Puregold gets SEC approval to merge with 3 grocery chains

Puregold said Monday it received regulatory approval to merge with the 3 grocery chains it recently acquired.

The Securities and Exchange Commission allowed Puregold to to merge with Daily Commodities, First Lane Super Traders and Goldtempo Company, which together own 17 stores in the provinces of Rizal, Bulacan, Aurora and Cabanatuan City, the company told the stock exchange.

"The company intends to consolidate all stores catering to the same market group into one company," Puregold said.

Puregold has 352 stores nationwide as of end September.

Shares of the company rose 2.39 percent to P49.20 on Monday.

Mitsubishi Corporation Awarded Contract to Supply Rolling Stock for Manila LRT Line-1 in the Philippines

Mitsubishi Corporation (MC) is being awarded the contract to supply new rolling stock for Manila Light Rail Transit (LRT) Line-1 by the Department of Transportation of the Republic of the Philippines. The contract amount of approximately 30 billion yen is being funded under a Japanese ODA Loan Agreement signed between the governments of Japan and the Philippines. MC will supply rolling stock manufactured by Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles, S.A. (CAF), Spain's largest rolling stock manufacturer, while equipment installed on the rolling stock will adopt Japanese technology and products. A total of 120 cars (or 30 train sets) will be supplied over a period from the end of 2020 to the beginning of 2022.

LRT Line-1 is a 20-kilometer elevated metro line connecting north and south Metro Manila, with a 12-kilometer extension further South to Cavite Province now under construction. Around these areas, there has been increasing passenger traffic due to the development of the city. The rolling stock to be supplied by MC will enhance the capacity of the LRT to accommodate increasing passenger numbers, and will contribute to reducing both traffic congestion and air pollution, which are particularly severe in Metro Manila.

No electrical or mechanical defects found in MRT-3 ‘decoupling’–NBI

THE National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) said on Wednesday that there were no mechanical or electrical defects that may have led to the decoupling incident at the Metro Rail Transit-3 (MRT-3) in November, an official said.

“Initially, ang findings namin ay walang defect as far as the mechanical aspects are concerned,” said lawyer Joel Tovera, NBI chief of the Special Action Unit.

The decoupling incident happened on November 16 when the third car of a train headed northbound got detached from the two front cars between the Ayala and Buendia stations, leaving behind 140 passengers.

Although no one was reportedly injured, the passengers were forced to walk on the railway toward the Buendia Station.

Tavera added that they would look deeper into the possibility of human intervention.

The five mechanical and electrical defects that could cause a decoupling were:

1. Lack of current transmission
2. Short circuits
3. Scorched cables
4. Chafed cables
5. Faulty alignment

“We are not discounting the possibility na may sabotahe nga. But we cannot divulge the names of the persons of interest,” Tavera said.

Resigned Transportation Undersecretary Cesar Chavez said that the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and the MRT would not intervene with the results of the investigation.

“We thank the NBI for immediately forming a team of investigators (for the operation). DOTr and MRT will no longer make any statement regarding the investigation,” Chavez said.

He raised the possibility of sabotage after initial investigation on November 22 revealed that the Messma Card or the black box of the decoupled coach was missing.

The black box is responsible for “recording all applied interventions” such as the speed and performance of the train.

MRT-3 Director for Operations Mike Capati added that there would be more investigations before the year ends.

“The result of the reported readings of the Messma card will also be evaluated by the forensic experts para makumpleto ang investigation [so that the investigation would be completed],” he said.

Ownership structure keeps MRT 3 derailed

Part One

Politicians have a way of muddling problems confronting the nation such that they themselves often end up unable to provide doable and lasting solutions.

The most glaring of these pressing problems is that of the country’s light rail line system that traverses the stretch of Edsa. The grandstanding, bickering and publicity stunts of this administration’s officials will not result in saving the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) Line 3 from sinking deeper into a political quicksand.

It’s a total mess out there. Just recently and for the second time, commuters found themselves traveling with one of the coaches’ doors wide open. This was just days after a coach got detached, which forced passengers to walk under the scorching heat to the train’s nearest station. The worst MRT accident was in August 2014, when the train overshot the tracks at the Taft Avenue Station. Several commuters and pedestrians were injured, and at least nine people were brought to the nearest hospitals.

Every day, riders have to endure long lines, excruciatingly hot travel, dilapidated elevators and escalators, overpowering stench wafting from unkept toilets. Obviously, the situation is unacceptable. The country’s light rail system was meant to ease traffic and bring travelers another choice of commuting convenience, not take them on a hellish ride.

So why is it that MRT 3 is in such a disarray, while LRT Lines 1 and 2 are just doing just fine?

I’ll go straight to the point: The government, through the Department of Transportation (DOTr) runs the system that it doesn’t own, while paying MRT Corp. (MRTC) fail-safe, prearranged monthly fees.

MRTC, not the government, is supposed to be accountable for the maintenance and procurement of new trains. Let me make it clearer. Aside from ensuring regular and efficient upkeep of the system, MRTC as the owner is obliged to forecast growth in passenger volume and do proactive measures to meet passenger demand.

MRT 3 has already been operating beyond capacity since 2004. Why has the problem not been addressed yet? Chalk it up to politicking, the blame game and handwashing.

The MRT 3 was designed as a build-lease-transfer project (BLT). The private-sector exponent was a complex and perplexing mist of corporate entities. Let me just zero in on the MRTC (the signatory to the MRT agreement), which, in turn, is owned by Robert Sobrepeña and his MRT Holdings of the Fil-Estate Group of Cos. and Manuel Agustines of the Ramcar Group of Cos. In the BLT covenant, the private component is tasked to design, build and hand back the system to the government. The government runs the system and pays MRTC monthly rentals.

Unfortunately, the Agustineses and Sobrepeñas were hit by financial troubles. To get themselves out of their respective financial ruts, they brought in the Ayala Group to put up another company, MRT 3 Funding Corp. (MRTFC). The new entity issued asset-backed bonds (guaranteed rental payments), which were then sold to private corporations.

By 2007, during former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s administration, the government encountered difficulties meeting its monthly rentals. It then bought the bonds issued by the MRTFC, through the Development Bank of the Philippines and the Land Bank of the Philippines,  in order to dodge default. But merely possessing these bonds does not give the government ownership of MRT 3. These bonds only signify the revenue from rental payments, but not the ownership of MRT 3 itself.

The spirit of the private-public partnership scheme is for the government to avoid giving sovereign financial pledge to private companies if and when the project fails financially. Why the Arroyo administration fell for this arrangement boggles the mind. Not only did it agree for such a guarantee, but also gave the private component “an after-tax, after-debt-service, after-expense return on their investments of 15 percent per year!” Add that to the passenger fare subsidy that cost the government P5.7 billion back in 2009 alone, and you have a financial crisis that has been derailing the country’s MRT 3 operations for years now.

To be continued

SM to open Pulilan mall, 4th in Bulacan

SM Prime Holdings, the country's largest mall operator, said it would open its fourth branch in Bulacan province north of the capital on Friday.

The three-level SM Center Pulilan will be the sixth new SM mall to open this year, the company owned by the country's richest man, Henry Sy, said on Wednesday.

The company's other malls in Bulacan are located in Marilao, Baliwag and San Jose del Monte.

Shares of SM Prime were up 0.55 percent to P36.50 in late trading on Wednesday.

MRT-3 binulok ni Gloria – PNoy

Napabayaan sa administrasyon ni dating Pangulong Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo ang Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3) kung kaya’t marami ang nagdurusa ngayon dahil sa malimit na aberya ng tren.

Ito ang tahasang sinabi ni dating Pangulong Benigno ‘Noynoy’ Aquino III nang maurirat kahapon sa estado ng MRT-3.

Ayon sa dating pangulo, noong 2008 ay nakaiskedyul sa overhaul ang MRT subalit hindi ito ginawa kaya’t lumala ang problema ng mga tren.

“Natandaan ko mayroon dapat nangyaring overhaul diyan sa MRT. Alam mo ‘pag overhaul hindi tune up-tune up lang, major ‘yung pag-aayos. Ang tanda ko 2008 hindi ginawa ‘yun, parang malaki nang sabihin na minor overhaul pero masasabing halos walang ginawa. So ‘yung lifespan na dapat inabot ng MRT, na curtail nabawasan dahil hindi ginawa ‘yung overhaul at that time,” paliwanag ni Aquino sa isang ambush interview nang dumalaw sa puntod ng amang si dating Senador Ninoy Aquino dahil sa kaarawan nito.

Binanggit pa ng dating pangulo na hindi kakasya sa isang ‘sentence’ lang ang problemang dinatnan niya sa MRT nang maupo ito sa puwesto noong Hunyo 2010 dahil ginawang kumplikado ng dating administrasyon ang pamamahala sa tren.

Nang makipagnegosasyon umano ang Sumitomo para sa maintenance ng MRT, humirit sila ng malaking presyo at wala pang warranty dahil sa bugbog na ang tren.

“…Dumating ‘yung punto na sinabi ng Sumitomo na ‘alam n’yo sobra ang pagamit dito sa MRT, luma na ‘yung signaling system etc., so kung itutuloy namin ‘yung maintenance nito kailangan naming taasan ang presyo at pagkatapos namin tinaasan ang presyo dahil sobra-sobra ang paggamit n’yo ‘di na rin namin kayo bibigyan ng warranty’,” kuwento ng dating pa­ngulo hinggil sa dinatnan niyang problema sa MRT.

Isinisisi ng mga kapanalig ni Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte sa mga dating kalihim ng Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC) ang problema ngayon ng MRT.

Naghain pa ng plunder case sa Ombudsman ang Department of Transportation (DOTr) laban sa siyam na miyembro ng gabinete ni Aquino dahil sa umano’y maanomalyang kontrata sa Busan Universal Rail Inc. (BURI), ang sinipang maintenance contractor ng MRT-3. 

PH set to sign deal with Japan on MRT-3 maintenance

METRO MANILA, Nov. 29 -- THE Department of Transportation said on Wednesday that a government-to-government (G2G) agreement is scheduled to be signed with Japan before year-end, to engage Sumitomo Corporation in the maintenance of Metro Rail Transit-3 (MRT-3).

“High-level discussions with the government of Japan are ongoing to pave the way for DOTr’s direct engagement of Sumitomo Corporation and its technical partner Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, under a G2G Official Development Assistance platform,” the DOTr said in a statement.

“The maintenance and rehabilitation contract is intended to have a term of three years, and will include the rehabilitation and restoration of the system to its original performance standards,” the DOTr added.

Sumitomo and Mitsubishi Heavy designed, built, and maintained the MRT-3 in its first 12 years of operation before Busan Universal Rail Inc. (BURI) took over.

The DOTr ended its maintenance contract with BURI, blaming it for the technical glitches experienced by the MRT-3.

The DOTr said it was also pursuing an unsolicited proposal for the 30-year operation and maintenance of the MRT-3.

An original proponent status has been awarded to the Pangilinan-led Metro Pacific Investments Corporation (MPIC), whose proposal will soon be endorsed to the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) for further evaluation. REICELENE JOY N. IGNACIO

DOTr: Sumitomo, Mitsubishi back as MRT3 maintenance providers starting 2018

Japan and the Philippines are signing a government-to-government agreement that will pave the way for Sumitomo Corp. and technical partner Mitsubishi Heavy Industries to take over the maintenance works for the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT3).

The signing will take place before the end of the year, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) said on Wednesday.

"High-level discussions with the Government of Japan are ongoing to pave the way for DOTr’s direct engagement of Sumitomo Corporation and its technical partner Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, under a government-to-government (G2G) Official Development Assistance (ODA) platform," the department said.

The three-year contract will include the rehabilitation and restoration of the mass rail transit system to its original performance standards.

"Sumitomo and Mitsubishi Heavy, as the original MRT3 maintenance contractor, has 'designed, built, and maintained' the train line its first 12 years," the DOTr said.

"DOTr is pushing to have the maintenance and rehabilitation service provider in place by early Q2 2018," Transportation Assistant Secretary for Rails Timothy John Batan told GMA News Online.

"The main reason for this is the time needed to do a technical review of the system to find out the works that need to be done to restore the system after years of under-investment in preventive maintenance and renewal works," he said.

Batan noted rehabilitation priorities have yet to be determined during the technical review, which would commence right after the G2G agreement is signed.

The DOTr terminated the contract with Busan Universal Rail Inc. (BURI) last November 6 for its supposed "failures" in the last 22 months as the MRT3 maintenance contractor.

"BURI failed to perform its maintenance obligations, both due to its inability to meet the performance indicators in the contract (e.g. number of trains running) and its failure to procure spare parts," the department said.

The company supposedly did overhaul the train cars in line with a schedule BURI itself proposed, the DOTr noted, saying only two out of the 43 train coaches were actually overhauled.

"These failures led to the many passenger unloading and train removal incidents during the 22 months that BURI was maintaining MRT-3," it claimed. — VDS, GMA News

DOTr: Sumitomo, Mitsubishi back as MRT3 maintenance providers starting 2018

Published November 29, 2017 2:50pm
Updated November 29, 2017 4:57pm

By MARGARET CLAIRE LAYUG, GMA News

Japan and the Philippines are signing a government-to-government agreement that will pave the way for Sumitomo Corp. and technical partner Mitsubishi Heavy Industries to take over the maintenance works for the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT3).

The signing will take place before the end of the year, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) said on Wednesday.

"High-level discussions with the Government of Japan are ongoing to pave the way for DOTr’s direct engagement of Sumitomo Corporation and its technical partner Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, under a government-to-government (G2G) Official Development Assistance (ODA) platform," the department said.

The three-year contract will include the rehabilitation and restoration of the mass rail transit system to its original performance standards.

"Sumitomo and Mitsubishi Heavy, as the original MRT3 maintenance contractor, has 'designed, built, and maintained' the train line its first 12 years," the DOTr said.

"DOTr is pushing to have the maintenance and rehabilitation service provider in place by early Q2 2018," Transportation Assistant Secretary for Rails Timothy John Batan told GMA News Online.

"The main reason for this is the time needed to do a technical review of the system to find out the works that need to be done to restore the system after years of under-investment in preventive maintenance and renewal works," he said.

Batan noted rehabilitation priorities have yet to be determined during the technical review, which would commence right after the G2G agreement is signed.

The DOTr terminated the contract with Busan Universal Rail Inc. (BURI) last November 6 for its supposed "failures" in the last 22 months as the MRT3 maintenance contractor.

"BURI failed to perform its maintenance obligations, both due to its inability to meet the performance indicators in the contract (e.g. number of trains running) and its failure to procure spare parts," the department said.

The company supposedly did not overhaul the train cars in line with a schedule BURI itself proposed, the DOTr noted, saying only two out of the 43 train coaches were actually overhauled.

"These failures led to the many passenger unloading and train removal incidents during the 22 months that BURI was maintaining MRT-3," it claimed. — VDS, GMA News

Sumitomo 'closely considered' to handle MRT3 maintenance once again

(UPDATED) The Philippine and Japanese governments are discussing an agreement for Official Development Assistance, which will be the basis of the selection of the MRT3 maintenance provider

(UPDATED) – Sumitomo Corporation, the original maintenance provider of the Metro Rail Transit 3 (MRT3), is being "closely considered" to handle maintenance of the beleaguered train system, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) said Wednesday, November 29.

The DOTr, in a statement, said that the service provider they will select will also "rehabilitate and restore the system to its original performance condition."

The DOTr said that the Philippine and Japanese governments are discussing a Government-to-Government (G2G) agreement for an Official Development Assistance (ODA), which will be the basis of the selection of the maintenance and service contractor of the MRT3.

An agreement between the two governments is already scheduled to be signed before year-end, the DOTr said.

The agency said the Sumitomo Corporation-Mitsubishi Heavy Industries joint venture is "being closely considered," due to its background in constructing and maintaining the system until 2012.

DOTr said the initial contract would be for 3 years.

At present, the government is handling the maintenance of the aging railway system, after it terminated its contract with Busan Universal Rail Inc (BURI), for allegedly failing to address the maintenance issues raised by the government.

The contract with BURI started in early 2016, and was supposed to last until 2019.

Sumitomo and Mitsubishi, meanwhile, were the original maintenance providers for the MRT3. The Japanese companies were involved in the design and construction of the system. Their contract expired in 2012.

Beyond the 3-year contract with the next maintenance and rehabilitation service provider, the government will also look for a long-term, "single-point-of-responsibility" operations and maintenance provider for the rail system.

DOTr said that they already have an unsolicited proposal for this, which they will soon seek approval from the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA).

Once the pride of Metro Manila's transport infrastructure, the MRT3, which started operations in 1999, has been plagued by poor maintenance amid steadily increasing ridership.

In the last 12 months alone, the system has been suffering from near-daily operational issues, ranging from signaling problems to train cars getting detached from one another.

MUST-READ: Bagong reality searches, mapapanood sa Kapuso network sa 2018

Dalawang original singing competition at bagong season ng artista search ang mapapanood sa Kapuso network sa taong 2018.

Isa na diyan ang Center Stage, isang singing contest kung saan dapat ma-impress ng contestants ang judges na magdadala sa kanila all the way to the center stage.

Dapat ring abangan ang The Clash to be hosted by Ms. Regine Velasquez-Alcasid. Ito naman ay isang cutthroat search kung saan ang undiscovered vocal talents ng bansa ay maglalaban para maging last man standing.

Muli na namang mag-dream, believe, survive ang artista hopefuls dahil sa 2018 na mangyayari ang seventh season ng first reality-based artista search, ang StarStruck. Abangan kung saan at kailan ang nationwide auditions para dito.

Tutok lang sa GMA Network, the home of original talent search shows, para mapanood ang mga programang ito.

Moving Forward: Bold and strategic steps being taken to improve the MRT-3

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) is taking bold and strategic steps to solve the problems that have been plaguing the MRT-3 for years.



A Four-Point Strategy is already being implemented, which involves:

- promoting accountability (termination of BURI);

- ensuring continued service delivery (establishment of the Maintenance Transition Team);

- contracting a qualified maintenance and rehabilitation service provider (Sumitomo-Mitsubishi Heavy);

- putting in place a long-term, single-point-of-responsibility, operator and maintenance provider for MRT-3 (O&M Unsolicited Proposal).



Point 1: Promoting Accountability



Last Nov. 6, DOTr terminated BURI’s maintenance service contract due to, among others, BURI’s non-performance of its obligations under the contract.

BURI failed to perform its maintenance obligations, both due to its inability to meet the performance indicators in the contract (e.g. number of trains running) and its failure to procure spare parts.

BURI also failed to perform its obligation to overhaul MRT-3’s train cars, pursuant to a schedule that was proposed by BURI itself. As of 21 November 2017, only 2 out of 43 train cars have been overhauled by BURI.

These failures led to the many passenger unloading and train removal incidents during the 22 months that BURI was maintaining MRT-3.

 BURI’s termination is intended to promote accountability, and to ensure that taxpayers’ money (P54 million a month for maintenance and P907 million for the overhaul) is not spent on a non-performing service provider.





Point 2: Continued Service Delivery



The DOTr prepared for the take over of the maintenance of MRT-3 by creating a Maintenance Transition Team (MTT), which will maintain the system for 3-6 months while procuring a new and qualified maintenance service provider.

The MTT ensured that it has the necessary human resources, by directly hiring more than 450 former BURI employees. After months of delayed and partial salaries, the MTT has paid the direct hires their salaries in full and on time, which has boosted their morale.

The LRTA and PNR have also thrown in their support to the MTT, by sharing highly qualified and experienced railway engineers to the MTT.

The condition of MRT-3’s spare parts inventory at take over further demonstrated BURI’s failure to purchase and maintain a sufficient level of spare parts. To address this, the DOTr created a special Bids and Award Committee (BAC), which, together with the MTT, is regularly convening to expeditiously procure the spare parts that BURI failed to purchase.

Point 3: Maintenance and Rehabilitation Service Provider

High-level discussions with the Government of Japan are ongoing to pave the way for DOTr’s direct engagement of Sumitomo Corporation and its technical partner Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, under a Government to Government (G2G) Official Development Assistance (ODA) platform. A G2G agreement is scheduled to be signed before year-end.

Sumitomo and Mitsubishi Heavy designed, built, and maintained the MRT-3 in its first 12 years of operations.

The maintenance and rehabilitation contract is intended to have a term of 3 years, and will include the rehabilitation and restoration of the system to its original performance standards.

Point 4: Long-Term, Single-Point-of-Responsibility, O&M Provider

Many of MRT-3’s problems in recent years resulted from successive short-term and fragmented maintenance contracts, and from finger-pointing due to having different entities maintaining and operating MRT-3.

DOTr is addressing this by pursuing an Unsolicited Proposal for the 30-year operation and maintenance (O&M) of MRT-3. Original proponent status has been given to the proponent, Metro Pacific Light Rail Corporation (MPLRC), and the proposal will soon be endorsed to NEDA for further evaluation.

Other Efforts

The DOTr is already coordinating with the LTFRB and MMDA in expanding the P2P bus fleet that will complement the MRT-3.

Also, an independent safety audit by an ISO-certified and IFIA member certifier (International Federation of Inspection Agencies) will commence soon for the entire MRT-3 system, which is intended to give DOTr additional inputs on the interventions needed to rehabilitate and restore the system’s reliability.

With the bump in ridership expected as we approach the holidays, the public can be assured that the DOTr is pursuing all avenues to restore the MRT-3’s reliability and to continue ensuring the safety of its 500,000 daily riders. (DOTr)

MOVING FORWARD: BOLD AND STRATEGIC STEPS BEING TAKEN TO IMPROVE THE MRT-3

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) is taking bold and strategic steps to solve the problems that have been plaguing the MRT-3 for years.

A Four-Point Strategy is already being implemented, which involves:

- promoting accountability (termination of BURI);
- ensuring continued service delivery (establishment of the Maintenance Transition Team);
- contracting a qualified maintenance and rehabilitation service provider (Sumitomo-Mitsubishi Heavy); 
- putting in place a long-term, single-point-of-responsibility, operator and maintenance provider for MRT-3 (O&M Unsolicited Proposal).

Point 1: Promoting Accountability

Last Nov. 6, DOTr terminated BURI’s maintenance service contract due to, among others, BURI’s non-performance of its obligations under the contract.

BURI failed to perform its maintenance obligations, both due to its inability to meet the performance indicators in the contract (e.g. number of trains running) and its failure to procure spare parts.

BURI also failed to perform its obligation to overhaul MRT-3’s train cars, pursuant to a schedule that was proposed by BURI itself. As of 21 November 2017, only 2 out of 43 train cars have been overhauled by BURI.

These failures led to the many passenger unloading and train removal incidents during the 22 months that BURI was maintaining MRT-3.

BURI’s termination is intended to promote accountability, and to ensure that taxpayers’ money (PhP54 million a month for maintenance and PhP907 million for the overhaul) is not spent on a non-performing service provider.

Point 2: Continued Service Delivery

The DOTr prepared for the take over of the maintenance of MRT-3 by creating a Maintenance Transition Team (MTT), which will maintain the system for 3-6 months while procuring a new and qualified maintenance service provider.

The MTT ensured that it has the necessary human resources, by directly hiring more than 450 former BURI employees. After months of delayed and partial salaries, the MTT has paid the direct hires their salaries in full and on time, which has boosted their morale.

The LRTA and PNR have also thrown in their support to the MTT, by sharing highly qualified and experienced railway engineers to the MTT.

The condition of MRT-3’s spare parts inventory at take over further demonstrated BURI’s failure to purchase and maintain a sufficient level of spare parts. To address this, the DOTr created a special Bids and Award Committee (BAC), which, together with the MTT, is regularly convening to expeditiously procure the spare parts that BURI failed to purchase.

Point 3: Maintenance and Rehabilitation Service Provider

High-level discussions with the Government of Japan are ongoing to pave the way for DOTr’s direct engagement of Sumitomo Corporation and its technical partner Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, under a Government to Government (G2G) Official Development Assistance (ODA) platform. A G2G agreement is scheduled to be signed before year-end.

Sumitomo and Mitsubishi Heavy designed, built, and maintained the MRT-3 in its first 12 years of operations.

The maintenance and rehabilitation contract is intended to have a term of 3 years, and will include the rehabilitation and restoration of the system to its original performance standards.

Point 4: Long-Term, Single-Point-of-Responsibility, O&M Provider

Many of MRT-3’s problems in recent years resulted from successive short-term and fragmented maintenance contracts, and from finger-pointing due to having different entities maintaining and operating MRT-3.

DOTr is addressing this by pursuing an Unsolicited Proposal for the 30-year operation and maintenance (O&M) of MRT-3. Original proponent status has been given to the proponent, Metro Pacific Light Rail Corporation (MPLRC), and the proposal will soon be endorsed to NEDA for further evaluation.

Other Efforts

The DOTr is already coordinating with the LTFRB and MMDA in expanding the P2P bus fleet that will complement the MRT-3.

Also, an independent safety audit by an ISO-certified and IFIA member certifier (International Federation of Inspection Agencies) will commence soon for the entire MRT-3 system, which is intended to give DOTr additional inputs on the interventions needed to rehabilitate and restore the system’s reliability.

With the bump in ridership expected as we approach the holidays, the public can be assured that the DOTr is pursuing all avenues to restore the MRT-3’s reliability and to continue ensuring the safety of its 500,000 daily riders.

Govt eyes 1,900 km of rail network in ‘18

The Department of Transportation asked the Philippine National Railways to award different rail projects early next year to meet its target to build more rail networks nationwide.

Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade said he wanted PNR to help realize the government’s target to expand the rail networks from the current 77 kilometers to 1,900 kilometers of rails.

“We have to start before the end of the year or by January,” Tugade said.

Among the rail projects in the pipeline are the PNR North (Manila – Clark), PNR South (Manila – Los Baños – Bicol), Mindanao Railway Project and Subic-Clark Cargo Railway.

The  DOTr expects to complete the PNR North or Manila-Clark Railway project which is funded by Japan International Cooperation Agency by 2020.

The PNR South Commuter Project is a 72-kilometer mass transportation railway from Manila to Los Banos, Laguna. The National Economic Development Authority board earlier  approved phase 1 of Mindanao Railway Project, a 102-kilometer alignment in Mindanao.