Philippines’ first subway, vehicle inspection
system projects endorsed for approval of President
(TAGAYTAY CITY, Cavite) The Public-Private
Partnership (PPP) Center will endorse two infrastructure projects, including
the Php370-billion Mass Transit System Loop (MTSL), for approval by the
National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Board.
In a press briefing after the Asia-Pacific
Economic Cooperation (APEC) PPP Experts Advisory Council meeting here, PPP
Center Executive Director Cosette Canilao said it will also support the
approval of the Php19.3-billion Motor Vehicle Inspection System (MVIS).
“There’s going to be a NEDA Board meeting on March
24 and two PPP projects would be up for approval or discussions,” she said.
President Benigno S. Aquino III chairs the NEDA
Board.
For the planned MTSL project, Canilao said the PPP
Center prefers the route using 26th Street instead of the 32nd Street inside
the Bonifacio Global City (BGC) on cost consideration.
The MTSL project, the first subway in the country,
will connect the fast-developing central business districts of Metro Manila,
namely Bonifacio Global City, Makati Central Business District and the Mall of
Asia area in Pasay City.
It aims to reduce peak-hour traffic by providing a
higher-capacity mass transit system.
On the other hand, the MVIS project will involve
setting up Motor Vehicle Inspection Centers (MVIC) to test various categories
of heavy duty, light duty and two wheeler vehicles across the Philippines.
The private partner will develop, operate and
maintain a network of MVICs that will perform inspections for all vehicles in
the country. PNA (ldv)
APEC member economies seen to attract more
Public-Private Partnership investments
(TAGAYTAY CITY, Cavite) The Philippines and other
20 members of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) have a huge
potential to attract more private sector investments in “viable and
well-structured” public-private partnership (PPP) projects, particularly urban
infrastructure.
Guillermo Luz, APEC Business Advisory Council
alternate member, expressed this as the amount of funding for development of
the infrastructure across the APEC region is getting bigger mainly due to
urbanization.
“To the extent that there is some form of
predictability behind the projects, predictability will give investors a sense
of the viability of the projects,” he said in a press briefing on the sidelines
of APEC meetings here.
Luz stressed that PPP projects should also be “purposely
planned” in a bid to attract more private sector investments.
“(For instance,) if people begin to see that
housing and commercial developments and others are built, the role of mass
transit infrastructure will be justified. If there is nothing there, no one
will invest,” he said.
For his part, Asia-Pacific Infrastructure
Partnership (APIP) chair Mark Johnson said it is also imperative that APEC
economies will create regulatory structures to deal with the issues of pricing
and taxes, among others.
Johnson also underscored the role of
infrastructure in facilitating the movement of people through ports, airports
and roads; and in achieving inclusive economies.
If you want a more inclusive economy, people have
to make use of that (projects) to move around; businesses (also should be) able
to have much greater mobility,” he noted.
Meanwhile, the theme of the country’s hosting of
APEC Summit this year is “Building Inclusive Economies, Building a Better
World.”
The APEC is composed of 21 member economies:
Australia; Brunei Darussalam; Canada; Chile; People's Republic of China; Hong
Kong, China; Indonesia; Japan; Republic of Korea; Malaysia; Mexico; New
Zealand; Papua New Guinea; Peru; Philippines; The Russian Federation;
Singapore; Chinese Taipei; Thailand; United States of America; and Viet Nam.
PNA (ldv)
National Treasurer seeks support for Cebu Action
Plan from Finance, Central Bank officials
(TAGAYTAY CITY, Cavite) National Treasurer Roberto
Tan on Thursday rallied delegates attending the Asia-Pacific Economic
Cooperation (APEC) Finance and Central Bank Deputies' Meeting here, to support
the Cebu Action Plan (CAP).
"Dear colleagues, as we meet for the next two
days to discuss the Cebu Action Plan, we greatly invite you to give us your
valuable inputs to find ways in moving our CAP initiatives forward," Tan
said in his speech during the opening of the two-day meeting held at the Taal
Vista Hotel here.
"We highly encourage you to work with us on
our CAP initiatives so that we could bring about their intended benefits. We
look forward to your support to the CAP, as we, together as one APEC community,
concertedly work towards our ultimate goal of sustained and shared
prosperity."
Tan said they have developed the CAP, mindful of
the imperatives for the Asia Pacific, as well as the progress that the APEC has
achieved through the years.
The aim, he said, is to achieve free and open
trade and investment set by the Bogor Goals, the importance of sustainable and
balanced growth and sound fiscal management highlighted in the Kyoto Report on
Growth Strategy and Finance, and the priorities on financial inclusion and
literacy put forward by the United States and Russia.
The Cebu Action Plan will also look at the agenda
on infrastructure development and financing brought up by Indonesia in 2013 and
carried over by China in 2014.
The consultations with APEC Senior Finance Officials
last January in Clark, Pampanga and the inputs from APEC member economies and
observers form part of the CAP as it becomes a roadmap towards a more
financially integrated, transparent and resilient APEC community, Tan said.
This is in line with four pillars, namely
Promoting Financial Integration; Advancing Fiscal Transparency and Policy
Reform; Enhancing Financial Resiliency; and Accelerating Infrastructure
Development and Financing. PND (as)
Philippines needs credible regulatory structure to
lure investment in public private partnership projects, says foreign expert
(TAGAYTAY CITY, Cavite) The Philippines must
develop a credible and independent regulatory regime to attract the private
sector to invest in major public private partnership (PPP) projects, a foreign
PPP expert said on Wednesday.
Chairman of the 2015 Asia-Pacific Infrastructure
Partnership (APIP) Dialogue, Mark Johnson, was responding to a question on the
nature of the regulatory framework in the Philippines, during a press conference
held at the Summit Ridge Hotel here.
Johnson said he does not have detailed knowledge
of the regulatory set-up in the Philippines but having one is a universal
requirement to entice private investments in PPP projects.
"Any economy, anybody who wants to foster the
development of PPP must have in place regulatory structures to deal with issues
of pricing and taxes, and everybody got to believe it," he said.
"Not only (does) this regulatory authority
deal with things competently but it should continue to do that over the life of
the project."
Such regularity regime, he added, must also be
independent to avoid conflict of interest because this discourages private
sector participation.
For instance, in the Philippines, a concern was
raised during the APIP discussion regarding a local regulator that also
functions as an operator, Johnson said, noting this situation is not acceptable
to private companies.
"That is seen to represent conflict of
interest that would probably be not acceptable to private investors," he
said.
The government is about to roll out five more PPP
projects in addition to 11 projects that are currently up for grabs, PPP Center
Executive Director Cosette Canilao said on Wednesday.
She reported that the Philippines has 61 PPP
projects in the pipeline, nine of which have already been awarded. These nine
PPP projects were awarded during the Aquino administration, exceeding the past
three administrations’ solicited PPP projects. PND (as)
Philippines calls on APEC member economies to
strengthen linkages in trade and investment
(TAGAYTAY CITY, Cavite) A Philippine finance
official has urged member economies of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation
(APEC) to intensify efforts to boost trade and investment amid the uneven pace
of growth across and within economies, as they seek to maintain a high growth
trajectory.
During the APEC Finance and Central Bank Deputies’
Meeting held here on Thursday, National Treasurer Roberto Tan said the
Asia-Pacific region is seen to be an engine of growth with the recovery of the
global economy.
Citing the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Tan
said the growth of the Asia-Pacific region is expected to accelerate to 4.3
percent in 2015 from 3.9 percent last year.
“The conditions are supportive for the region to
maintain its growth path. Economic activity remains dynamic buoyed by robust
consumer demand, particularly among emerging markets. Exports have been rising,
as some economies move up the value chain,” he said.
Tan said some challenges, however, remain for the
region, foremost of which is the uneven growth across and within economies.
“This growth divergence among economies
necessitates greater linkages in trade and investments, such that the growth
momentum may carry over throughout the region,” he noted.
As the Philippines hosts the APEC Finance
Ministers’ Process (FMP) this year, Tan said the country has crafted the Cebu
Action Plan (CAP), which takes into account the progress that the APEC has
achieved throughout the years.
He said that with the CAP being a key agenda in
the APEC FMP starting this year, the 21 Pacific Rim countries could forge an
APEC community that has harmonized policies, rules and practices.
These enable and facilitate free trade and flow of
cross-border investments; access to financial services by low-income
households, micro, small and medium enterprises and the unbanked; and good
governance that results in sustainable and inclusive economic growth, he added.
”We highly encourage you to work with us on our
CAP initiatives so that we could bring about their intended benefits,” Tan
said.
Aimed at building inclusive economies, the CAP
will be launched during the APEC Finance Ministers’ Meeting to be held on
September 10 to 11 in Mactan, Cebu. PNA (ldv)
The military will deal with the new armed group in
Mindanao, Palace official says
The Palace has assured that the Armed Forces of
the Philippines (AFP) is dealing with lawless elements in the country to ensure
peace and order.
“Ginagampanan ng ating Sandatahang Lakas ang
tungkulin na tutukan lahat ng pagkilos ng iba’t ibang armadong grupo,
lalong-lalo na ang mga naghahasik ng ligalig sa ating bansa at sa ating mga
pamayanan. Hindi sila papahintulutang magsagawa ng mga aksyon na iyan at
pipigilin sila ng ating Sandatahang Lakas,” Communications Secretary Herminio
Coloma, Jr. said during a press briefing in Malacañang on Thursday.
He made the assurance following reports that a new
group of lawless elements has emerged in Central Mindanao.
The AFP said on Wednesday that a new group called
Justice for Islamic Movement (JIM), headed by Mohamed Ali Tambako, is coddling
Filipino bomb maker Basit Usman.
Usman managed to escape while Malaysian terrorist
Zulkifli bin Hir, alias Marwan, was killed during an operation launched by the
police’s Special Action Force (SAF) last January in Mamasapano, Maguindanao
that also resulted in the death of 44 SAF members.
The military said Tambako used to be a member of
the Moro National Liberation Front and the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters
and is affiliated with the Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiah, a militant Islamist
group active in Southeast Asia.
The AFP said the new armed group is also a target
of the military’s all-out offensive launched last week in Maguindanao and North
Cotabato. PND (jm)
Members of 1986 Constitutional Commission support
Bangsamoro Basic Law provisions
The Palace said on Thursday that 14 members of the
1986 Constitutional Commission have agreed that the proposed Bangsamoro Basic
Law (BBL) follows the 1987 Constitution’s provisions on human development and
social justice.
"Ayon sa pahayag ng 14 na miyembro ng
Constitutional Commission na bumuo ng 1987 Constitution, naninindigan sila na
ang inihaing BBL na batay sa FAB (Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro) at CAB
(Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro) ay tumatalima sa probisyon ng 1987
Constitution sa dalawang mahalagang aspeto, namely, human development at social
justice," Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma, Jr. told reporters
during a press briefing in Malacañang.
Addressing lawmakers’ doubts on the constitutionality
of the BBL, Secretary Coloma explained that those who crafted the proposed law
made sure that it abides by the Constitution.
“Nais nating sabihin at ulitin na isa sa
mahagalang batayang prinsipyo ng pamahalaan sa pagbuo at pagsulong ng
Bangsamoro Basic Law ay ang pagtiyak na ito ay tumatalima sa mga probisyon ng
Saligang Batas. Ang mga katanungan hinggil sa constitutionality ng draft BBL ay
inumpisahan nang matalakay sa idinaos na iba’t ibang konsultasyon at public
hearings tungkol dito,” he said.
Coloma noted that according to 14 Constitutional
Commission members, “The core principle of the 1987 Constitution in mandating a
special status for the autonomous regions is the human development of the
people of Muslim Mindanao and the Cordilleras. Hence, the public conversation
should not be about semantics but about people -- their needs, their
aspirations, their choices -- and about empowering them with the environment
and institutional framework for social justice. Social justice that calls for
genuine social change is the central theme of the 1987 Constitution; and here,
it is broader in scope and intent than in the 1973 and the 1935
Constitutions."
The 14 fully support the creation of the
Bangsamoro Autonomous Region, noting that the “Bangsamoro can be a model for us
to do the same for the rest of the country and thereby build together a more
just and peaceful nation,” the Palace official said.
Last January, 14 of the 18 surviving former
members of the 1986 Constitutional Commission forged a consensus on the issue
of the Bangsamoro.
They are Felicitas Aquino-Arroyo, Adolfo S.
Azcuna, Teodoro C. Bacani, Joaquin G. Bernas, Florangel Rosario Braid, Hilario
G. Davide Jr., Edmundo G. Garcia, Jose Luis Martin C. Gascon, Christian S.
Monsod, Ricardo J. Romulo, Rene V. Sarmiento, Jaime S.L. Tadeo, Wilfrido V.
Villacorta, and Bernardo M. Villegas. PND (ag)
National Museum verifying reported discovery of
Japanese warship, Palace says
Malacañang said on Thursday that the National
Museum is verifying reports on the discovery of the wreckage of the Japanese
battleship Musashi on the seabed of Sibuyan Island.
According to news reports, American billionaire
and Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen announced on Wednesday on Twitter that his
research team has found one of Japan’s biggest warships which was sunk by
American forces during World War II.
“The reported discovery of the Japanese battleship
Musashi by the group of Mr. Paul Allen is now being verified by the National
Museum and other concerned government agencies. The discovery of an
archeological artifact such as this is covered by Republic Act No. 10066 or the
National Cultural Heritage Act of 2009,” Communications Secretary Herminio
Coloma, Jr. told reporters during a press briefing at the Palace.
The National Museum “is working closely with all
stakeholders to ensure that the provisions of our existing laws are enforced
and complied with,” Secretary Coloma said.
These stakeholders, he said, include Romblon
province, which is proximate to the Sibuyan Sea where the shipwreck has been
found; the Japanese government, as this involves the shipwreck of a World War
II Japanese battleship; and Allen’s organization.
The Musashi was one of three warships measuring
263 meters built by Japan during the war.
It was sank by American warplanes on October 24,
1944 at the height of the Battle of Leyte Gulf, which was considered as the
biggest naval encounter of the war in which American and Australian forces
defeated the Japanese.
Coloma said that part of the mandate of the
National Museum is to coordinate or to inquire with the Philippine Coast Guard
and other concerned government agencies.
“We will await the verification being done now by
the National Museum. They are the lead agency of the government in doing what
is needed regarding this development,” he added.
Allen, who founded Microsoft with Bill Gates in
1975, said in his website that the discovery of the Musashi was the end of an
eight-year search supported by historical data from four countries and using
“advanced technology” that surveyed the seabed.
Forbes Magazine ranked the 62-year-old Allen as
the world's 51st richest man, with a net worth of US$17.5 billion. PND (jm)
