MANILA, Philippines — The 300-hectare shipyard of Hanjin Philippines may be taken over by several shipping companies that would transform it into a major global port, Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said in a chance interview recently.

He said the shipyard could be a sprawling multipurpose mixed-use port facility that would be jointly operated by several players.

This, he said, is one of the proposals received by Hanjin creditors for the development of the shipyard after Hanjin Philippines declared bankruptcy early this year.

“It’s a good masterplan that has been proposed and it is targeted to be implemented this year,” Lopez said.

He declined to name the companies but hinted that these include foreign players.

Another source said creditors are in negotiations with an American and a Japanese company.

Officially, Hanjin has fully shut down just this month, ending the last of its remaining maintenance operations, sources said.

As of this writing, the creditors have not made any official announcement yet regarding the final plans for the shipyard.

Stars and Stripes, a news website that provides news and information to the US military, reported last month that the US Navy is looking to re-establish itself in the Philippines by using the Hanjin shipyard as a maintenance facility.

“The US Navy is exploring the viability of Subic Bay Hanjin Shipyard for use as a potential repair and maintenance facility,” Cmdr. Nate Christensen, the fleet deputy public affairs officer said, as quoted in the article.

“The strategic harbor’s importance has grown amid Chinese efforts to build military facilities on artificial islands and claim sovereignty over territory to the west in the South China Sea,” the article also said.

Ports tycoon Enrique Razon already said he wanted to vie for the shipyard and is now in talks with the creditor banks of Hanjin for the possibility of taking over the shipyard of the bankrupt shipping and construction giant.

In January, Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction Philippines, the Philippine subsidiary of South Korean shipping giant Hanjin, declared bankruptcy.

It filed for rehabilitation before an Olongapo City court, after being negatively affected by the global economic slowdown, which in turn impacted trade.

It has roughly P21 billion in debts to some of the country’s biggest banks including Sy-owned BDO, Ayala-led BPI, Rizal Commercial Banking Corp., George Ty-owned Metrobank and Land Bank of the Philippines.

Source: Philstar

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By Zorayda Tecson

Photo Credit: thhp.co.za

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga—The massive infrastructure development projects being undertaken by the Duterte administration under the “Build, Build, Build” program in Central Luzon has created more jobs and sources of livelihood for the residents including the indigenous peoples (IP) in the region.

Topping the list of big-ticket projects in Central Luzon is the New Clark City of the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) which will be the first smart, green, and resilient metropolis in the country.

One of the components of the 9,450-hectare New Clark City is the National Government Administrative Center (NGAC) which broke ground last January 23.

Phase 1A of NGAC also features the construction of world-class sports facilities to be used for the Southeast Asian Games in November 2019.

Since the start of the construction of the New Clark City, doors of economic opportunities opened to the residents, including the indigenous peoples (IPs) living in the area.

Jaymar Tiglao, a resident of Sitio Kalangitan, Capas, Tarlac, said their living condition has improved since the start of the development project.

Tiglao said his life is better because he now has a more stable job compared in the past when he just planted camote and other crops which did not yield much profit.

He is one of the more than 300 Aetas who are now employed in the construction of Phase 1A of the NGAC.

Tiglao said as a safety crew, he earns PHP15,000 to PHP18,000 per month.

“Mas okay dito. Noon nakapagtrabaho ako dito, nakabili na ako ng dalawang motorcycle (It is better here. When I started working here, I was able to buy two motorcycles),” he said.

Reynaldo Medrano, chieftain of Sitio Kalangitan, added that residents in their village have become productive since the start of the construction of the New Clark City.

“Nagpapasalamat kami dahil wala na yung walang trabaho. Nawala na ang mga tambay sa aming lugar. Nandoon sila sa New Clark City (We are thankful because there are no more jobless residents. There is no one hanging around and doing nothing anymore. They are there in New Clark City),” he said.

Aside from employment, roads being built to and from New Clark City have provided access and connectivity for the residents, farmers and IPs.

“The roads give benefits especially those living in far-flung barangays. Residents, particularly farmers can now easily transport their goods and service going to town,” said Engineer Joshua Bingcang, BCDA senior vice president for Business Development and Operations.

Besides New Clark City, other Build, Build, Build projects such as the Clark International Airport (CIA) Expansion Project, Central Luzon Link Expressway-Phase I, Arterial (Plaridel) By-Pass Road Project Phase II, and Subic-Clark Railway Project (SCRP) among others, also provided vast opportunities to residents in the region.

To meet the high manpower demand for the projects, a job fair initiated by the Build, Build, Build Inter-Agency Committee was held last May 1 where 490 people were hired on the spot.

Likewise, officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) in the region have discussed areas of cooperation to address shortage of employment for ongoing and future “Build, Build, Build” projects.

These are on-site training of workers, assessment and certification of workers in the construction sector and hiring of the graduates of construction trades within the community where the infrastructure projects are located.

Source: pna.gov.ph

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PAMPANGA. Grace Laxamana, 42, shows the money she found at the airport’s international departure area. Her honesty was lauded by CIAC president Jaime Melo. (Photo by CIAC)

CLARK FREEPORT — A member of the Aeta tribe serving as utility worker at the Clark International Airport earned praises after returning to authorities an envelope containing US$1,000 which was left behind by a departing passenger on July 14.

Grace Laxamana, 42, said she noticed an envelope left unattended on one of the gang chairs at the second floor of the international departure area while on duty around 2:50 p.m.

The envelope contained ten pieces of US$100 bills totaling $1,000.

“I thought it was just play money and immediately took the envelope and turned it over to airport operations officer Raymund Salazar, who examined the contents. It turned out that the money was genuine,” Laxamana said.

A closer review of the CCTV footage of departing travelers on the afternoon of July 14 showed one of the passengers dropping a white envelope while about to board Cebu Pacific flight 5371 bound for Singapore.

“We’re proud of what Ms. Laxamana did. Her honesty is even more glaring since what she found was an untraceable envelope. Her good deed is truly worthy of emulation by all airport employees,” Jaime Melo, a href=”https://subic.morefun.ph/news/hong-kongs-metrojet-to-build-25-m-regional-hub-in-clark/” target=”_blank”>Clark International Airport Corp. (CIAC) president, said.

As of today, no one has claimed the money, the airport chief said.

Laxamana started working at Clark airport in 2006 and part of her job as janitress is to report to operations staff things that are left unattended around the airport.

“We assure passengers of our strict policy to immediately turn over or return lost or abandoned items to their rightful owners,” Melo added.

Source: sunstar.com.ph

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Photo Credit: philippinebeaches.org

Subic BAy Freeport? Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma has drawn out strong interest from prospective investors in the United States during her recent meetings with various business groups in the states of Texas and California.

The prospects included a $10-million commitment for a hotel operation and management project from owners of the Ramada Hotel in National City, California, Eisma said.

The other prospects included projects in ship repair, refrigeration facility, home care, Fintech Paypal system, and green energy, she added.

Eisma recently concluded a 10-day business roadshow in Texas and California, meeting with business and civic leaders through Filipino expatriate communities and promoting Subic Bay as a gateway to global business under the SBMA Global Marketing Initiative.

In Houston, Texas, she discussed Subic Bay’s synergies and trade prospects with Port of Houston Authority officials led by chief commercial officer John Moseley, and then signed a cooperation agreement to expand SBMA’s global network with Leonides Reyes, president of the Filipino-American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Houston.

In Los Angeles, Eisma met with top executives of the Los Angeles Port Authority and the Federation of Philippine American Chambers of Commerce at the Port of Los Angeles in California, taking the opportunity to bridge industry and expertise to develop trade and connectivity between the Port of LA and the Port of Subic.

The SBMA official also briefed William A. Hall, president of the Chula Vista Chamber of Commerce, and chamber members who were keen on developing cold storage facility, ship repair, and cruise ship homeport projects in Subic.

With plans to develop trade synergy between the Port of San Diego and Subic Bay, Eisma also met separately with San Diego Port Commissioner Rafael Castellanos and Director Matthew Andersen of the U.S. Commercial Service in San Diego, and San Diego International Airport Senior Director Hampton Brown and Domenic D’Ambrosio, VP for Marketing & Innovation.

At a business forum in San Diego, Eisma highlighted business opportunities in the Subic Bay Freeport in the sectors of manufacturing, shipbuilding, ICT, renewable energy, retirement, leisure, and tourism.

Eisma’s US trade mission concluded with two awards: a “Bayani” award from the Olongapo City Bayanihan Club of San Diego County, and a citation from National City Vice Mayor Ron Morrison.

The first, which was signed by OCBC Chairwoman Elen Nobles and Vice Chairman Jimmy Yap, recognized Eisma’s exemplary contributions “by opening channels of opportunities in job creation, business development, and community-based programs” and hailed her as “a radiant symbol of optimism to the Filipino communities globally.”

The citation from Morrison, meanwhile, cited the SBMA official for “her vision and inclusive leadership in public service by creating economic opportunities for the families of Olongapo City with ties in San Diego, California USA.”

Source: manilastandard.net

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OFFICIALS of the Department of Transportation, Sumitomo Corp. and Japan Transport Engineering Co. hold a Kagami Biraki ceremony after the signing of a P12.1-billion contract for train cars for the Malolos-Tutuban segment of the North-South Commuter Railway project. — DENISE A. VALDEZ

THE Department of Transportation (DoTr) signed Tuesday a P12.1-billion contract with a Japanese joint venture to provide 104 train cars for the Japan-funded Malolos-Tutuban segment of the North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) project.

The rolling stock package was signed with Japan’s Sumitomo Corp. and Japan Transport Engineering Co. (J-TREC) during a program in Clark, Pampanga on Tuesday. This after the notice of award was issued to the tandem on July 5.

The train cars are scheduled to be delivered by the fourth quarter of 2021, but Transportation Secretary Arthur P. Tugade said he requested to have the delivery a quarter earlier to allow partial operations of the Malolos-Tutuban railway to begin before end-2021.

“Why are we agreeing to fast-track the manufacturing of these trains? Because I’ve promised the President that we will have the partial operability of the Tutuban-Clark, Clark-Calamba by the end of the fourth quarter of 2021,” he said.

The P777.55-billion NSCR project aims to connect Clark in Pampanga to Calamba in Laguna through three railway segments: the 53-kilometer Clark-Malolos railway, 38-kilometer Malolos-Tutuban railway and 56-kilometer Tutuban-Calamba railway.

Partial operability by 2021 will cover the first seven stations from Malolos to Valenzuela, where the depot for the train sets will be located. Full operation of the 147-kilometer NSCR is scheduled by 2023.

The train cars ordered Tuesday forms part of the government’s aggressive push to expand the country’s rail system.

“Along with other orders that would be completed by 2020 for the 1,900-kilometer railway network that we are building throughout the country, …(the DoTr) would have expanded our rolling stock fleet from 221 in 2016 to more than 1,200 train cars by 2022,” Transportation Undersecretary for Railways Timothy John R. Batan said.

The other orders comprise of 369 train cars for the Philippine National Railway, 108 train cars for the Metro Rail Transit Line 7, and 120 train cars for the Light Rail Transit Line 1.

In the coming months, the government is set to bid out the contracts to provide 600 train cars for the rest of the segments of the NSCR project, 56 airport express train cars connecting to the Clark International Airport and 240 train cars for the Metro Manila Subway project.

“[W]e are on-track to delivering the 147-kilometer NSCR system with its 37 stations spanning 26 local government units from Clark International Airport in Region 3 to Calamba in Region 4, and to usher in the Philippines’ golden age of infrastructure,” Mr. Batan said.

Source: bworldonline.com

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