ABS-CBN keeps ratings lead in February: Kantar

ABS-CBN said Friday it kept its position as the country's number 1 television network in February, citing a nationwide audience measurement by Kantar Media.

The country's largest media and entertainment company registered an average national audience share of 46 percent, outpacing rival GMA Network by 13 points, ABS-CBN said, citing a Kantar study that involved 2,610 urban and rural homes that is representative of the country's entire TV viewing population.

ABS-CBN said it led in Metro Manila with 40 percent average audience share against 28 percent for GMA, in the entire Luzon with 42 percent versus 35 percent, Visayas with 56 percent against 27 percent and Mindanao with 52 percent versus 31 percent.

The Lopez-owned network said it led the primetime block from 6 p.m. to 12 a.m., with average audience share of 51 percent, 20 points ahead of GMA.

ABS-CBN also led the morning block with 39 percent, the noontime block with 44 percent and the afternoon block with 42 percent.

Nine of the ten most watched programs nationwide in February were also produced by ABS-CBN, led by the long-running police drama "FPJ's Ang Probinsyano," which garnered an average national TV rating of 41.2 percent.

"Pilipinas Got Talent”" was in second place with 39.6 percent, followed by the Asia’s longest-running drama anthology "MMK," "TV Patrol," "La Luna Sangre," "The Good Son," "Tonight with Boy Abunda," "Bandila," "Sana Dalawa ang Puso," "It's Showtime," "Asintado," "Hanggang Saan," "Ipaglaban Mo," "Wansapanataym", "Wildflower," "Goin' Bulilit," "Home Sweetie Home," "The Blood Sisters," "Gandang Gabi Vice," "I Can See Your Voice" and "Rated K".

As of November 2017, ABS-CBN said it sold 4 million units of units of its TVplus digital service. Its content is also available online through iWant TV.

ABS-CBN and S+A will be shifted to 16:9 SD broadcast....

ABS-CBN made changes to its DTT lineup:
(Channel 43; 647.143 Mhz; PSIP 1.x):
1.1 ABS-CBN (ABS-CBN Manila) - 16:9 480i
1.2 S+A (ABS-CBN S+A) - 4:3 480i
+ 1.3 CINEMO (Cinemo) - 16:9 480i
+ 1.4 YeY! (Yey!) - 16:9 480i
+ 1.5 Knowledge Channel (Knowledge Channel) - 4:3 480i
+ 1.6 DZMM TeleRadyo (DZMM TeleRadyo) - 16:9 480i
+ 1.7 My Only Radio (Test Card) - 16:9 480i
1.8 ABS-CBN OneSeg (ABS-CBN) - 16:9 240p

(Channel 35; 599.143 Mhz; PSIP 2.x):
+# 2.1 Myx (N/A) 4:3 480i
+# 2.2 ANC (N/A) - 16:9 480i
+# 2.3 Jeepney TV (N/A) - 4:3 480i
+# 2.4 Metro.Style (N/A) - 16:9 480i
+ 2.5 OShopping (Test Card) - 16:9 480i
+ 2.6 KBO 1 (Test Card) - 4:3 480i
++ 2.7 KBO 2 (Kapamilya Box Office) - 4:3 480i
2.8 S+A OneSeg (Test Card) - 4:3 240p

+ - Only viewable on ABS-CBN TVplus
++ - Only viewable on ABS-CBN TVplus with subscription to KBO

NAIA rehab, upgrade bid heats up

THE GROUP behind the ongoing upgrade of the Mactan-Cebu International Airport will go head-to-head against a consortium made up of some of the country’s biggest conglomerates in the bid to rehabilitate and upgrade Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), the country’s premier gateway.

Megawide Construction Corp. and India-based GMR Infrastructure Ltd. said in a joint press release on Thursday that they submitted a proposal to rehabilitate NAIA for $3 billion.

“As an experienced private operator, we have a deep understanding of the problem experienced by NAIA and we would like to offer our take on the solution,” the statement quoted Manuel Louie B. Ferrer, corporate information officer of Megawide, as saying.

The engineering-infrastructure company’s share price edged up by 0.71% to close P21.30 apiece on Thursday.

EXPERIENCED
GMR has been operating New Delhi Airport since 2006 as well as Istanbul Atatürk Airport.

Both firms formed a consortium that won the 25-year contract in April 2014 for the P17.52-billion Mactan-Cebu International Airport Passenger Terminal Building project — 83.34% completed as of end-2017 according to the Web site of the Public-Private Partnership Center — and are now undertaking this through GMR-Megawide Cebu Airport Corp.

Their plan challenges the P350-billion unsolicited proposal for the rehabilitation, operation and maintenance of NAIA that was submitted to the Department of Transportation on Feb. 12 by a consortium composed of Aboitiz Equity Ventures, Inc.s’ Aboitiz InfraCapital, Inc.; Ayala Corp.’s AC Infrastructure Holdings Corp.; Filinvest Development Corp.; JG Summit Holdings, Inc.; Alliance Global Group, Inc.; Metro Pacific Investments Corp. and Asia’s Emerging Dragon Corp.

That consortium has tapped airport operator Changi Airports International Pte Ltd as technical partner for rehabilitation work.

The GMR-Megawide proposal seeks to increase airfield capacity to 950-1,000 aircraft movements a day, a 30-37% hike from about 730 currently.

Proposed concession period will run for 18 years, about half the first group’s proposed 35 years.

The planned investment of $3 billion covers all airside, terminal and landside improvements, Megawide-GMR said, explaining that the first phase (for up to two years) will improve NAIA airside capacity and improve the existing terminal, the second phase (third to fourth year) will introduce “key performance measures” while the fifth to sixth year will build “future capacity.”

Immediately upon takeover- GMR-Megawide will improve capacity of airside infrastructure by building full-length parallel taxiways for both runways, constructing additional rapid-exit taxiways for the primary runway, extending the secondary runway and providing “the maximum number of aircraft stands”.

Within 24 months of taking over operations, GMR-Megawide plans to rehabilitate and expand existing terminals, doubling space to over 700,000 square meters.

Once completed, both airside facilities and terminals should be able to handle a total annual throughput of 72 million passengers compared to last year’s 42 million people and the designed capacity of 30.5 million.

Over the 18-year concession period, GMR-Megawide also plans to pay annual concession fees consisting of revenue share with a guaranteed minimum component; will not require any subsidy, equity or guarantee from the government and will hand over all assets to the government free of cost at the end of the concession term.

GMR-Megawide has also chosen US-based The MITRE Corp. as technical partner, especially for research and development in maximizing NAIA’s existing airside facilities.

“This is a technically responsive proposal,” Megawide’s Mr. Ferrer said in the statement.

“We have evaluated multiple options to enhance NAIA’s capacity and efficiency while reducing airside and landside congestion,” he added.

The same statement quoted Andrew Harrison, another authorized representative of the consortium, as saying: “Our detailed master plan takes into account all possible constraints in transforming a fully operational brownfield airport.”

Metro Pacific net income rises by 15% in 2017

The increase to P13.2 billion in 2017, from P11.5 billion in 2016, is largely due to Meralco and Global Business Power

Metro Pacific Investments Corporation (MPIC), the infrastructure holding firm of the Manuel V Pangilinan group, saw its bottom line rise last year on the back of power sector investments.

MPIC disclosed to the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) on Thursday, March 1, that its consolidated reported net income attributable to owners of the parent company rose 15% to P13.2 billion in 2017 from P11.5 billion in 2016.

Excluding non-recurring items, MPIC's consolidated core income increased by 17% to P14.1 billion in 2017 compared to P12.1 billion in 2016.

These non-recurring items totaled P953 million, up from P650 million, and consisted mainly of refinancing expenses, project expenses, and separation costs of a redundancy program at Maynilad Water Services Incorporated.

MPIC noted, however, that it was largely offset by a realized gain on sale of shares in Manila Electric Company (Meralco).

Power the biggest contributor

The group's power arm, both in distribution and generation, was the main contributor at 52% of the total net income, while toll roads brought in 22% and water contributed 21%.

MPIC's hospital group provided 4% of the total while its rail, logistics, and systems group delivered 1%.

MPIC's power business contributed P9.4 billion to core net income in 2017, an increase of 30% which the firm attributed to step-up investments in Meralco and Global Business Power Corporation (GBP).

MPIC acquired the remaining 25% ownership in Beacon Electric in July 2017 at an aggregate purchase price of P21.8 billion. Following this and related transactions, MPIC's economic interest in Meralco is 45.5% and 62.4% in GBP.

GBP in turn acquired a 50% stake in Alsons Thermal Energy Corporation, the holding company for Alsons Consolidated Resources Incorporated's coal power plant assets in Mindanao, in November 2017.

Meralco's core net income for 2017 rose 3% to P20.2 billion while GBP's core net income was up 1% to P2.9 billion.

Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation (MPTC), meanwhile, had a core net income of P3.9 billion in 2017, a 20% increase from the P3.3 billion recorded in 2016.

The firm said system-wide vehicle entries increased by 64% to an average of 903,525 a day due mainly to the investment in PT Nusantara Infrastructure Tbk in Indonesia.

MPTC also noted that it would spend approximately P122.8 billion in the next 5 years on building highways and toll roads around the Philippines.

The contribution of both Maynilad and MetroPac Water Investments Corporation to core net income combined totaled P3.7 billion for 2017, most of it attributable to Maynilad.

Metro Pacific Hospital Holdings Incorporated (MPHHI) saw aggregate core net income rise by 17% to P2 billion in 2017.

The firm noted that 4% of the increase was attributable to the contribution from new hospital acquisitions while 13% was driven by lower interest expense, cost savings from purchasing synergies, and increasing patient numbers.

MPHHI completed the acquisition of a 54% stake in St Elizabeth Hospital Incorporated (SEHI) which increased to 80% in December 2017. SEHI is a 248-bed tertiary level hospital located in General Santos City.

MPHHI had 14 hospitals as of end-December 2017, with approximately 3,300 beds.

Meanwhile, Light Rail Manila Corporation (LRMC), the operator of the Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT1), contributed P283 million to MPIC's core net income for 2017.

LRMC also noted that "assuming government delivers a sufficient portion of the necessary right-of-way," it will begin construction of the LRT1 extension by the middle of 2018.

"We are doing our best to support the Build, Build, Build agenda of the government. However, our investors (many of whom are hardworking Filipino savers and pensioners by the way) and our creditors need confidence that our various concession and franchise agreements will be observed. We are working hard to resolve these matters. It is our hope that our partners in government could come along with us in the spirit of partnership in which our various projects were conceived," said Pangilinan, MPIC chairman, in a statement.

"The overwhelming demand for the services we provide, against the backdrop of strong economic growth, underpins our outlook for 2018. It is too early to give earnings or capital expenditure guidance for the year at this time, especially as we attempt to resolve our tariff issues in the course of 2018," he added.

MPIC also declared a final dividend for 2017 of 7.6 centavos per share which it noted was 12% higher than the year-ago figure and marked a payout ratio of 25% of core income per share. The payment date for the dividend is April 26 this year.

Tugade urges public: Don't rush use of Dalian trains on MRT3

Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade said on Thursday, March 1, that the government cannot rush the use of the 48 trains acquired from China-based CRRC Dalian Company Limited, as this would depend on the audit being conducted on the trains.

In an interview on Thursday, Tugade urged the public to wait for the audit results of the Dalian trains, to be sure whether the trains can be used.

Since 2018 started, the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT3) experienced a total of 38 breakdowns from its 8 to 9 working trains, with ridership falling to some 270,000 passengers on average this week.

"Let's not rush what the audit will reveal. We haven't seen the result of the audit. Until then, we will be able to come up with the next steps," Tugade said in Filipino in a media interview on Thursday.

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) tapped Germany-based TUV Rheinland to evaluate the unused MRT3 trains. The assessment will come out on March 10.

During the Senate hearing on the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT3) in February, an expert said that the 48 Dalian trains are "not overweight" and within the allowable limit that MRT3 train tracks can carry.

DOTr Undersecretary for Railways Timothy John Batan said on Thursday that the audit by TUV Rheinland will determine not only the usability of the Dalian trains but the entire MRT3 system.

"We want to ensure that we will not expose our half a million passengers to unsafe conditions – that's the reason why we are focusing on the safety and compatibility of the Dalian trains," Batan said in a mix of English and Filipino.

Improvement

After experiencing a new low on February 19 when the week opened without functioning trains, the now MRT3 averages with 8 to 9 operational trains this week – an improvement from last week's 7 trains on average.

Tugade attributed this to the availability of spare parts which were recently delivered.

According to the DOTr, the MRT3 did not suffer from glitches for 7 days since the last breakdown last week. (READ: Surviving MRT3: Worst train fails in 2017)

"These days, we are lucky because the spare parts needed have been delivered....I hope this [improvement in services] continues," Tugade told reporters.

The transportation secretary appealled for public understanding. He said that the department was doing its best to deliver on its promises of timelines and number of trains available. (READ: DOTr promises better MRT3 services by 2nd quarter of 2018)

The MRT3 management is expected to conduct a full rehabilitation of its trains from March 28 to 31, promising the public better services after. According to Tugade, the public should expect 15 working trains by then.

Power business boosts MPIC’s profit in 2017 by 17% to P14.1 billion

METRO Pacific Investments Corp. (MIPC) on Thursday said its consolidated net income rose 17 percent to P14.1 billion, from last year’s P12.1 billion, mainly on higher revenues on power as a result of its increased investments in both power distribution and generation.

Revenues grew 11 percent to P373 billion, from P335 billion last year.

In terms of contribution to the company’s net operating income, power accounted for P9.4 billion, or half of the aggregate contribution. MPIC’s toll-roads business contributed P3.9 billion, or 22 percent, of the total while its water business, which includes distribution, production and sewerage treatment, contributed P3.7 billion, or 21 percent, of the total.

MPIC’s hospital group contributed P685 million, or 4 percent, of the total while its rail, logistics and systems group delivered P150 million, or 1 percent, of the total.

The company said it is allocating some P76.9 billion in capital expenditures this year. MPIC said the amount includes P38.9 billion for acquisitions.

“We continue with our mission to build and operate well run and needed infrastructure, offering good value for the public,” MPIC Chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan said. The hard work, dedication and focus on customer service of our many employees is reflected in improving service metrics of all our operations.”

Pangilinan added the company is “doing best to support the ‘Build, Build, Build’ agenda of the government.”

“However, our investors, many of whom are hardworking Filipino savers and pensioners, by the way, and our creditors need confidence that our various concession and franchise agreements will be observed,” he said. “We are working hard to resolve these matters. It is our hope that our partners in the government could come along with us in the spirit of partnership in which our various projects were conceived.”

Last year group-wide capital expenditure was at P38 billion and spending some P38.9 billion in new investments in power sector, and expanding into new markets, including Indonesia.

“Our earnings growth reflects significant volume increases for all our businesses, supported by years of high investment, together with our continuing emphasis on operational efficiencies,” MPIC President and CEO Jose Ma. K. Lim said.

The company said it had about P185 billion worth of unsolicited proposal to the government. The bulk of the proposal is the three projects in toll roads worth P140 billion, a total of P18 billion in water, some P15 billion in waste-to-energy projects and P12 billion for the possible operation and maintenance of the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) Line 3.

Lim said the company is not keen on bidding for the combined 22-percent stake of the Land Bank of the Philippines and Development Bank of the Philippines in MRT 3 that is being put on sale since it has a proposal to the government.

“We want that concession agreement first,” Lim said.

No MRT-3 glitch in the past 7 days, believe it or not

Talk of the troubled Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT 3) and glitch and unloading of passengers on mid-track is a normal occurrence, rain or shine.

But the train service that passes along the stretch of EDSA is starting to improve. It was an unusually smooth ride for passengers in the past seven days, and this significant achievement since a maintenance transition team took over operations last November is reportedly due to the arrival last month of the initial batch of procured spare parts.

“We can attribute this mainly to the arrival of spare parts wherein deliveries started February. Further, we also implemented improvements on our day-to-day operations and maintenance services such as strengthening our coordination processes and monitoring and information sharing platforms,” MRT-3 media relations officer Aly Narvaez said in a text message to the Philippine News Agency (PNA) Thursday.

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) terminated its contract with Busan Universal Rail, Inc. (BURI) due to non-performance of its obligations and took over the operation of the rail system in November.

Narvaez said the last unloading incident on the MRT-3 was recorded last February 21, 2018.

The DOTr earlier assured there would be improvements on the MRT operations once the general overhaul of trains will be concluded after the Holy Week break and with the increase in the number of running trains due to the arrival of spare parts.

The DOTr expects the number of trains will be increased to 15 by April after its three-day shutdown during the Holy Week when the railway management can fully work on the maintenance of the rail system.

Furthermore, an audit on the 48 trains delivered by Dalian CCRC for MRT-3 by independent audit and assessment consultant TUV Rheinland is expected to be concluded on March 10.

The audit would be vital in determining whether the Dalian trains could be used for the MRT system.

A Special Bids and Awards Committee created by the DOTr has completed the procurement of spare parts last December to be delivered from 30 to 90 days. The initial batch of spare parts started arriving last month.

DOTr has also signed an agreement with Canadian firm Bombardier Transportation for the procurement of spare parts for the signaling system of the troubled MRT-3.

The repair of the MRT system is expected to cost around P400 million and could last for six months.

DOTr is implementing a four-point strategy for the improvement and rehabilitation of the MRT which involves promoting accountability through the termination of BURI’s maintenance contract; ensuring continued service delivery through the establishment of the Maintenance Transition Team; contracting a qualified maintenance and rehabilitation service provider through direct engagement of Sumitomo Corporation and its technical partner Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and pursuing an unsolicited proposal for the 30-year operation and maintenance of MRT-3.

‘Thank you spare parts,’ MRT management tells of worry-free week

While the Metro Rail Transit 3 (MRT 3) management lauded how the past week went by without its trains experiencing any unloading incident, the public isn’t too happy just yet with this development as the reliability of the country’s main train line leaves much to be desired.

According to Renato Reyes, secretary general of the militant group Bayan, though the absence of unloading incidents at the MRT 3 provided passengers some form of respite, there remains the “greater challenge” of ensuring that the line comes out with more functional trains to serve the public.

Since the Department of Transportation (DOTr) took over the maintenance of the MRT 3 in November last year, the number of operational trains has significantly dropped from 20 to just between seven to nine trains.

Within those three months, it was only on Monday that there had been a weeklong absence of unloading incidents, an “all-time high” according to the MRT 3 management.

“What a way to end February! Thank you, spare parts!” the MRT 3 management said in a brief statement.

Sought for comment, Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade said that they may have just been “lucky” over the past week.

“The spare parts we need are already there. We are able to address [issues] immediately. There are no commuters who force open our doors. Hopefully, this would continue,” he said at the sidelines of the Transportation Summit held at Mapua University on Thursday.

Netizens though aren’t too pleased, as they pointed out that having no glitches or service interruptions should be normal and “not to be bragged.” Others questioned as well if this should even be considered an “achievement.”

Reyes stressed that given the current condition of the country’s busiest train line, “it’s too early to be celebrating anything.”

“A long-term plan for maintenance needs to be put in place. Our position is that the government should undertake the maintenance work, improve the situation of the train system and orient it toward genuine service not profits. Why do we need to privatize it if they supposedly can do it?” Reyes told the Inquirer.

The DOTr earlier said that Japanese railway engineers and experts from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica) were conducting a system audit of the MRT 3. The audit will help the Jica-nominated maintenance provider once it proceeds with the rehabilitation and restoration works of the train system in May.

In February, the MRT 3 encountered nine unloading incidents and two service interruptions. For the entire month, it was able to serve an average of only 236,266 passengers daily, almost half of last year’s average of 463,000 riders.

On March 10, audit firm TUV Rheinland is expected to come out with its report on the 48 Dalian trains. Should the audit show that the P3.8-billion trains purchased by the Aquino administration are safe to be used by the public following minor adjustments, the MRT management said that this would be rolled out to help improve the system’s reliability.

Early this week though, a number of passengers were sent out of a southbound train before it left the North Avenue station.

The MRT 3 management said that this was not an unloading incident, but rather classified as a “train removal or non-insertion” since their engineers pulled out the train prior to its operation. /jpv

Read more: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/972322/thank-you-spare-parts-mrt-management-tells-of-worry-free-week-mrt-3-trains-commuters-transportation#ixzz58apY78ll
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