7 Groups Qualify To Bid For The Mactan-Cebu International Airport Project – DOTC

Wazzup Pilipinas!

All seven (7) groups vying for the first airport project to be bid out under President Benigno S. Aquino III’s Public-Private Partnership (PPP) program have been successfully prequalified, the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) disclosed on Thursday (May 16, 2013).

The announcement, which was made four (4) days ahead of schedule, signifies that the P 17.5-Billion Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) Passenger Terminal Building Project will be contested by the following groups:

• AAA Airport Partners, led by the Ayala and Aboitiz groups and Houston airport operator ADC&HAS;
• Filinvest-CAI Consortium of the Gotianuns and Singapore’s Changi Airport;
• First Philippine Airports of the Lopez group and New Zealand’s Infratil Asia Limited airport operator;
• GMR Infrastructure and Megawide Consortium, which includes India’s Delhi Airport’s operator;
• MPIC-JGS Airport Consortium, composed of the Pangilinan and Gokongwei companies, as well as France’s Aeroports de Lyon;
• SM-led Premier Airport Group, which includes Switzerland’s Zurich Airport operators; and
• San Miguel-Incheon Airport Consortium, led by the SMC conglomerate and the operator of South Korea’s Incheon Airport.

DOTC Calls For Technology-Based Proposals To Solve Illegal Bus Operations

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Seeking to solve wide-ranging issues caused by the illegal operations of buses and other public utility vehicles, the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) and the Land Transportation Franchising & Regulatory Board (LTFRB) are resorting to modern technology, in line with a strong Anti-Colorum campaign.

In a Request for Information (RFI) published earlier this week (May 14, 2013), the DOTC called for proposals from the public regarding “available technology-based solutions” such as Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), Global Positioning System (GPS), and Smart Cards.

The RFI indicated that the primary purposes for this effort are to monitor the movements of both registered and unregistered or unauthorized public utility vehicles, to apprehend illegally-operating vehicles real-time, and to maintain a database containing relevant information on traffic violations, among others.

3rd International Mt. Apo Boulder Face Challenge Held in Davao

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The third international installment of the Mt. Apo Boulder Face Challenge was recently held in Davao to raise tourism activity and awareness for the environmental protection of the Philippines’ highest peak. The competition brought foreign and domestic challenge takers to cover 113.3 kilometers in four different activities: 47.8 km of biking, 50 km of trekking, 3.5 km of water tubing, and 12 km of road running –all in 24 hours. Regular hikers usually take two days to climb the peak of Mt. Apo and one day to descend.

The race served as the highlight of the annual Pista sa Kinaiyahan or Feast of Nature, a municipal festival in Sta. Cruz, Davao del Sur. Sta. Cruz is one of the entry points to climb the highest peak in the Philippines which boasts of sound environmental practices.

Department of Tourism (DOT) Region XI Director Arturo Boncato explained that there is a growing awareness to protect and save Mt. Apo. “The Davao Region’s brand promise of from islands to highlands can only be true if there is protection of the environment. The “highlands” part of the brand promise refers mostly to Mt. Apo which is home to Davao’s most iconic symbols – the Philippine Eagle, waling-waling, and durian,” Director Boncato added.