PHL’s Biggest Port PTB Opens in Cagayan de Oro

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) and the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) inaugurated the country’s biggest port Passenger Terminal Building (PTB) at the Port of Cagayan de Oro, 15 July 2019.

Located within the Passenger Terminal Complex of the Port of Cagayan de Oro, the new PTB is a massive two-storey building with a total floor area of 5,597 square meters.

The new terminal has a capacity of 3,000 passengers, triple its previous capacity.

DOTr Secretary Arthur Tugade, together with PPA General Manager Jay Santiago and PPA Port Manager for Misamis Oriental/Cagayan de Oro, Isidro Butaslac Jr., led the inauguration of the new PTB.

“I have inaugurated many terminals during our term, and the truth is, this is the biggest passenger terminal building in the Republic of the Philippines. Ito ‘hong proyektong ito ay magbibigay tibay sa kagustuhan ng ating Pangulo na magkaroon ng mobility and connectivity sa Visayas at Mindanao. With this terminal, you will have a convergence of people for mobility that will lead to economic growth,” Secretary Tugade said.

The transportation chief also congratulated PPA GM Santiago and the whole of PPA for their efforts in completing the port project that will strengthen the Port of Cagayan de Oro as the “Global Gateway to Mindanao.”

“I thank PPA GM Santiago and the men and women of PPA for they have done a very good job. Napakarami nang natapos na port projects all over the country, kasama ang Cagayan de Oro. Ganyan kalakas at kaigting ang trabaho ng PPA at ni GM Santiago,” Secretary Tugade expressed.

For his part, GM Santiago cited the country’s biggest port PTB as a symbol of the agency’s 45 years of maritime service to the Filipino people.

“We are thankful that as the PPA welcomed its 45th founding anniversary, we have this huge PTB to stand as the emblem of our service and dedication. We believe in the role of seaports in developing our regions and boosting local economies. We hope that this new PTB will contribute to the socio-economic growth, not just of CDO, but of the entire Northern Mindanao region,” GM Santiago said.

The PTB features brand new facilities that will enhance the safety and security of the sea-traveling public. Services include security checkpoints with x-ray scanners for baggage, body scanners, CCTVs, passenger boarding stations, collector’s booth, public assistance desk, designated green areas, storage room, and offices for passenger-related agencies such as quarantine, tourist police, and the Coast Guard.

For the comfort and convenience of the public, amenities include a play area for children, child care station, ecumenical prayer rooms, drinking fountains, toilet facilities, urgent medical care room, food stalls, pasalubong centers, and a special boarding lane for senior citizens, PWDs, pregnant women, and women traveling with children below two (2) years old.

Adhering to the “Malasakit Initiative” of the DOTr, the PPA also announced that today marks the start of terminal fee exemption for students in all PPA-owned and operated ports nationwide. Senior citizens, PWDs, and active personnel from the Philippine National Police (PNP), Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) are also exempted from paying terminal fees.

Other officials present during the inauguration were Misamis Oriental Gov. Yevgeny Emano, former Cagayan de Oro City 2nd District Representative Maximo Rodriguez, Cagayan de Oro City Mayor Oscar Moreno, DOTr Undersecretary for Finance Garry De Guzman, Undersecretary for Aviation and Airports Manuel Antonio Tamayo, Undersecretary for Maritime Fernando Juan Perez, Undersecretary for Road Transport and Infrastructure Mark de Leon, Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) Chairman Martin Delgra III, LTFRB Board Member Antonio Gardiola Jr., and other local government officials.

Aside from the PTB, the Port of Cagayan de Oro’s new electronic gate complex and the Opol Port in Misamis Oriental were also inaugurated earlier.

PHLPost Centenary Stamp to Honor the Late CJ Teehankee

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The Philippine Postal Corporation (PHLPost) together with Chief Justice Claudio Teehankee Center for the Rule of Law launched the CJ Claudio Teehankee Centenary Commemorative Stamp at the Ateneo Professionals Schools, Rockwell, Makati City.

Former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines Artemio Panganiban and Hilario Davide Jr., Ambassador Manuel A.J. Teehankee and Assistant Postmaster General Luis D. Carlos formally unveiled the CJ Teehankee Centenary Stamp and signed the official first day of issue honoring the life and works of the late Chief Justice.

“It is PHLPost duty to safeguard and preserve the history so that future generations can enjoy, benefit and learn from -the legacy of the past. We are proud to be part of this historic event honoring the late CJ Teehankee”, Assistant Postmaster General Luis Carlos said.

Chief Justice Claudio Teehankee was born on April 18, 1918. He served as the Philippines’ 16th Chief Justice, from 1987 to 1988. Scoring 94.35%, Teehankee was a prolific scholar. He became the first Atenean bar topnotcher in 1940 where he received his Law Degree from Ateneo de Manila.

In 1967, Teehankee was appointed as Secretary of Justice, and in the following year, he was then appointed as Associate Justice. In 1986, he was finally appointed to the position of Chief Justice by then President Corazon Aquino. In his later years, Teehankee served the country by accepting the appointment as the Philippines’ ambassador to the United Nations.

The stamp features the Artist rendition of Chief Justice Claudio Teehankee and its official Centenary logo. PHLPost has printed 60,000 copies of the single design P12 commemorative stamps. In-house layout artist Vic Serevo designed the stamps.

Stamps and Official First Day Covers are now available at the Philatelic Counter, Manila Central Post Office in Liwasang Bonifacio and area post offices nationwide.

Instituto Cervantes to Hold Exhibit on Miguel Hernández’s Literary Legacy

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Instituto Cervantes de Manila will be mounting “Miguel Hernández, a plena luz,” an exhibition on the life and works of the Spanish poet, at its Intramuros center at Casa Azul, Plaza San Luis Complex from July 25 to September 16.

The project, which is organized by the Diputación de Jaén or Provincial Government of Jaén, will take visitors through a journey to Hernández's universe in commemoration of his 75th death anniversary. It focuses on the young man who made poetry his creed and provides essential information about the Spanish literary icon.

Containing original pieces, such as manuscripts, letters, book editions, photographs, and other personal objects which were acquired by the Diputación through Hernández’s heirs, the exhibit aims to create an awareness of his literary legacy. The collection is treasured and safeguarded by the Diputación through the Instituto de Estudios Giennenses.

The exhibition, which is curated by Director Juan José Téllez of the Centro Andaluz de las Letras, kicked off in Jaén last December 2017, and it went on an international tour the following year.

The exhibit can still be viewed at Instituto Cervantes in London, Manchester, New York, Chicago and Dublin. It will head to Toulouse and Paris after Manila, the only Asian city in its tour.

Instituto Cervantes de Manila had already been marked as one of the required destinations for its tour, since the center’s library is named after Hernández. For more than a decade, the Manila center had been programming cultural events to remember the poet from Orihuela, Alicante.

Considered as one of the most authentic figures in 20th century Spanish literature, the literary icon’s beginnings were marked by religiosity, which was predominant during that time, and a self-taught literary education based on the classics of the Spanish Golden Age.

Hernández’s book “El rayo que no cesa,” which was published in 1936, made him famous in the poetry circles of Madrid, where he had decided to move in order to try his luck as a poet.

The Spanish Civil War did not disrupt his literary career and in fact, during this time, he published “Viento del pueblo” (1937) and “El hombre acecha” (1938). After the war, he was arrested and imprisoned, where he had died in subhuman conditions in 1942.

The project is organized by the Diputación de Jaén in collaboration with the Junta de Andalucía, together with the Centro de Estudios Andaluces, the Centro Andaluz de las Letras, the Generalitat Valenciana and Instituto Cervantes.

Entrance to the exhibit is for free. For more information, visit the website of Instituto Cervantes at http://manila.cervantes.es or its Facebook page at www.facebook.com/InstitutoCervantesManila.