Saturday, December 16, 2017

Under-designed

My mouth was probably agape as I listened intently while San Miguel CEO Ramon Ang briefed us about what he was doing with the MRT-7 project. He had his fingers in every aspect of the undertaking.

He told us he asked added gauges for the rails, intervened in the design of the rail cars to make them lighter by using aluminum bodies and specified the highest standard steel for the bogeys that linked the rail cars. He made sure the elevated structure was better than specification, added the depth of the gravels ballasts to reduce damage to the rails. He ordered a third more cars than specified so that the trains could go on periodic maintenance servicing like jet planes do.

Will this not make the project costlier? “It is first and foremost a public service,” he said. This system will not burden commuters with frequent breakdowns.

As for the costs, he says they will still be lower than if government built the system. The over-designed MRT-7 will run smoothly for decades.

That is the opposite of the attitude taken by those who built the MRT-3. In the first 15 days of December, the MRT-3 operations broke down 16 times. It will not get better anytime soon. It can only get worse.

Every aspect of the MRT-3 appears under-designed. Corners were cut on nearly every aspect.

MRT-3 uses overweight trams converted into rapid transit trains by lifting the cars to align with the stations. There was a mismatch from the very start.

A few months after it started operating, maintenance provider Sumitomo discovered several cracked bogeys. The engineers suspected that either inferior steel was used for them or the Czech supplier delivered refurbished parts.

As early as the first year of operations, the rail system experienced too much shelling and damage to the tracks. Two things explain this: the rails were of inferior quality and the gravels ballasts were too thin to soften the impact of train wheels. Those train wheels wore out easily, explaining the swaying motion of the MRT-3.

In the Makati area, the rails were found to be misaligned, causing the trains to twist and vibrate. Engineers surmise the reason for this is that two separate contractors built the rails and failed to align them properly.

In 2003, the Czech suppliers were summoned to examine the flaws in the system. They recommended horizontal dampers be installed to absorb the excessive lateral vibrations and mitigate damage to the rail cars. Sumitomo took no corrective action. We inherit rolling wrecks as a consequence.

Cesar Chavez, before he resigned as DOTr Undersecretary for Rails, was obsessed with getting maintenance provider Busan out and bringing Sumitomo back in. He succeeded in getting Busan out, but did nothing about the structural flaws in this system. He withheld monthly payments to Buri from September last year and expected the company to deliver.

In the meantime, in-house crews do the sophisticated maintenance work needed on a daily basis. Less than a third of the trains are in use, causing the long queues and the overcrowding that further deteriorates the system.

Since Abaya’s mis-designed Dalian trains are unusable, we could run out of trains for this dinosaur of a mass transit system. Good luck to all of us.

Singing soldier realizes dreams

When Mel Sorillano won in the Grand Battle of Singing Soldiers Champions in 2012, we judged him on the basis of one song. It was only recently, when he launched his debut album “Dinggin Mo Bayan” at RJ Bistro at Dusit Thani Hotel Makati, that we found out his awesome range of musicality.

He, together with guests Haydee Manosca, Gem Mascarinas, Sheila Reyes and Ann Diglasan, the singing policewoman, all award-winning singers, sang English songs (proving he is worthy of the title given him by RJ Jacinto as the Nat King Cole of the Philippines). And then Mel performed the Tagalog songs in his album, three of them he wrote: “Kawal Ng Bayan,” “Dinggin Mo Bayan” and “Ang Bayani Ay Ikaw,” which he dedicates to the gallant men in uniform. His special guests were Dulce and Token Lizares.

Mel has gone a long way since leaving his hometown of Nabua, Camarines Sur after high school. Endowed with a rich singing voice, Mel used his talent to help his impoverished family by joining amateur singing contests. Almost always, he would win and bring home the bacon, so to speak. But his big dream then was to sing on a bigger stage in televised events in Manila.

Mel fulfilled this dream when he won in “Eat Bulaga!”’s AFP Singing Soldiers Amateur Contest in 1986. Acknowledged as the AFP Singing Ambassador, he has performed before Malacanang foreign guests during the administrations of former Presidents Fidel V. Ramos, Joseph Estrada, Cory Aquino and Gloria Arroyo.

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Winners of LRTArt

A nationwide painting competition was held to mark the 37th anniversary celebration of the Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA). Dubbed “LRTArt 2017” with the theme “LRT – Sasakyan Ko Sa Magandang Kinabukasan” (LRT – My Ride To A Better Future), the announcement of the winners was held recently at the LRTA Social Hall in Pasig.

According to LRTA Administrator Gen. Reynaldo I. Berroya, LRTArt aims to recognize Filipino artistry and to inform people that its train systems not only bring its passengers to their destinations but more importantly, into their journey towards their dreams and aspirations.

In the Main Competition, Robert Tiano and Juan Aguasito Jr. won the 2nd and 3rd prize and received P100,000 and R200,000 respectively. In the Junior Division, Jheco Lorica, Bianca Dominique Verano and Brahm Daniel Verano, clenched the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd prize, and received P150,000, P100,000, and P50,000 respectively.

Ralph Allen Semilla, the grand winner, received P300,000 and a trophy. His painting will be displayed inside the LRTA Depot.

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Tidbits: Happy b-day greeting today, Dec. 16, go to Ms. Gloria Romero, Kerima Tuvera, Mila Limgenco, Catherine Santos, Tessie & Iris Benito, Annie Vergara, Dr. Randy Dellosa, Jay Gonzales and Frankie PangilinanDec. 17: Sen. Manny Pacquiao, Mel Valic, Dr. Vivian Sarabia-Ong, Ernani Cuenco Jr., Elmie Roldan, Henrietta Mendez, Leon Miguel, Winnie Mariano, Aiko Melendez and Michael V.Happy 4th wedding anniversary to Regina Mae Parungao and Daryll James Juan…Dec. 18: Frank Evaristo, Cesar Buenaventura, Jojo dela Cruz, Luna Viernesto, Anita Carlo, Roberto Tabor, Vivian Cajucom, Atty. Cirilo Tolosa and Gen. Narciso Cabrera

LRT-1 shift to LED system seen to promote energy efficiency

The Light Rail Manila Corporation (LRMC) is investing PHP20 million for all stations of the Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT-1) to shift to light emitting diode (LED) systems as part of efforts to improve passenger safety.

The LRT-1 operator has installed LED systems at six stations, namely, Doroteo Jose, Abad Santos, R. Papa, Gil Puyat, Pedro Gil, and UN Avenue with its complete installation on all stations expected by end of 2018.

“More than the benefits of lower energy cost and the elimination of mercury-containing fluorescent lights, the LED lighting marks a big improvement in illumination quality and thus enhances safety for our passengers,” LRMC Chief Operating Officer Rodolfo Chansuyco said in a statement.

“The lighting system replacement shift is in line with our Biyaheng Better Everyday commitment to the LRT-1 passengers—a step towards a safer and better riding experience for the commuters. This is also our way of ensuring that LRT-1 stations run under environment-friendly operations, with the significant reduction in toxic elements emissions,” he added.

Meanwhile, LRT-1’s 106 light rail vehicles (LRVs) will also be retrofitted with the LED system starting 2018.

LRT-1 this year received the ISO certifications Quality Management Systems (ISO 9001:2015) and Environmental Management Systems (ISO 14001:2015), following a two-year, company-wide program to improve operational efficiencies in Manila’s oldest light rail system.