LRT, MRT Common Station Now A Go After 7 Year Deadlock

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The seven-year deadlock is finally over.

After years of legal entanglements, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) has inked a consensus among shareholders to identify a single location of the Common Station, which will connect the three urban transit lines: LRT Line 1, MRT-3, and the proposed MRT-7, which will run from North Avenue to San Jose del Monte, Bulacan.

The Common Station, which will be built between SM North EDSA and Trinoma with access to both malls and major roads such as EDSA, will provide a common concourse or atrium wherein train commuters can conveniently transfer from one line to another.

An agreement between the DOTr, Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA), SM Prime Holdings, Inc. (SMPHI), Universal LRT Corp. (ULC) and Light Rail Manila Consortium (LRMC), North Triangle Depot Commercial Corporation represented by Ayala Land, Inc. (ALI), Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) will be signed tomorrow, Sept 28 to finalize the agreement.

The DPWH also assured that the underpass being built will seamlessly integrate with the Common Station.


Resolving the dispute

Getting all parties to agree is among DOTr’s Secretary Arthur Tugade targets within the first 100 days, and it involved engaging all stakeholders in meetings in order to reach a consensus. In a meeting last Sept. 8, the country’s top CEOs: SM’s Tessie Sy Coson and Hans Sy, Ayala’s Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala, San Miguel’s Ramon Ang, and Metro Pacific’s Manny Pangilinan agreed that a unified station is necessary to make commuting more convenient to the public.



Legal tussle

The Common Station project started in 2009 and has been on hold due to legal issues. The LRT Authority inked a deal with SMPHI to build the station near SM North EDSA. Five years later, the DOTC decided to build the Station near Ayala’s Trinoma citing reasons to cut costs. The Supreme Court (SC) intervened and issued a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) in favor of SMPHI to stop the construction of the Common Station.

The agreement to be signed tomorrow will pave the way for a filing of a joint motion to the SC to lift the TRO.

Hearing on Bills for Maternity Leave and Nutrition Support for Infants

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Asserting that there is an inextricable link between the well-being of mothers and the health of their children, Akbayan Senator Risa Hontiveros today chaired two consecutive committee hearings that deliberated two of her health legislation; the bills seek to expand the paid maternity leave of working women and scale up nutrition support for infants.


Healthy Bulilit Act

Senate Bill No. 1145 or the Healthy Bulilit Law was deliberated in the Senate Committee on Health and Demography.

Hontiveros explained that her bill mandates the Department of Health (DOH) and the National Nutrition Council (NNC) to increase nutrition support to all children in the first 1,000 days. She characterized this period as crucial and intervention at this time is key to combatting nutritional stunting. The senator said undernutrition remains the underlying killer of children as it makes them vulnerable to bout of infections, low birth weights and wasting.


Philippines lost P328 B to undernutrition

Hontiveros, citing a report by the Save the Children International, also said that the Philippine economy lost at least P328 billion or the equal of 3 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2013 due to the impact of childhood stunting on workforce productivity and education.

"We need to strengthen the government's commitment to provide children all the necessary nutrients to ensure their healthy growth. We must ensure that we have healthy bulilits who will grow up to become healthy Pinoys and Pinays," Hontiveros said.


150 days of maternity leave for working women

Hontiveros' Senate Bill No. 215 or the Expanded Maternity Leave Law Act of 2016 was heard by the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality, which the senator also chairs.

The senator said her bill seeks to provide women workers in the public and private sectors, married or not, 120 days of maternity leave, and an additional 30 days for solo mothers. The additional 30 days can be allocated to alternate caregivers such as their common law partners, or relatives up to the 4th degree of consaguinity. It can also be extended to adopters or any person who has adopted a minor.

"It's time to introduce radical reforms to our maternity law to bring it at par with international standards. In Asia, we are lagging behind Vietnam, Singapore, Brunei, Laos, Myanmar, Indonesia, Thailand and Cambodia.

The government must respond to our women workers' pre and post-natal health needs. The government must also recognize and provide full support for women's reproductive work," Hontiveros said.


"Centennial gifts"
Hontiveros said that as the Senate celebrates its 100 years, she hoped that the passage of her bills will be some of the institution's "centennial gifts" to the Filipino families. "There is no better gift than the gift of a secure and healthy future. Let us bring forward real changes in the lives of our women and children," she concluded.

More Complete Online Shopping Experience with New Shopify Partners

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The online community is getting bigger and wider nowadays, and with the help of the rampant pace of social media and technological enhancements such as hi-tech gadgets and online apps to simplify business, it comes to no surprise that even online shopping is now a trend. Entrepreneurs that delved into the eCommerce industry are currently trying to market their brand and products or services they offer the best and most efficient way they can.

Last year, Globe myBusiness has established a solid partnership with Shopify - the number one eCommerce platform in the world. With Shopify enabling business owners to have their own online shop and business eCommerce management platform, this gives opportunity to expand their business without the hassle. In case you find it difficult to set up your shop, Top Shopify developer NZ can help you out.This last quarter of the year, they will be offering new add-ons for Globe myBusiness customers through their partnerships with logistics services (Xend), design and set-up services (Ropo), digital advertising services (AdSpark) and payment services.

Aside from Globe myBusiness partnering up with several existing customers to set-up their store inside Globe Gen3 stores around the metro, the existing Shopify sellers no longer need to look for external agencies for services such as the aforementioned add-ons. Everything in the eCommerce world that every SME would need, Shopify has them. It’s an all-in-one package for all Globe myBusiness customers.

Aligned with the Globe purpose, Globe myBusiness is definitely making businesses flourish. Their partnership with Shopify, Xend, Ropo and AdSpark strengthens the business customers by creating an avenue for them to feature their products in a more diversified digital platform.

Neon Island, a Filipino online clothing store founded in 2013 by Aira Medina and Chi Gibbs, together with Craft Carrot Art Tools, Inc., a provider of quality art materials and craft supplies for professional artists, hobbyists, and DIY enthusiasts, are one of the businesses that is featured during WWG at the ICONIC store in BGC, Taguig City. They are able to maintain the small footprint thanks to Shopify. Their inventory is properly stowed and accounted for using the eCommerce app. Selling their products are simplified using a tablet for browsing products to closing the deal.

“The main objective of this project is to reiterate the company’s advocacy to help improve the lives of every Filipino. Through this project, we are able to help our SME consumers / customers to have a better marketing strategy to promote their brand,” said Barbie Dapul, Globe myBusiness VP. “And what better way to market their brand but to put them at one of Globe Telecom’s biggest event of the year - the WWG.” Dapul added.

Shopify, the number one eCommerce platform in the world partnered with Globe myBusiness to help the SMEs tap the eCommerce industry, has launched the smallest store project with other business partners’ stalls in all Gen3 stores and its surrounding locations.