japan Overseas Infrastructure Investment Corporation for Transport and Urban Development. (DOF-PR)

BREAKTIME Mess transit system

In July last year, Transport Secretary Arthur Tugade promised to fix the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3) along Edsa in the first 100 days of the motorbiking Duterte Harley administration. I almost cried when he vowed to give the public a pleasant ride.

Today, this vital mass transit system in Metro Manila remains a mess. In fact, it was forced to unload passengers some 25 times so far this month due to… well, what else, “technical problems.”

Surprise! Tugade recently confessed he was inclined to hand over MRT-3 to Metro Pacific Investment Corp. (MPIC), a local subsidiary of First Pacific of the Salim group of Indonesia.

According to reports quoting Tugade, MPIC was poised to secure the much coveted “original project proponent” status for MRT-3.

Tugade tried to tone down the shocking news, qualifying that the MPIC proposal would still need approval from the board of the National Economic and Development Authority.

As soon as Duterte Harley came into power more than a year ago, another group called MRTC submitted a similar offer to Tugade. MRTC is Metro Rail Transit Corp., the legal owner of Line 3 under a build-lease-transfer contract with the government.

It seemed MRTC even wrote Tugade FOUR times to inquire about its offer. Still, he sat on the proposal in the past 450 days or so.

All of a sudden, from out of nowhere, for whatever ungodly reason, the blessed MPIC would become the “original” in something that already existed for almost 20 years.

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) must be in need of court cases.

Unfortunately, court cases only put projects in perpetual delay.

By the way, MRTC filed against the clueless Aquino (Part II) administration a couple of arbitration cases in Singapore for alleged violation of contract.

Note that the former administration already recognized the need to acquire ownership of the MRT from MRTC, as provided in Executive Order 126, issued by our ex-leader Benigno Simeon, aka BS, way back in 2013. The government even allotted some P54 billion in the 2014 budget for the purchase.

Nothing happened in the purchase plan, owing perhaps to rumors that the BS administration only wanted to hand over the MRT to another influential group.

And so the service still declined despite the P7 billion a year subsidy from the government. Nobody bothered to use the money to buy spare parts.

Under Tugade, DOTr as early as July last year received an offer from MRTC covering “fast-track” solutions. Immediately, Japanese group Sumitomo, for instance, put in some $50 million to buy parts and deploy at least a hundred engineers.

Sumitomo, by the way, was the “original” maintenance contractor, at that time getting only $1.4 million a month, of which some $900,000 went to spare parts. The previous administration replaced Sumitomo with various companies that reportedly had the same owner but who went on to spend a total of zero for parts.

Anyway, to the guys down here in my barangay, the big issue in any contract would still be its cost to the riding public. Yes, the fare increase!

Meanwhile, the debate still rages on about the cause of its decay, with one side arguing about the flaws in the “original” contract awarded by Kuya Eddie, aka former President Fidel Ramos, to MRTC.

While the argument could be valid, the government would have to go to court to nullify it, which would take time—like, well, forever.

Adding to the mess would be the claim of House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez about the heavy influence of business groups over at the DOTr. Alvarez even threatened to cut the DOTr budget.

Several administrations already promised to bring MRT-3 in tip-top condition. Of course it continued to break down, lately even causing injuries to passengers.

In an earthshaking move, meanwhile, Tugade signed an agreement with a telco to provide free WiFi at the MRT.

Read more: http://business.inquirer.net/237581/mess-transit-system#ixzz4u5mVC4TK 

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Much awaited Piolo-Toni reunion movie

If it’s your last night on earth, what do you intend to do? Or what do you need to do?

“Last Night” is the title of the movie reuniting the tandem of Piolo Pascual and Toni Gonzaga and for the first this, under the direction of Bb. Joyce Bernal. It answers the two questions for the characters they play.

It was in 2014 when Piolo and Toni co-starred in Star Cinema’s Valentine offering and made it a blockbuster at the box-office. In 2005, Toni was first directed by Joyce in the comedy-horror flick “D’Anothers.” In 2007, Direk Joyce megged Piolo and Regine Velasquez in the romantic comedy “Paano Kita Iibigin.”

Definitely, fans of Piolo and Toni are eager to see their idols in “Last Night” where both portray unique roles entirely different from their previous roles. For one, there’s a certain mystery surrounding the story and in Piolo’s mind, it’s a “dangerous” character, in a “dangerous” love story.

Toni, as Carmina, said her character has reached a breaking point. One dark night, she meets Mark (Piolo), a man who has lost everything and like Carmina feels he’s at the end of life.

“Last Night” is based on a screenplay written by actress Bela Padilla who it seems is likely to be more involved these coming days in creative endeavors like writing. She has written a few screenplays and she revealed she would like to be a film director like Bb. Joyce Bernal someday.

Asked if “Last Night” has anything to do with her personal experience, Bela said, “No, this is purely fictional.”

“Last Night” opened in cinemas nationwide yesterday Sept. 27.

• • •

Successful awards night

The 35th Luna (Film Academy) Awards was held recently at the Resorts World Manila Theater. Among the distinguished members of the film industry who graced the event included Imelda Papin, current president of the Actors Guild of the Philippines, legendary actor/director Eddie Garcia, who was the recipient of the Golden Reel Award, and director Cloyd Robinson.

Among the special guests were Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista, Carmen Suva of Manila Bulletin, Christian Bables and many more. Also spotted at the event was actor-model-businessman Tony Boy dela Rea who came with his friends Joy Conde Cruz, former Miss Republic of the Philippines, and Lea Wells.

The other awardees included Bembol Roco, Best Actor, Jun Lana, Best Director. Posthumous awards were also given to the late Lolita Rodriguez, Mario O’Hara and Bibsy Carballo.

The program was hosted by Barbie Atienza.

• • •

Tidbits: Happy b-day greetings today, Sept. 28, go to civic leader Charing Villar, Capt. Jude Ejercito, Ma. Veronica Ongkeko, Ben de Jesus, Remedios Lopez-Agpaoa, Ma. Theresa Gonda, Julie Meresen, Kris Paredes, Teng Cruz, Mina Paras, Ma. Elisa Buenaobra Reyes, Socorro Beech, Corrie Castillo, Joshua Medina, Derrick Cojuangco, Godella Valdez Palco of Maasin City, Southern Leyte, Lincoln Garcia, Mrs. Socorro Beech, Rose V. Palacio, MJ Felipe and Jeizzel Ongkeko…Happy wedding anniversary to Jonas and Cheryl Peralta…Sept. 29: Eggie Apostol, Ng Tam Meng, Hans Sy, Laly Aldeguer, Boysie Villavicencio, Richard Ching, Melissa Cuevas, Richard Ching, Baby Fortuna, Ng Tam Meng, Debbie Enriquez, Rosalinda Ramos, Villa Granada-de Guia, Maridel Fernandez, Michelle Grace Reyes, Jenna Rose Salosa, Marie Dimapilis, Alí Ruiz III and GMA’s Mike Enriquez…