Thursday, September 14, 2017

SM to open 'premier' mall in Puerto Princesa

SM Prime Holdings said Wednesday it would open this week a "premiere" mall in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan as it continues its local expansion.

The 54,000-square meter, resort-themed SM City Puerto Princesa will be the developer's 64th mall, the company owned by the country's richest man, Henry Sy, said.

SM has used the "premier" tag to indicate upscale retail. It recently opened SM CDO Downtown Premier in Cagayan de Oro City and operates SM Lanang Premier in Davao City.

The flagship premier mall, SM Aura, is located in the Fort Bonifacio commercial district in the capital. Another high-end retail complex, S Maison, is located within the company's Conrad Hotel.

SM City Puerto Princesa will open on Friday with 80 percent of space lease-awarded, the company said.

TROs seen restraining PHL economic potential

PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte assumed his post with a warning against the courts’ unwarranted issuance of injunction orders that tend to delay government projects.

In his second State of the Nation Address in July, Duterte even wrongly called on the country’s Supreme Court to lift the temporary restraining order (TRO) against the distribution of contraceptives provided under the Reproductive Health (RH) Law.

It has been two years, according to Duterte, since the government purchased medicines for the law’s implementation. The country’s chief executive blamed the TRO for tying the hands of government in distributing the medicines.

The medicines, he said, will expire this month and puts to waste P350 million worth of taxpayers’ money.

These views of Duterte, a former prosecutor for Davao City, were clarified by no other than Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno. Sereno said the Court never issued a TRO against the implementation of the RH law but merely against two specific contraceptives regulated under the law: Implanon and Impanon NXT.

She added that the lifting of the TRO against the two implants no longer depends on the Court but on the required certification from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The FDA must in effect certify these contraceptives are not abortifacient.

With regard to government projects, Duterte lamented that losing bidders would usually seek redress from the courts through a petition for a TRO or injunction. He said the latter has resulted in the delay of the implementation of these projects.

“For the courts especially, I would like to address myself to the Court of Appeal[s], to the court and all the courts, do not make it a habit to issue injunctions, particularly on government projects. That would cause trouble between us,” Duterte said in one of his speeches.

However, under Republic Act 8975, only the Supreme Court can issue injunctions on “national government infrastructure, engineering works and service contracts.”

TROs, telcos

JUST two months after the President assumed his post in June 2016, a TRO was issued by the Court of Appeals enjoining the Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) from reviewing the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) and Globe Telecom Inc.’s P70-billion buyout deal of the telecommunications assets of San Miguel Corp. (SMC).

The PCC, in its letters dated June 7 and June 17, 2016, ordered the preacquisition review and investigation of the acquisition made by PLDT and Globe of all the issuing and outstanding shares and assets of Vega Telecom Inc. (VTI), a subsidiary of SMC.

Pursuant to the sale and purchase agreement executed on May 30, 2016, for an agreed purchase price of P52,080,764,982 under a deferred payment scheme (the sum of P26,040,382,490 was paid upon the execution of the contract, P13,020,191,246 to be paid on December 1, 2016, and P13,020,191,246 to be paid on May 30, 2017).

Both listed firms PLDT and Globe purchased on an equal sharing or 50-50 basis the entire issued and outstanding shares of VTI’s stocks.

Thumbed down

THE CA also turned down the motion for reconsideration filed by the PCC seeking the lifting of the TRO in a resolution issued in March.

Instead, the CA issued a gag order directing all the parties in the case to cease and desist from issuing public comments and statements that would violate the sub judice rule and subject them to indirect contempt of the court.

It also directed the PCC to remove immediately from its website its Preliminary Statement of Concern (PSOC). The latter contained an initial finding that the deal “is likely to substantially prevent, restrict and lessen competition” within the telco industry.

The PCC earlier claimed that the deal would likely discourage potential competition in retail mobile, reduce options for wholesale customers of mobile services and fixed broadband services and allow collusion between PLDT and Globe.

Risk increase

PRIOR to the gag order issued by the CA, the PCC earlier said the deal is too risky to be sealed.

“This setup increases the risk associated with cartel-like behavior,” said the PCC, an independent, quasi-judicial body formed to implement the Philippine Competition Act.

Despite the impasse, Globe Telecom Head of Corporate Communications Yolly Crisanto assured that the company continues to find ways and means to improve its services.

“We are on track in terms of our rollout commitment to the government. To date, we have more than 1,300 sites using the 700-megahertz (Mhz) spectrum, and our LTE deployment across the country has reached 4,800 sites,” Crisanto said. “As the leader in mobile, we will continue to advocate for first-world Internet experience in the Philippines.”

She also appealed to the government to assist the telco industry in addressing issues that hamper the efficient delivery of its services.

“Having said these, we call on the government to help the sector with regard to the permitting issues that continue to plague our industry.”

Supply options

ON February 21, 2016, the SC issued a TRO enjoining the implementation of the retail competition and open access (RCOA) policy implemented by the Department of Energy (DOE) and Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) in the power industry through DOE Circular DC2015-06-0010, Series of 2015, and Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) Resolutions 5, 10, 11 and 28, Series of 2016.

The TRO was issued based on the petition the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI), Ateneo de Manila University, San Beda College (Alabang) and mall owner Riverbanks Development Corp. questioning the constitutionality of the new DOE regulations requiring big power consumers to source their electricity supply from any of the 23 retail electricity suppliers (RES) designated by ERC.

The PCCI argued that the RCOA has violated the basic constitutional right to freedom of choice of electricity consumers as it deprived them of the right to choose RES outside ERC’s listed firms.

It stressed that the new regulations do not actually open the power industry nor do they create a fair competition.

They explained that imposing mandatory contestability to electricity consumers would limit their choice of suppliers as it prohibits distribution utilities from participating in the contestable market even if the distribution utilities can offer the lowest price to consumers.

Petitioners also lamented that new regulations abandoned a previous policy allowing distribution utilities and their retail supply units from competing for large consumers in the contestable market.

As a result, the new policy limited choices of large power consumers from the list of retail suppliers deemed qualified by the ERC.

These arguments, however, were contradicted by various stakeholders and consumer groups who claimed that the TRO would actually promote monopolization.

Among these groups are the National Association of Electricity Consumers for Reforms (Nasecore), Action for Consumerism and Transparency in Nation Building (Action) and Bayan Muna (literally “country first”) Partylist Rep. Neri Colmenares.

They argued that without RCOA, “certain industry players will be able to monopolize and abuse the electricity market.”

They insisted that the new DOE and ERC regulations are valid and reasonable regulatory measures geared toward the promotion of the purposes of the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001 (Epira), which is to promote true market competition and prevent harmful monopoly and market power abuse in the electric power industry.

Bayan Muna, on the other hand, argued that delaying or stopping open access works in favor of big distributors such as Meralco, “who incidentally also owns power-generation companies,”

Energy Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi has noted that the TRO would have a big impact on the desire of the government to provide power consumers freedom of choice as to which power provider they prefer to deal with.

“The spirit of the RCOA is giving the consumers the freedom of choice which would result in higher productivity for them. And the power of choice can only be maximized when there is a level playing field for all suppliers,” Cusi earlier said.

The Philippine Independent Power Producers Association (Pippa) has also called for the SC to lift the TRO. The group insists that the RCOA is mandated by the Epira, but implemented only in 2013.

The Pippa explained that the RCOA is aimed at institutionalizing competition in the supply of electricity, allowing the electricity end-users to choose their suppliers based on low price and other factors.

The TRO, it said, would effectively put on hold some aspects of the RCOA, specifically the timeline for lowering of thresholds. The RCOA allows electricity end-users with at least one megawatt of peak demand to choose their suppliers.

End-users can choose between 23 retail electricity suppliers designated by the ERC.

It was supposed to take effect on February 26, but was derailed due to the issuance of the TRO by the SC.

Common station

MEANWHILE, it has been three years since the Supreme Court issued a TRO in connection with the construction of the common station interconnecting LRT Taft and the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) Edsa.

The Court also directed the Regional Trial Court of Pasay City to hear and resolve with dispatch the damage suit filed by SM Prime Holdings Inc. (SMPHI) against the Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) and the Department of Communications and Transportation (DOTC).

The SC has refused to lift the TRO despite pleas from the LRTA and the DOTC, now called the Department of Transportation, or DOTr.

The TRO specifically stopped the LRTA and DOTC from proceeding with the transfer of the common station in front of The Annex at SM City North Edsa to the new site in front of TriNoma Mall on North Avenue, Quezon City.

In its petition, SM Prime assailed the decision of the DOTC and LRTA to build the common station interconnecting the LRT Taft, the Metro Rail Transit-Edsa and the forthcoming MRT 7 in front of the TriNoma Mall, which is being operated by the Ayala Corporation.

The petition claimed that the move was in violation of a memorandum of agreement it signed with LRTA on September 28, 2009, to construct the same in front of SM City North Edsa.

SMPHI and LRTA entered into a memorandum of agreement (MOA) on September 28, 2009, for the construction of the common station in front of SM City North Edsa, Quezon City. On October 16, 2009, SMPHI paid and delivered to LRTA P200 million to help finance the cost of the construction of the common station.

However, the DOTC, through its Special Bids and Awards Committee, subsequently declared the change of site of the common station’s location.

The Court held that it “cannot turn a blind eye” to the serious implications of a change in the location of the common station.

It added that “it is to the benefit of the common good that the issue of the legality and propriety of the transfer of the common station be threshed out in proper proceedings before work on the common station be allowed to commence as such work cannot be undone without great, perhaps even immeasurable, cost to the public.”

It noted that the issue involved is a priority infrastructure project of the national government within the strategic framework of the transportation sector.

The Court noted that petitioner SMPHI has shown that it had entered into a MOA with the LRTA wherein the primary consideration for petitioner’s grant to the government of P200 million as assistance in the construction of the common station was the previous official determination of the government agencies involved, the LRTA included, that the location of said common station shall be in front of the SM City North Edsa mall.

It further noted that respondents LRTA and DOTC neither deny the existence of this MOA nor claim that the same has been terminated or rescinded, nor do they disclaim that the DOTC intends to transfer the site of the common station to the front of the TriNoma Mall.

Under the MOA, among others, the common station “shall forever bear and include in its final name ‘SM North Edsa.’”

Likewise, SM shall “be allowed to construct, maintain and operate a walkway/bridgeway on its own property, which shall interconnect the common station with the pertinent level of SM City North Edsa.”

The parties initially carried out the construction design of the common station, including the bridgeway that will interconnect the common station and SM City North Edsa, and the government even started the bored piling works in front of SM.

However, construction stopped with neither the LRTA nor the DOTC informing the SMPHI of the reasons for such action.

SMPHI said its repeated requests for updates were ignored. The company said it later learned from news reports regarding DOTC’s plans to change the location of the common station.

Following DOTC’s formal declaration of the change of site of the common station’s location, SMPHI instituted a civil action before the Pasay RTC and, later, sought a TRO with the High Court.

Govt to return MRT trains to China

BY JEFFERSON ANTIPORDA, TMT ON SEPTEMBER 14, 2017

THE Department of Transportation (DOTr) will return all 48 new light rail coaches procured by the previous administration from Dalian Locomotive and Rolling Stocks Co. for P3.8 billion if a third party qualifier will conclude that the trains are unusable, according to Undersecretary Cesar Chavez.

The agency had sent letters to four international certifiers asking them to study the coaches and determine whether they could be used by the Metro Rail Transit (MRT).

Chavez said they expect to get the analysis by the end of the year.

“We expect the results after three months from the notice to proceed and therefore before the end of the year we will know if we will return the coaches to China,” he said.

The coaches were procured under former Transportation and Communications Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya as part of the MRT3 capacity expansion project. Although Dalian delivered the coaches in 2016, not one has been used because of issues on the signaling system and compatibility.

Chavez said the option for the department is to return the coaches to China and have the supplier fix all the issues.

“They have to fix them. The contract states that coaches that would be delivered should be compatible with the existing depot facilities,” he added.

Senator Grace Poe welcomed the department’s decision to get an independent audit of the China-made trains.

“An independent auditor should come in,” she said, pointing out that should the government returns the light rail vehicles to China, “the Philippines will not be faulted without legitimate reasons behind it.”

Poe said it was very clear that the previous administration bought trains that were not compatible with the MRT facility.

The MRT-3 rails can carry a maximum of 48,000 kilograms (kgs), but the Dalian trains weigh heavier at 49,000 kgs per coach, which may put a strain on the rails.

Chavez said out of the P3.8-billion contract cost, only P800 million have so far been paid by the Philippine government.

DoTr Secretary Arthur Tugade said they are reviewing documents and currently building up cases against those involved in the fiasco.

“We should learn a lesson from this. This is about who should be accountable. We should file cases against those people,” said Poe, who heads the Senate committee on public services.

Sen. Joseph Victor Ejercito, vice chair of the public services committee, said the riding public still have to wait for months before they could get relief from the glitches that have been bugging the rail system.

NEDA OKs subway, 4 other projects

By ANGELA CELIS and MYLA IGLESIAS

The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Board approved the Metro Manila Subway Project (MMSP) and four new flagship projects during its fifth meeting on Tuesday.

This brings the administration’s total number of approved projects to 35.

“The approval and eventual completion of these projects will pave the way for us to achieve our mid-term and long-term goals as a country and a nation,” Ernesto Pernia, socioeconomic planning secretary, said.

The first phase of the Department of Transportation’s (DOTr) MMSP, with an estimated initial investment requirement of P355.6 billion, will run from Mindanao avenue in Quezon City to Food Terminal Inc. in Taguig and terminate at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in ParaƱaque City.



“The MMSP’s first phase will significantly improve Metro Manila’s transportation system, air quality, and productivity, thereby reducing the P2.4 billion economic loss the country incurs daily due to heavy traffic,” Pernia said.

In a separate statement, the DOTr said it is set to start the construction of the MMSP by the fourth quarter of 2018.

Cesar Chavez, DOTr undersecretary for railways, said the department, together with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), scheduled the groundbreaking for the MMSP in the latter quarter next year, and will push for partial operations in 2022 and full operations by 2025.

“(Transportation) secretary Arthur Tugade has been working closely with JICA in order to expedite the completion of the project and allow the public to enjoy the benefits of a subway system earlier,” Chavez said.

Apart from a world-class design, the subway system will have water-stop panels, doors, and high-level entrance for flood prevention, earthquake detection, and a train stop system, just like the subways in Tokyo.

The country’s first subway system will be financed via official development assistance, with an interest of 0.10 percent per annum, payable in 40 years, inclusive of a grace period of 12 years.

The signing of the loan commitment by Japan is scheduled in November when Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe meets with President Rodrigo Duterte during the Asean Summit.

Meanwhile, the other new projects approved by the NEDA Board include the Improving Growth Corridors in Mindanao Road Sector Project.

The project, worth P21.19 billion through a loan from the Asian Development Bank, involves the upgrading of seven roads and the widening of a 40-kilometer road segment with slope protection.

Construction is set to begin late this year and end in the fourth quarter of 2020. The three Tawi-Tawi bridges under the project werelikewise conditionally approved.

Also included is the Binondo-Intramuros and Estrella-Pantaleon Bridges Construction Project worth P5.97 billion.

The former involves the construction of a new four-lane bridge and viaduct, while the Estrella-Pantaleon bridge involves the replacement of the existing two-lane bridge with a four-lane bridge and widening of the approach roads.

Construction of the bridges is set to begin fourth quarter this year and end in the fourth quarter of 2020 with grants from the Government of China.

The NEDA Board also approved the Lower Agno River Irrigation System Improvement Project, which involves the development of a 12,650-hectare service area that will benefit 10,372 farmers in seven municipalities in Pangasinan, Nueva Ecija, and Tarlac.

The project, to cost P3.5 billion, will be funded by the national government. Implementation will be from January 2018 to December 2021.

Last is the Infrastructure Preparation and Innovation Facility by the Department of Finance which seeks to directly support the Department of Public Works and Highways and the DOTr in delivering more effective and innovative infrastructure projects, by accelerating the approval process and ensuring the timely, high-quality procurement and implementation of projects.

Ayala Land's 'next BGC' Arca South to take shape by 2019

The real estate firm is applying the lessons learned from Bonifacio Global City as it develops another mixed-use estate in Taguig City

Arca South, Ayala Land's next flagship development which it bills as a "new Bonifacio Global City (BGC)," will start to really come into its own by 2019, according to the real estate firm.

"The year 2019 will be a big year for Arca South. We are really trying to get the best learnings from [Ayala Land's] experience in building BGC and transfer it to this [new development]," said Ayala Land Premier (ALP) managing director Joseph Carmichael Jugo in a press briefing on Tuesday, September 12.

The P80-billion, 74-hectare Arca South is located along the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) in Taguig City, at the old Food Terminal Incorporated (FTI) property.

Planned features of the mixed-use estate include 3 residential projects targeting different demographics, and 6 office buildings targeted toward business process outsourcing (BPO) companies. The offices will have around 15,000 square meters (sqm) of leasable space.

Ayala's own Seda Hotel will also rise at Arca South, offering 265 rooms.

There will also be a mall and lifestyle complex, which will feature 72,000 sqm of leasable space as well as open areas.

Much of the residential as well as office and commercial areas are expected to be completed in 2019.

"Unlike BGC where some of the components of developing the city came first, such as residential buildings, before being followed by malls and commercial developments, here we are taking all of our learnings and having all of our key anchors coming together at around the same time," Jugo explained.

Arca South will also feature a transport terminal dubbed the South Integrated Transport System. This is a public-private partnership (PPP) project set for 2018 which will connect provincial buses to auxiliary transport throughout Metro Manila.

Early interest

Arca South is being positioned as a cheaper alternative to BGC. Its targeted demographics include young couples in their late 30s as well as foreigners, due to its proximity to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).

According to Jugo, interest has been strong even at this early stage. One indication of this, he pointed out, has been the sales of Ayala Land Premier's Arbor Lanes, the high-end residential offering at Arca South.

"Sales of the 3.5-hectare, 5 low-rise-tower, garden-themed development has hit P3.9 billion so far this year and is up 46% compared to last year," Jugo said.

"We were quite surprised, as a lot of expectation this year was placed on ALP's other project, Park Central Towers [in the Makati Central Business District], but Arbor Lanes actually beat it in terms of sales," he added, noting that it would surpass its full-year sales target of P4.5 billion by the 3rd quarter of this year.

Currently, about 74% of the 3 Arbor Lanes towers being constructed is sold out. The average price range is from P160,000 per sqm to P220,000 per sqm, including tax and parking.

Units in the 1st Arbor Lanes building are scheduled to be turned over by the 1st quarter of 2018, the 2nd building by the 2nd quarter of 2019, and the 3rd building by the 3rd quarter of 2021.

Construction of the 4th building is slated to begin in the 3rd quarter of 2018, while construction of the 5th and final building will follow 6 months after.

"From a price appreciation point of view, in less than a year prices have increased by an average of 18%," Jugo said. "It will go from strength to strength because the more we near 2019 and more of the [Arca South] development is completed, the stronger its pull will be."

Mega Manila Subway to start construction next year – NEDA

The board of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) has approved the first phase of the Japan-funded Mega Manila Subway Project scheduled to begin construction next year.

NEDA said its board agreed with the recommendation of the Investment Coordination Cabinet Committee (ICC-Cabcom) to extend the subway to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) and hasten the completion of the project even if it entails higher cost.

The first phase of the subway has an estimated initial investment requirement of P355.588 billion, up from the original cost assumption of P227 billion. It will run from Mindanao Avenue in Quezon City through FTI in Taguig and end at NAIA in ParaƱaque City.



This project will be financed by official development assistance (loan) coursed through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) which will bear an interest rate of 0.10 percent per annum payable in 40 years, with a grace period of 12 years.

Construction is slated next year, with partial operations scheduled in 2022 and full operations by 2025.

Having the subway will decongest traffic on EDSA and connect major business centers in Metro Manila to the premiere international gateway, Socioeconomic Planning Secretary and NEDA director general Ernesto Pernia said.

“The MMSP (Mega Manila Subway Project) will significantly improve Metro Manila’s transportation system, air quality and productivity, thereby reducing the P2.4-billion economic loss the country incurs daily due to heavy traffic,” he said.

Also approved in the board meeting late Tuesday are four new flagship projects, bringing the total number of approved projects to 35 valued at $1.2 trillion.

These projects include: Improving Growth Corridors in Mindanao Road Sector Project, which would be handled by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH). This project worth P21.19 billion will be financed through a loan from Manila-based Asian Development Bank (ADB). This involves upgrading seven roads and the widening a 40-kilometer road segment with slope protection. Construction is set to begin late this year and end in the fourth quarter of 2020. The three Tawi-Tawi bridges under the project was likewise conditionally approved.

The Binondo-Intramuros and Estrella-Pantaleon Bridges Construction Project, also to be undertaken by the DPWH, are worth a total P5.97 billion. The Binondo-Intramuros Bridge involves the construction of a new four-lane bridge and viaduct. The Estrella-Pantaleon Bridge, meanwhile, involves the replacement of the existing two-lane bridge with a four-lane bridge and widening of the approach roads. Construction of the bridges is set to begin in the fourth quarter this year and end in the fourth quarter of 2020, financed with grants from China.

The Lower Agno River Irrigation System Improvement Project of the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) is valued at P3.5 billion. The project involves the development of a 12,650 hectare service area that will benefit 10,372 farmers in seven municipalities in Pangasinan, Nueva Ecija and Tarlac. It will be funded by the national government and will be implemented from January 2018 to December 2021.

The Infrastructure Preparation and Innovation Facility of the Department of Finance will directly support the DPWH and Department of Transportation (DOTr) in delivering more effective and innovative infrastructure projects by accelerating the approval process and ensuring the timely, high-quality procurement and implementation of projects.

“The approval and eventual completion of these projects will pave the way for us to achieve our mid-term and long-term goals as a country and a nation,” said Pernia.

The highest policy-making and coordinating body of the executive branch also approved changes to previously approved projects.

The NEDA board fixed the project cost for the Philippine National Railway-South Line of the DOTr to P299.4 billion, to be funded by ODA. The project is envisioned to be the transportation backbone of Southern Luzon and is expected to improve the connectivity of major airports and seaports. The South Line consists of a commuter line and long haul. The 72-kilometer commuter line will have 23 stations from Solis-Hermosa in Manila to Los BaƱos in Laguna. The long haul line, meanwhile, will run from Laguna to Bicol.

The board likewise extended the ADB loan validity for the Road Improvement and Institutional Development Project by the DPWH up to Dec. 30, 2019.

The cost for the Cebu Bus Rapid Transit Project of the DOTr was also raised to P16.30 billion from P10.61 billion due to changes in land valuation following the enactment of the Right of Way Act and foreign exchange rate differentials.

The change in mode of implementation for the Clark International Airport Expansion Project of the Bases Conversion and Development Authority, to the build-operate-transfer scheme was also approved.

http://www.philstar.com/business/2017/09/14/1738772/mega-manila-subway-start-construction-next-year-neda

‘Road To Ultra’ heads back to SM MOA

Ultra Worldwide, one of the world’s top international music festival brand, stages anew “Road To Ultra Philippines” on Sept. 15 at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Presented by Blackwater and Ovation Productions, the one-night Electronic Dance Music (EDM) all-star event is headlined by Hardwell and German hitmaker Zedd. Supporting them are Getter and Rezz, two of the fastest-rising stars in electronic dance music who are making their debut performance here, together with Sam Feldt.


The annual EDM event was recently voted the world’s No. 1 music festival by DJ Magazine for the second consecutive year.


• • •


Alumni homecoming


The University of the Philippines (UP) held recently its grand alumni homecoming at the Bahay ng Alumni with the theme “Itanghal ang Dangal.”


Among the distinguished alumni who attended the event were former Vice President Jejomar Binay, former Senator Manny Villar and wife Senator Cynthia Villar, Justice Antonio Carpio, Manila Hotel president Atty. Joey and Mrs. Lina, Ramon and Puri Laconico of the Bayanihan Philippine Dance Company, Dr. Ramon Gustilo of Makati Medical Center, Atty. Renato Valdecantos, Dr. Edelina dela Paz, and businessman Tony Boy dela Rea.


As a UP scholar many years ago, Tony Boy was a member of the UP Repertory, led then by the late Behn Cervantes. He was also part of the Campus Crusade for Christ and the International Club of UP. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Theater Arts, major in Acting, cum laude. He also took up voice at the UP Conservatory of Music then under Professor Fides Cuyugan Asensio.


• • •



Tidbits: Happy b-day greetings today, Sept. 14, go to former Sen. Santanina T. Rasul, Edu Manzano, Josefino Cenizal, Gen. Avelino Razon, Dr. Editha Tan, Ryan Sy, Patrick Garcia, Patchot Mapa, Cecille Ferrer, Luis “Tito” Manapat, Violy Chua, Lynnie Yu, Grace Pizarro-Espiritu, Tessie Gabriel, Ivanhoe Yorac, Rose Rael, Oliver Cucio Rivera, Jennifer Fuentespina, Albert Bautista of Los Angeles, Patricia “Tisha” Espiritu, Erwin Ching, Gloria P. Manamao, Analyn Melgaso, Brigette Meggie N. Clarino, Tyron Perez, Inigo Pascual, Jovaliza Balanlay, Lucio Co, ABS-CBN business unit head Lui Andrada and YES’s magazine’s Joan Maglipon MarceloSept. 15: RB Chanco, pianist-composer Emy Munji, Ms. Dulce Baybay of ABS-CBN Foundation, soprano Jo Gomez, US-based Cheri Querol-Moreno and Francis Valderrama, Bobby Martino, Gani and Ruby Ann Buenaflor, Nick Ablaza, Nina Ramos, Geraldine R. Tan, JR Pajaro, Marichi Nabong, Sonny M. Ola, Dolores Banaria, Mabel V. Ferrer, Jazmine Angelo, Jim Montes Mamaril, Irma Bazerghi, Evelyn Fuentebella and award-winning director Wenn Deramas… Belated birthday greetings to Christelle Gayle Padilla, Princess Reybon and Jean Magat (Sept. 13) and Lindsey Mar Laquiao (Sept. 8)...

CAAP begins expansion of GenSan airport

By Joseph Jubelag

General Santos City- The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) has begun the expansion of the city’s airport in a bid to upgrade its facilities and make it at par with international standards.

Engr. Rex Obcena, local airport manager, said the Department of Transportation (DOTr) had allocated some R1 billion for the expansion of the airport facilities here including the construction of  an airport terminal building and navigational aids and other amenities of the airport.

He said the construction started last month which covered the renovation of the main building and expansion of the front ramp.

“Construction works for the upgrading of the airport commenced without disrupting the operation of the airport,” Obcena said.

The airport official gave a briefing on Tuesday to members of the City Council on the status of the renovation of the city’s airport and upgrading of its navigational aids amid public clamor for the improvement of the city’s airport facilities.

Local officials here had earlier asked the DOTr to provide funds for the upgrading of the city’s airport which was constructed in 1992.

Obcena said the upgrading of the airport is expected to be completed by 2019.

Once the face-lifting of the airport is completed, Obcena said the city’s airport can accommodate international and evening  flight schedules.

Obcena said some airline companies had already committed to open flights from the city to international destinations within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

“We hope to invite international airline companies to open routes in Gensan once our city airport is upgraded to international standards,” Obcena said.

Dominguez favors selling government interest in MRT 3

If the decision was left entirely in the hands of the finance secretary, current portfolio holder Carlos G. Dominguez III on Wednesday said he would sell the government’s stake in the rickety claptrap known as the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT 3).

He told financial reporters rider experience in those times when the public sector held sway at the 16.9-kilometer-long rail line had been anything but pleasant and that buying out the private equity holders to try to make amends to the hundreds of thousands of riders that use the line everyday does not seem the proper thing to do.

“You know, that is certainly one option, but, if you look at the entire system, most of the other parts of the system are already privately owned. So, it doesn’t seem to make a lot of sense if we buy only one part of it while the rest is owned by people in the private sector. It doesn’t seem to make a lot of sense to do that. It may look a little better if the old system is really operated by the private sector.

“You’ve seen how the government operated it. It was not a sterling example of public service,” Dominguez said.

Dominguez acknowledged the Department of Finance (DOF) even now aims to arrive at an agreement with the Department of Transportation (DOTr) on the prospective full privatization of the rail line spanning the length of Edsa from North Avenue to Taft Avenue in Pasay City.

He said the DOF would defer to Transport ation Secretary Arthur P. Tugade on by the matter of the MRT 3, as that responsibility falls mainly with the agency.

“[This is] really under them. We are involved only because we own shares, and they owe us money through the bonds. Whatever the DOTr decides to do operationally will have effects on our financial position,” Dominguez said.

In August, Metro Pacific Investments Corporation (MPIC) Chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan bared plans to buy out the MRT 3 from its owners, pointing out that the move will go a long way in terms of proper maintenance on railway assets.

Companies who own MRT 3 stakes include: Astoria Investments, Anglo Philippine Holdings, Railco Investments, Metro Global Holdings Corporation, and Sheridan LRT Holdings. The privately held MRT Corporation (MRTC) is signatory to the build-lease-transfer agreement with the MRT 3.

“We are going to come up with a common decision. We had several meetings already with the DOTr, and we are moving toward coming to a common position. By the way, this does not Manny Pangilinan only. There are other parties involved here,” Dominguez said.

The government has a 77-percent economic interest in MRTC through Land Bank of the Philippines  and the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP).

On Monday the DBP said it was open to selling its interest in MRT  3. According to DBP President and CEO Cecilia Borromeo, unloading the bank’s MRT 3 interests is in its books.

In July the MPIC,  in partnership with Ayala Corp. and Macquarie Infrastructure Holdings Philippines Private Limited, formally submitted an unsolicited proposal.

The MRT 3 is maintained by Busan Universal Rail Inc., while the system’s rail replacement is handled by the government.