Aquino inaugurates $200-M port facility in
Manila
President Benigno S. Aquino III inaugurated the
newly constructed port facility of the International Container Terminal
Services, Incorporated (ICTSI) located at the Manila International Container
Terminal (MICT) in Manila on Thursday.
The President led officials, employees and
guests of ICTSI led by its president Enrique Razon, Jr., in pouring champagne
on the facility’s marker formally opening the ICTSI’s Berth 6’s operations to
the public.
Constructed at a cost of $200-million, Berth 6
adds 300 meters of additional port area and 12 hectares of container storage
space to the existing facility thereby expanding operations and services at
MICT from 1.9-million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), a measure used for
capacity in container transportation, to 2.5-million TEUs.
With Berth 6, MICT now has 1,600 meters of berth
which can accommodate five to seven container vessels at one time.
To help move around more containers efficiently,
MICT’s container handling equipment has also been upgraded to include 12 quay
cranes and 45 rubber tired gantries.
Joining the President for the inaugural
ceremonies were Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim, Transportation Secretary Manuel Roxas
II and Philippine Ports Authority General Manager Juan Sta. Ana.
ICTSI is a leading port management company
involved in the operations and development of 23 marine terminals and port
projects in 17 countries worldwide. (rck)
Container port operation remains upbeat due to
country's bullish economic performance
An international container port operator has
expressed to President Benigno S. Aquino III his company’s bullishness on the
Philippines due largely to the good economic performance of the country,
brought about by the clear cut governmental reforms despite the global
downtrend affecting bigger economies.
Enrique Razon, Jr., chairman and president of
the International Container Terminal Service, Incorporated (ICTSI) also told
President Aquino that ICTSI remains upbeat on the Philippines despite the
company’s large-scale and full blown expansion activities overseas.
“Amid the global financial crisis, the
Philippines continued to grow in a period of economic contraction across the
globe,” Razon, Jr. said in his message welcoming the President and his
delegation to the inauguration of ICTSI’s Berth 6, a $200-million expansion
project of the container port’s facilities in Manila on Thursday.
He added that the 6.4 percent growth rate the
Philippines achieved in the first quarter of 2012 surpassed that of most Asian
countries.
He said that ICTSI welcomed this positive
development as it concretely defined that the country was attracting more
foreign investment and international trade was improving as evidenced by the
increased volume of container traffic in the Manila International Container
Terminal (MICT).
“Despite our expansion overseas, we remain
bullish on the Philippines and it will always be our priority,” Razon, Jr.
said.
Palace says government prepared for closure of
Ford Philippines manufacturing operations
The government is prepared for the closure of
the Ford Philippines manufacturing operations in the country and it is ready to
assist workers who will be affected by the restructuring, Malacanang said on
Thursday.
In a media briefing in Malacanang, Presidential
Spokesman Edwin Lacierda said the government has not received formal notice
from Ford Philippines about its planned closure but the Department of Labor and
Employment have already organized a quick response team that will assist the
affected employees.
“This quick response team is composed of DOLE,
TESDA and DTI. They have been in touch with the human resources division of
Ford Philippines,” Lacierda said.
“The quick response team will ensure that in the
event that the notice of closure has been filed with the Department of Labor
and Employment this quick response team will ensure that the full separation
benefits will be provided the employees affected,” he added.
Ford has not served a notice of closure to the
DOLE and Lacierda said they only heard of Ford Philippines’s plan in the news.
Ford is required by law however to issue a notice of closure to the DOLE.
There are around 250 workers who will be
affected by the closure mostly in the assembly, Lacierda said but Ford’s sales
department will remain in operation.
The government is also going to assist affected
employees about their plans in the future, Lacierda said. For instance, if they
wish to work in the same industry the government will be looking for employment
for them, he said.
“If they wish to look for another industry and
that would require retraining of skills, TESDA will be there to provide the retraining.
Assuming some of them receive a substantial or hefty separation benefits and
they would wish to go into business the DTI will be there to help them in
developing their entrepreneurial skills”
Asked by reporters if the government planned for
Ford’s decision to shut down because the company said it got the government’s
full support, Lacierda said the closure has something to do with the sales.
Ford Philippines, a unit of US-based automaker
Ford Motor Co., plans to halt its assembly operations in its plant in Sta.
Rosa, Laguna by the end of this year.
Ford said it decided to close its Sta. Rosa,
Laguna operation in line with a restructuring of the firm’s regional
manufacturing operations as well as the weak local demand and small supply base
for vehicles.
The decision was purely a business decision on
the part of Ford and has nothing to do with its concerns or dealings with the
government.
While Ford is closing down its assembly plant in
Laguna it said it remains committed to the Philippines as it plans to double
its national dealer network in the next three years. (as/1:55pm)
Aquino declares July 2 as special non-working
day in Tagbilaran City, Bohol in celebration of its 46th Charter Day
President Benigno S. Aquino III has declared
July 2, which falls on a Monday, as a special (non-working) day in Tagbilaran
City in the province of Bohol in celebration of its 46th Charter Day.
The Chief Executive issued the declaration
through Proclamation No. 417 signed by Executive Secretary Paquito N. Ochoa Jr.
on June 27, to give the people of Tagbilaran City the full opportunity to
celebrate and participate in the occasion with appropriate ceremonies.
The city marks the commemoration of its Charter
Day on July 1 which falls on a Sunday.
President Aquino granted the request of the
Eleventh Sangguniang Panlungsod to declare July 2 as a special (non-working)
day instead of July 1 in the city.
Tagbilaran became a chartered city on July 1,
1966 by virtue of Republic Act No. 4660. (js)
