Philippines' First Subway System Gets Underway

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The Metro Manila Subway Project may be an ambitious undertaking, but it is moving forward.

At the seventh Steering Committee Meeting presided by Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Arthur P. Tugade last week, partners from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) presented updates on the Feasibility Study being conducted on the Metro Manila Subway Project.

Among the issues discussed were timelines, alignment, and organizational arrangements. Sec. Tugade reiterated his directive that he wants the project to be operational before the end of President Rodrigo Duterte’s term.

“I don’t want bola-bola. I want this project finished,” Tugade said.

Apart from fast-tracking the project, he also proposed for the subway to extend all the way to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

"I need to have that connectivity. I have a big problem with NAIA because of the projected increase in volume of passengers," he said.

The subway alignment originally has 13 stations, starting from Mindanao Avenue and ending at FTI Taguig. This is seen to cut travel time from Quezon City to Taguig to just 31 minutes.

Sec. Tugade also proposed a training facility for railway operators to which JICA responded positively. JICA also presented possible organizational arrangements to ensure that the subway will be constructed, operated, and maintained by a competent and dedicated team of certified operators and experts.

Apart from a world-class design, the proposed subway system will have water-stop panels, doors, and high-level entrance for flood prevention, earthquake detection, and a train stop system just like the subways in Tokyo.

At the end of the meeting, a minutes of discussion was signed by Sec. Tugade and JICA.

Department of Public Works and Highways Secretary Mark Villar, Bases Conversion and Development Authority President Vince Dizon, Metro Manila Development Authority Chairman Danny Lim, representatives from the National Economic Development Authority, and officials of the Embassy of Japan were also present at the signing.

President Duterte and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe are expected to sign a loan agreement for the Mega Manila Subway Project during the latter’s visit to the Philippines in November.

Know the Tools to Help Improve Your Business at PBEX 2017

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Small and Medium Enterprises make up the majority of companies in the country, and large companies also depend on SMEs that they can supply with the necessary items they need to do business.

In an effort to improve business processes in the SME industry, the 8th Philippine Business and Entrepreneur's Expo has invited entrepreneurs and consultants to share tips and ideas on how they can grow their business further.

The Entrep Success Forum (to be held on Sunday, July 29) feature business owners Mr. Von Ryan Reyes (King’s Care Laundry) and Mr. Jerome Arenas Lustre (JBooks Consultancy Services), business consultant Prof. El Pangulayan Buelva (Host of the Business Café radio program) and marketing educator Prof. Jerry Yao as they share business tips from cashflow to human resource management to marketing and business expansion. This forum is open to everyone.

The 8th Philippine Business and Entrepreneurs' Expo will be held at the Megatrade Hall 1 of SM Megamall in Mandaluyong City this July 28 to 30, Friday to Sunday. We are open for exhibitors to showcase their products and services - get in touch with Ex-Link at (+63 2) 633-0153, 643-3887 or 535-1150; SMS (+63) 920 981 4376 or (+63) 920 924 2532; email info@exlinkevents.com or message us on Facebook @exlinkevents. Program lineup subject to change without prior notice.

Innovation is Key to Penetrating Different Market Segments: Lenovo

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The world’s top PC maker credits its consistent growth to a customer-centric approach

During a recent visit to Lenovo Philippines’ headquarters in Taguig, Lenovo’s Executive Director and Regional General Manager for Central Asia Pacific (CAP), Ivan Cheung shared
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why innovation matters at Lenovo. According to Cheung, the company allocates US$1.5B each year to explore and create new products for its customers.

Cheung said, “Innovation is at the core of Lenovo’s business. It allows us to better serve our clients and provide them what they need. With a history of ‘firsts’ and pioneering leadership that is rooted in genuinely listening to customers and through analysing data, we will continue to provide cutting-edge technologies to cater different users’ needs.”

Customer centricity also plays a huge part at Lenovo. “We take engagement with our customers seriously. By addressing their needs at every touchpoint – from product inquiry, the actual purchase of products, to the after-sales experience – we are confident that the experiences we create are highly relevant, no matter for consumers or business users.”

In addition, Lenovo Philippines Country General Manager Michael Ngan shared, “To stay on top of a competitive market, we do our best to keep our core business strong and leverage our strengths. Part of the strategy is to create products for different market segments continuously.”

In recent months, for instance, the multinational tech company has locally introduced a wide range of products catered to different kinds of enthusiasts and professionals, including Legion, the company’s PC brand dedicated to the gaming community. It also released Kaby-Lake powered ThinkPad devices designed for the working professionals.

As for smartphones and convertibles, Lenovo respectively brought in the Phab 2 Pro – a Tango-enabled smartphone with an augmented reality (AR) feature – and the Yoga Book, which is geared for both productivity and creativity, through its touch glass surface allowing users to type, write, or draw digitally.

Cheung also demonstrated confidence in bringing more growth and improving the company’s quality of service in the country. He believes in the power of communication to make things happen for a team; and thus, makes it a point to engage regularly with team members of the recently-formed CAP unit – made up of Lenovo offices based in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, and the rest of Asia.

Cheung leads CAP’s business operations, strategy, sales and marketing for Lenovo’s line of PCs, mobile devices, and data center infrastructure.