KEY INFRASTRUCTURE projects are expected to be given a boost by Japan’s financial assistance pledged in the course of President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s ongoing visit there.

By: Rosemarie A. Zamora and Anna Gabriela A. Mogato

Department of Public Works and Highways Secretary Mark Villar talks to a Japanese official in this file photo taken at the construction site of the Plaridel Bypass Road. The project is a 24.61 km arterial road that will link the NLEX in Balagtas, Bulacan with the Maharlika Highway in San Rafael, Bulacan. — www.dpwh.gov.ph

One such project is the Arterial Road Bypass Project in Bulacan province, which is expected to improve transportation capacity and efficiency in the vicinity of the town of Plaridel.

This project forms part of the ¥1 trillion (about $9 billion) pledged by the Japanese government for the Philippines early this year.

The 24.61-kilometer (km) Plaridel Bypass Project will link the North Luzon Expressway in Balagtas, Bulacan, with the Philippine Japan Friendship Highway or Maharlika Highway in San Rafael, Bulacan. The project will have 11 bridges traversing the Bulacan municipalities of Balagtas, Guiguinto, Plaridel, Bustos, and San Rafael.

Mr. Duterte and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Monday, Oct. 30, also witnessed the exchange of note between Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter S. Cayetano and Japan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Taro Kono on a loan provision of up to ¥15.9 billion (around $141 million) for the Cavite Industrial Area Flood Risk Management Project.

The Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement following Mr. Abe’s meeting with Mr. Duterte also affirmed Japanese assistance in the Metro Manila Subway Project.

Also on Monday, the Philippine delegation, including representatives of the private sector signed at least 18 letters of intent (LOIs) amounting to some $6 billion with 20 Japanese companies representing a diversity of industries — with the Department of Trade and Industry signing LOIs with Marubeni Corp., Itochu Corp., Sumitomo Metal Mining Co., Ltd., Taiheiyo Cement Corp., Tsuneishi Shipbuilding Co., Ltd, Ministop Co., Ltd., and Lawson, Inc.

Tsuneishi and Ichijo have expressed interest to invest about P25 billion early this year.

Also signing LOIs with partner Japanese companies on Monday were Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III, with Japan Tobacco, Inc.; Energy Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi, with Tokyo Gas Co., Ltd.; Bases Conversion and Development Authority President and CEO Vivencio B. Dizon, with Hitachi Asia; and Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority Administrator and CEO Wilma T. Eisma, with List Co., Ltd.

Private companies in the Philippine delegation had also inked agreements with their Japanese counterparts. — Rosemarie A. Zamora and Anna Gabriela A. Mogato

Source: bworldonline.com

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Hermosa, Bataan – This progressive town has opened its 7-hectare sanitary landfill facility that will address the waste problem not only in this town but also in neighboring areas.

By Mar T. Supnad

Photo by: pixabay.com

The new facility here will save other neighboring towns from paying exorbitant garbage disposal fees in distant dumping sites in Tarlac.

The inauguration was led by Governor Abet S. Garcia and Mayor Jopet Inton, Atty Coeli C. Fiel, president and chief executive officer of Econest waste management Corp., and witnessed by representatives from various sectors.

Bent on solving the waste disposal problem here, Inton pushed for the establishment of the landfill with ample support from the private sector through the Public-Private Partnership (PPP).

Inton eventually tapped Econest, an expert in waste management, to handle the project.

“Econest is proud to be chosen and given this opportunity under PPP scheme,” said Atty. Fiel.

Fiel vowed that the firm will be of service to the people opf Hermosa and Bataan.

Fiel, however, stressed that waste segregation must be strictly observed.

The waste disposal facility here is expected to become smooth and successful with the support of the Ecoguardians who are bent on helping implement the right way in disposing of waste materials.

Sponsored by Econest and Mayor Inton, Ecoguardians underwent a two-day leadership training and team building seminar.

Composed of senior citizens, Kalipi, out of school youth, barangay health workers, 4Ps beneficiaries, among others, Ecoguardians will then share their knowledge on waste segregation to others.

Source: news.mb.com.ph

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The Commission on Audit (COA) chided the Olongapo City government for failing to achieve “clean and health environment” for its inability to fully comply with the Solid Waste Management policies set forth by government.

Photo by: wikipedia.com

In its 2016 annual audit report released recently, the COA noted that 17 barangays in Olongapo City failed to comply with the waste segregation program and establish a Material Recovery Facility.
“This resulted to higher cost of hauling and handling of garbage from the households to the MRF involving a sum of 122,075,716.54 in CY 2016,” the audit body said.

Auditors also noted that garbage collectors exposed themselves to health risks for failing to wear personal protective equipment “to protect them from the hazards of handling solid wastes.”
COA reminded city officials that the city government is mandated under Republic Act 9003 to implement an ecological solid waste management program.

According to the audit agency the city “failed to substantially comply” certain provisions of the law such as the mandatory segregation of solid wastes and the establishment of MRFs.
“Garbage collectors were not equipped with personal protective equipment to protect them from the hazards of handling solid wastes,” COA added.

While the audit agency agreed that there had been serious efforts taken by the city to implement the law, there had also been “weak enforcement” of city ordinances on solid waste management.
“Had proper segregation and waste disposal practiced at the household level and followed diligently, the problem on garbage would have been reduced considerably,” COA stated.

The audit agency added: “Furthermore, due to non-segregation, the amount of toxins entering the atmosphere increased, thus, creating an unhealthy and unpleasant environment posing greater health and safety risks to its citizenry as a whole.”

COA called for intensified information campaign and education program for public awareness of the solid waste laws and programs, and the imposition of “no segregation, no collection,” together with “no littering” policies.

Source: Manila bulletin

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OLONGAPO CITY- The Batang ‘Gapo People’s Organization has openly expressed their full support to the newly launched pro-government multi-sectoral group, Tapang at malasakit Alliance for the Philippines.

By: Mhike Cigaral

Patrick Escusa, president of the “Batang Gapo”,said his group heeds to presidential daughter and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpip’s call for national unity.

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“Patuloy kaming gagawa ng mabuti para sa bayan, para sa lipunan, para sa bansa upang maiunsad natin ang Pilipinas para maging tuloy-tuloy ang pagbangon at pagbabago ng ating bansa”, Escusa said.

The “Batang Gapo’ is an aggrupation of well-meaning Olongapeños,working together for a better environment, community development, tranparency and good governance.

The expression of their full support to the national government’s call to the public to “unite and work together for our country” was done during the organization’s “Let’s TALK&HANG out in ‘Gapo’, an open forum about the City’s peace and order assessment.

The event was attended by officials from the different national government agencies like the Department of Interior and Local Government, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, Philippine National Police, the City Government of Olongapo led by City Mayor Rolen Paulino and the members of the media.

In an interview with the reporters, Escusa was asked by a TV reporter if they will support Sara Duterter if she will decide to run for a national position.

“The ‘Batang’Gapo’ already decide to make her our number 1 senator this coming 2019,” he quips.

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Back in 1965, when the iconic song “Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay” was released by the great Otis Redding, Subic Bay was the United States’ largest overseas military base.

Stretching across a mammoth 262 square miles, roughly the size of Singapore, the base ringed one of Asia’s most natural deep water harbors, located a three-hour drive north of Manila, the capital and economic heart of the Philippines.

The U.S. military left Subic in 1992. In the 25 years since, the Bay slowly has been put to commercial use as Subic Bay Freeport Zone — a tourist attraction as well as an industrial and port zone. Achieving the full potential of the Bay’s natural assets is a long way from complete, but its fortunes are improving, not least in the shape of the Interflour Group’s gleaming new flour mill, located just a short haul from Subic’s two bulk handling terminals.

Turkish bin manufacturer Obial supplied 12,000 tonnes of wheat storage at the subic Bay mill. Photos by Michael King.

Located on a 5.8-hectare site within the Freeport, Mabuhay Interflour Mill checks all the boxes when it comes to modern design and equipment (see sidebar, page 34) and offers ample space for planned future expansion.

When the Subic mill becomes fully operational early next year, Interflour will boast a network of 10 flour mills — ? in Southeast Asia and one in Turkey. For the Singapore-headquartered company, its new $30 million greenfield facility represents a strategic move into a fast-growing market.

“After Indonesia, the Philippines is the largest flour consuming country in Southeast Asia, and the forecast is it will continue to increase,” said Greg Harvey, managing director and chief executive of Interflour.

One of Asia’s fastest growing countries

The Philippines is, indeed, perfectly poised for Interflour’s entry. Although President Rodrigo Duterte unsurprisingly has received ample international criticism for his “heavy-handed” approach to justice, the Philippines economy is one of Asia’s star performers. For most of this decade, GDP growth has been over 6% per annum and economic expansion of 6.8% in 2016 is forecast to be followed by growth of at least 6.5% this year.

As the country increases in wealth, its dietary requirements are becoming more grain-reliant as higher levels of noodles, bread and meat are consumed. And, given that the population of 103 million has a median age of under 25 years, this trend is expected to accelerate in the years ahead.

“We have been exporting high protein flour there for the bread market for the last seven years, and that’s where the real growth will be,” Harvey said. “The largest proportion of flour consumed in the Philippines is bread and all-purpose flour, which is Interflour’s strength, so we believe this investment will be very positive for the Group as a whole.”

Market opportunities

The Philippines consists of thousands of islands but the majority of the voting age population live on its largest and wealthiest island, Luzon. The rest of the population is largely split between the Visayas group of islands and Mindanao, the country’s second largest island.

Construction of Interflour’s new mill at the leading gateway port to central Luzon was no accident. Tina Piguing, former chief financial officer of Interflour Group and now CEO of the company’s operation in her homeland, said Interflour had a multi-pronged strategy to successfully increase market share.

She noted that the Philippines currently has 18 milling companies operating 20 flour mills, 9 of which are located in Metro Manila and 4 south of Manila. A central Luzon location, therefore, offers rapid access to fast-growing cities north of Manila — an enticing captive local market — as well as easy distribution options into Manila, where the company already operates a warehouse and where additional storage is being sought north of the city.

“Central Luzon’s population, like the Philippines’ in general, is increasing,” she told World Grain on a recent tour of the new mill. “It’s young and mobile, and diets are changing. People have jobs and disposable income is increasing. So while people are still eating rice, more are switching to flour or flour products. They don’t want rice every meal.

“Metro Manila is still the biggest market, though. We are looking at a new warehouse there, perhaps of 1,500 square meters, which we can replenish daily. But central Luzon is a great market in its own right and we’re best placed to serve it.”

Alapala supplied most of the milling equipment for the project, including these separators.

Perfectly located

Businesses located within the Freeport are eligible for a range of tax and trade benefits. But for Interflour, Subic Bay’s prime draw is its location in Luzon and, even more importantly, the port access it provides. Subic Bay offers two bulk handling terminal options, which means the company can receive vessels up to panamax size, thereby enabling Interflour to leverage economies of scale for imported grains across its Asian mills.

The further a mill is from port, the higher the costs of production, explained Piguing. Because Interflour is able to buy in bulk for the Group’s network of mills and can receive deliveries on large vessels, this reduces flour production costs by maximizing freight and sourcing savings. In June, for example, the company chartered its largest vessel yet from Western Australia, loaded with 71,000 tonnes of wheat and malt barley. This vessel delivered grains to mills across Interflour’s Asian network, including Subic Bay.

“We buy grain as a group and Subic has the capability to unload panamax vessels so this is a strategic advantage for us,” she said. “Port access also means we can send out finished products in barges to Manila, or to Cebu in Visayas and the port of Davao in Mindanao.

“Or we could ship our products out by containers — whatever is the most efficient method.”

Interflour employees observe the company’s new flour mill in Subic Bay, Philippines.

Which brings us to Interflour’s end game. At full capacity, which is expected to be achieved in the new year, the new mill gives the company the potential to secure an 8% to 9% share of the Philippines’ flour market. But Interflour has the potential to triple capacity in the future by building two more mills on its existing Subic site to take daily milling capacity to 1,500 tonnes.
“The Philippines’ noodle and bread market is 143,000 tonnes a month of demand, and we’re looking at about 7% of that initially,” Piguing said. “We have the land, so when we want to expand we can. It takes about two years to build a mill, so we need to think strategically about the next step to gives ourselves enough time.”

Initially the company is offering a handful of lead products in the Philippines with flour to be distributed under three brands — Kabayan and Mabuhay to the bread market, and Tambuli, which is aimed at the noodle market.

“We’ve been marketing here since March and we’re in discussions with institutional customers already,” Piguing said. “They are just waiting for us to start local production so we can fully meet their requirements. Most of the players here in the Philippines are local and family-owned. We take a corporate approach. We can benchmark our quality against our performance elsewhere in Asia, where markets are very competitive, so we think we can offer something different — better — to buyers.

“We are quite bullish on demand in the Philippines. They know the Interflour name so there is no question on the quality of product or ability to deliver so that helps.”

Harvey said being a fresh supplier in the market also will aid Interflour’s push into the Philippines.

“The Philippines has been a market with a long history of using U.S. wheat and local millers have a strong hold on the market,” Harvey said. “We are very excited about being the first foreign entrant into the market.”

The new mill’s cleaning house features Satake color sorters.

Mill details

Interflour’s $30 million Mabuhay Interflour Mill has daily milling capacity of 500 tonnes. Tina Piguing, CEO of Interflour’s Philippines operation, explained that this will mean importing around 100,000 tonnes of grain next year to produce approximately 76,000 tonnes of flour. The new six-floor mill, complete with a bran warehouse next door, was constructed on time and within budget. Project manager Arco Van Herk, a Netherlands-born, 30-year industry veteran, told World Grain that the mill employed less than 100 people and was “highly mechanized and automated.”

Turkey-based Alapala supplied almost all of the milling equipment, with Damas Denmark providing one 200-tonne-per-hour wheat separator. Obial, a Turkish company, supplied 12 steel bins for wheat storage.

“The mill has 12 dry wheat silos with a truck in loading capacity of 400 tonnes per hour,” Van Herk said. “So we have 30,000 tonnes of wheat silo storage, and 800 tonnes of flour silo storage.”

Construction of the mill involved carrying out 38,000 meters of pilings, some 15,000 cubic meters of concrete was cast and 4,000 tonnes of reinforced steel was used during the build.

“Peak manning on the site during construction reached 1,300 people and during the last wet season Subic Bay was affected by no less than 15 typhoons, so it’s not the easiest place to build,” Van Herk said.

The design of the 5.8-hectare Subic Bay site is geared toward expansion in the future, with the plans including the option to triple output to 1,500 tonnes of daily milling capacity.

Source: world-grain.com

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