2014 Palarong Pambansa grand launch held by DepEd

The recent launch of Palarong Pambansa 2014 held by the DepEd at the ULTRA in Pasig City was a grand and star-studded affair. Laguna won the bid to host this year’s Palarong Pambansa, the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) of which was signed by DepEd Sec. Armin A. Luistro and Laguna Governor ER Ejercito.
In his pledge of commitment speech, Gov. ER expressed excitement over Laguna’s turn to host the games on May 4 to 10. He stressed that Laguna is all set to welcome 15,000-17,000 athletes, coaches and officials from 17 regions of the country. The athletes will compete in 19 sports disciplines in 399 athletic events in seven days.
“This is the time that the Province of Laguna is hosting Palarong Pambansa and this momentous event is the best time to showcase our unique traditions, culture, products, services, tourism destinations, as well as our successes and achievements in local governance,” Gov. ER said. Laguna has six cities and 24 municipalities.
“It is a great honor and a testament of Laguna’s capability and preparedness to stage the country’s grandest Palarong Pambansa ever, which aims to develop the character of the youth of our nation and instill in them the values of discipline, dedication, humility and self-confidence through sports. These are the same values that our youth need in all aspects of their lives. After all, in Laguna, sports is a way of life.”
Gov. ER also said they started the ground works for Palarong Pambansa 2014 last year in order to ensure its success. To start off, the 30-second TV ad of Palarong Pambansa in Laguna has already been aired on major television networks as early as December 2013.
“The La Laguna Festival: The Festival of Life, awarded as the Best Tourism Event of the Philippines in 2011, 2012 and 2013, and is nowadays DOT-ATOP Hall of Fame Pearl awardee will be incorporated in our historic hosting of Palarong Pambansa 2014.”
Gov. ER concluded his speech by saying, “The Palarong Pambansa in Laguna will be the benchmark of future Palarong Pambansa.”
• • •
Yul Wants To Improve  As An Actor“Being an actor helped me a lot in my pursuit of a political career,” Councilor Yul Servo stressed in a brief interview with him during the first anniversary celebration of Kebab Turki restaurant at the Robinson’s where the actor was one of the celebrity guests.
“Being an actor already earns 50% recognition from the voters, and the next step is to convince them to vote for me,” Yul explained. The actor-turned-politician has already received more than a couple of awards as Best Supporting Actor.
“I want to improve more as an actor, like Eddie Garcia, Ronnie Lazaro, and several others who have become icons in the movie industry,” he explained.
“This is my third term as councilor of Manila, representing the third district,” Yul said. A term is three years, and councilors are limited to three terms, or a total of nine successive years. After his full term ends, he will have to wait after three years to file candidacy for the same position or seek a different office.
Edmund Rogando, president of Asia Classic Gourmet, sole franchise holder of Kebab Turki restaurant, was very thankful to Yul for gracing the restaurant’s first anniversary in the Philippines. Kebab Turki, which serves Middle Eastern food, now has eight branches in popular shopping malls all over Metro Manila.
• • •
Coming Together In The Crowd BarA much-talked about venue along Pioneer St. in Mandaluyong is the Crowd Bar, now dubbed as “Ang Bagong Tambayan.” Among those who’ve performed there are no less than Pops Fernandez, Joey Generoso of Side A band, Freestyle, Juris, Faith Cuneta and Robin Nievera, among many others.
Its habitués include Vice Ganda, Vivian Velez, Teresa Loyzaga and Pops, among others. Every Tuesday night, a search for the “Crowd Idol” is undertaken, according to Richard Villanueva, the entertainment director, who also happens to be a veteran sing-along master. He also performs every Friday night, together with the Crowd Diva, Laarni Lozada.
Some of the regular performers at The Crowd Bar also include Inday Garutay and Peewee of Jeremiah.
The Crowd Bar is owned by concert and indie movie producer Cora Rodrigo of Goldmine Productions, along with Pia Espedio, Zaldy Carpeso, Cris Roxas and Gene Sison.
• • •
Tidbits: Happy b-day greetings, Jan. 28, go to Sen. Loren B. Legarda, Atty. Oscar Orbos, Bernardo Bernardo, Tina Maristela Ocampo, Josie Trinidad Lichauco, Rogelio “JB” Bangsil, Jr., Susan Paredes, Deeda Tanopo, New Jersey, USA-based Helen Banaria, Ric Jumasa, Andok’s Sandy Javier, Regina Yui-Dee, Manuel Silva, Nelson Rosario, Jules Lopez, Miguel D.C. Alegre, Jacob Dionisio of ABS-CBN, Anecito S. Flores, Hutch Montenegro Pla, Patricia Anne Maribay of Phil. Heart Center, and my New York-based sister, Constancia “Ching” M. Schreiner… Happy wedding anniversary to Oliver and Jane Buenaflor, and Oscar and Sally Maliwanag… Belated happy birthday Jannie Gavile (Jan. 27)… 

Award of LRT-MRT common ticket project deferred anew after another losing bidder questions auction

The Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) has deferred the awarding of the common ticket project of the country's three overhead train services to the partnership of Metro Pacific Investments Corp (MPIC) and Ayala Corp after another losing bidder raised issues about the auction. 

In a text message, Transport Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya said SM Consortium "sent letters" to the agency seeking clarification about the DOTC Bids and Awards Committee (BAC). 

"We will not make an award unless we have addressed all motions for reconsideration," Abaya said.  

He did not disclose the details of the letters that the SM Consortium sent the department.

But in a separate text message, DOTC-BAC chairman Perpetuo Lotilla, chairman of Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) said SM Consortium "just want[s] to clarify [the] meaning of unconditional bid." 

Abaya last week said the agency had resolved the issues raised by another losing bidder, E-Trans Solutions Joint Venture, and secured an approval from the Regional Development Council (RDC) for the awarding of the Automated Fare Collection System (AFCS) Project to AF Consortium of the MPIC-Ayala group.  

In a statement sent to media today, E-Trans said it is not giving up despite the government’s dismissal of the group's objection to awarding the project to AF Consortium. 

Conrad Tolentino, lawyer for E-Trans, said his client "is confident it has a more competent technical package that has been proven in various countries, and its financial bid is much better than the lowest bid so far opened by the DOTC.”

Tolentino said a better bid translates to more revenues for the government and less burden to commuters.

“E-Trans is wondering, if the DOTC was willing to waive its own rules to benefit other bidders, purportedly to get the bid that’s more advantageous to government, why does it continue to refuse to open E-Trans’s bid?” the lawyer said.

The DOTC rated E-Trans’s technical proposal as “failed”, thus the agency saw no need to open the latter's financial proposal.

Earlier, the AF Consortium offered a negative financial bid of P1,088,103,900 for the AFCS, better than the P1,088,000,000 offer of the SM Consortium and the P2,050,090,300 of Comworks-Berjaya Consortium.

A negative bid means the winning bidder will pay the government instead of getting paid by the operator and riders for the service. 

The DOTC set a bid ceiling of P1.72 billion for the project.

Under the project terms, the winning bidder will have the option to expand the contactless card system to other businesses in and out of the transportation sector, such as in retail transactions.

Similar to Hong Kong's "Octopus" card, the Philippine version would allow daily commuters to use a single ticket when they ride the LRT Lines 1 and 2, as well as the MRT Line 3. The three rail services have a combined ridership of a million a day.

One of the Aquino administration's public-private partnership (PPP) projects, the proposed tap-and-go system, which the winning bidder will operate for 10 years, will also enhance fare collection efficiency by reducing leakage and fraud.

In the future, the system can be expanded to include other transport modes such as buses, toll roads and the Philippine National  Railways (PNR).

InterAksyon.com is the online news portal of TV5, which like MPIC is chaired by Manuel V. Pangilinan.

Cavitex operator expects 7 pct growth in vehicular traffic

MANILA – The operator of the Cavite Expressway (Cavitex) expects vehicle traffic to grow by at least seven percent this year despite the congestion that is likely to be caused by the construction of the NAIA Expressway Project.

"We expect vehicle traffic to grow 5-7 percent this year. [But] there are challenges this year because there [is] going to be construction sa NAIA," Cavitex Infrastructure Corp (CIC) president Jose Luigi Bautista last week told reporters.

The government last year awarded to the San Miguel Group the public-private partnership (PPP) project that involves building an expressway that would link all the terminals of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

"So, vehicle traffic will decrease because motorists will tend to avoid the traffic. There's going to be traffic that will be experienced at the corner of Cavitex and NAIA. There's going to be an on and off ramp that will be built by the contractor of NAIA Expressway," Bautista said.

He said daily traffic at Cavitex averaged 102,000 vehicles, allowing the company to earn P1.1 billion last year, higher than the P1 billion in 2012.

Bautista said the company is deferring construction of Segment 5, which stretches from Kawit to Noveleta, because "the traffic numbers are not good." 

"Segment 5 is about five kilometers. We're deferring it. It is part of the concession, but it will be affected by the CALA Expressway Project," he said, referring to another PPP project that the government aims to jumpstart this year.

Bautista said CIC is in talks with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to develop the detailed and engineering design for the so-called C5 Link Project, which would connect the Cavitex to C5.

"It is an expressway that will link C5 to Cavitex costing about P6 billion," Bautista said, adding that the Metro Pacific Investments Corp (MPIC) will finance the project. 

He expects the project to be approved by DPWH in the next three months. 

In 2012, MPIC entered into a P6.77-billion financing and cooperation agreement with Cavitex Holdings that may eventually allow Metro Pacific Tollways Corp (MPTC) to take 100 percent of CIC. MPTC is a unit of MPIC.

Under the agreement, Cavitex Holdings will issue a convertible note to MPTC, giving it the option to convert the debt to new, non-voting redeemable preferred shares or, subject to certain approvals and conditions, common shares of CIC.

The Metro Pacific Group also operates the North Luzon Expressway and the Subic Clark Tarlac Expressway.

InterAksyon.com is the online news portal of TV5, which like MPIC is chaired by Manuel V. Pangilinan.

TRAFFIC, TRAFFIC! | MMDA maps out plan to cope with impact of 3 major road projects starting July

Infrastructure projects in the metropolis may be signs of progress, but the downside is simply, more traffic jams until they’re completed. Expecting this problem, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority said Tuesday it is preparing a traffic plan following the approval of some infrastructure projects in the National Capital Region.

MMDA Chairman Francis Tolentino said, after presiding over a Regional Development Council-National Capital Region (RDC-NCR) meeting, that motorists should brace for heavy traffic once at least three major road projects begin in July 2014. The works are variously expected to end on different dates, with the last being April 2016.

The projects were presented and approved by the sectoral committee on infrastructure development of the RDC-NCR, said Tolentino. The key projects that the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) will undertake are:

1. Bonifacio Gobal City to Ortigas Center Link Road Project (Sta. Monica Street-Lawton Bridge Phase 1 and II A).

Here, a four – lane divided vehicle underpass will be built along the innermost lanes of Senator Gil Puyat Avenue passing through Makati Avenue and Paseo De Roxas intersections.

2. Senator Gil Puyat/Makati Avenue-Paseo De Roxas vehicle underpass, also in Makati City.

3. South Luna and McKinley Ramps by the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) in Taguig City.

The DPWH has promised to put in place traffic measures in areas affected by these projects, Tolentino assured the public, adding, “we will also be coordinating with the concerned local government units to help in easing up the traffic.”

Meanwhile, the Makati vehicular underpasses will be constructed in Sen. Gil Puyat/Makati Avenue-Paseo De Roxas, and South Luna and McKinley Ramps.

The 570-meter underpass project involves the construction of a four lane divided vehicle underpass along the innermost lanes of Senator Gil Puyat Avenue passing through Makati Avenue and Paseo De Roxas intersections.

The project starts at Makati Avenue going west towards Ayala Avenue and ends at Paseo de Roxas going east towards EDSA and Kalayaan Avenue.

The C-5 to McKinley Ramps will provide direct access ramp from the C-5 Northbound lane going to McKinley Hill.

According to the DPWH, the P1.2-billion project will be locally funded and is expected to cut by half the traffic congestion in the area.

Milo Champions

Chris Tiu

Kiefer Ravena

Prince Carlos

Prince Carlos, Kiefer Ravena and Chris Tiu.

Kiefer Ravena, Chris Tiu and Prince Carlos.

2014-2015 PLDT Telephone Directories

The 2014-2015 DPC Yellow Pages and PLDT White Pages for Metro Manila, Baguio, Cebu, Davao, Cagayan de Oro similar to mainland metropolitan yellow pages directories in Australia published by Sensis saw the merging of Metro & Living Local books into a single book comprising a number of customized metro editions per city.

Two volumes (separate volume, white pages and yellow pages) for:

• Metro Manila
• CALABAR
• Cebu
• Negros
• Davao (Southern Mindanao)
• Cagayan de Oro (Northern Mindanao and CARAGA)

A new look, A new experience. 

As part of our commitment to ensuring Yellow Pages® products meet the needs of your potential customers, we regularly review feedback from our users and advertisers. Based on this feedback, we will be making 

some changes to the format of our Yellow Pages® Books. 

In order to deliver a better experience the 2014-2015 PLDT-DPC Yellow Pages® Books will include the following changes: 

• A new book size which is easier to handle, use and store
• Returning to the original larger font size to make line listings easier to read 
• New four column layout so pages are less cluttered and easier to navigate

This new format allows your customers to find your business information faster and provides a better user 

experience. We understand the investment you make in advertising with Yellow Pages® is important for your business. We are committed to creating the ideal Yellow Pages® Book as this remains a valuable part of the 

Yellow Pages® network that your potential customers are using. 

Meet the Boys of Boystown!!!!

WATCH YOUR SONG PRESENTS: "BOYSTOWN" THIS SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 2 at 6:00 P.M. on ABS-CBN Sports and Action Channel 23!!!