PIA Dispatch (15 June 2010)

PNR to resume ‘Bicol Express’ June 25, PGMA told

CALAMBA CITY, Laguna (PND) – The Philippine National Railways (PNR) is set to resume regular trips to the Bicol Region by Friday next week, PNR officials told President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo today.

The PNR halted its daily train trips to the Bicol province after the San Cristobal bridge here was destroyed when typhoons “Milenyo” and “Reming” battered Southern Luzon one after the other in 2006.

Now, with a newly constructed 50-meter bridge taking the place of the devastated San Cristobal bridge, the Bicol Train service, from Manila to Ligao, Albay will soon resume.

In a briefing in one of PNR’s newly acquired train coaches that took the Chief Executive, PNR and local government officials and members of media to its Bicutan station in Parañaque, PNR General Manager Ower Andal said the “Bicol Express” trip would be available to commuters by June 25, 2010.

Andal added that operational works, which include replacing the wooden tresses with concrete and the addition of compacting materials to improve the stability of the tracks, is being undertaken from now until the 25th to ensure the safety of railroad tracks for its trips to Bicol.

Andal said the resumption of the Bicol trips of the PNR “closes the loop” by linking the North and South Rail project, part of the President’s 10-point agenda to decongest Metro Manila.

In the same briefing, Andal told the President the PNR expects its passenger base to increase from the 400,000 a month to 600,000.

He said that if the trend continues, the PNR will have to increase the departure of trains from its usual 30-minute interval to 15 minutes to cope with the demand.


PGMA inaugurates 'Bridge of Promise' in Batangas City

MANILA, June 15 (PNA) -- President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo together with Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Victor Domingo led on Tuesday the inaugural of the newly completed "Bridge of Promise" in Batangas City.

Domingo said that because of its importance in the petroleum industry he had ordered the immediate completion of the project and assures that the bridge was completed on track.

"This bridge project is one of my priority projects which I personally monitor the progress of work to assure its immediate completion because this is one of the bridges that was destroyed by the strong typhoons that affected much of our infrastructure facilities last year." Domingo added.

The Bridge of Promise was damaged by super typhoon 'Santi' which hit the region Oct. 31, 2009. It was closed due to damage in the two mid-spans which were washed out at the height of the flood.

Due to its closure, commercial and industrial companies were forced to take an additional forty (40) kilometer detour road and has to travel another two to two and a half hours in delivering their products to Batangas, Manila and other points of Luzon.

Due to the clamor of power and petroleum industry players such as the National Power Corporation (NPC), General Milling Corporation (GMC), Petro Chemical Plants, LMG and Shell Refinery, which are located along the coastal road, near the bridge area in Brgy. Gulod, the DPWH hastened the early completion of the project to ensure the prompt delivery of essential commodities and services within the Region and in Metro Manila.

From its original reinforced concrete girder type bridge, the new "Bridge of Promise" was built with steel components from Austria which has a lifespan of 300 years.

This P100-million bridge project is jointly implemented by the DPWH Region IV-A Office and the President's Bridge Program Office. (PNA)


Last meeting of PGMA cabinet on June 29

The final report of the transition team created by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to facilitate the smooth turnover of the bureaucracy to President-elect Benigno Aquino III will be taken up during the final cabinet meeting on June 29, a day before the oath-taking of the new President.
It will be the last time President Arroyo will convene her cabinet, before she bows out of Malacanang and assume a new public post as congresswoman for Pampanga’s second district.
Meanwhile, Presidential Management Staff head Secretary Elena Bautista-Horn has expressed satisfaction that representatives of the incoming government have started meeting administration officials.
On the prospects of a joint meeting between the Arroyo cabinet and the one being formed Aquino, Horn, quoting Executive Secretary Leandro Mendoza, said an agreement has been reached to push through with it.
Without disclosing any date or venue, Horn nevertheless said it would be a good opportunity to set things in a proper perspective.
“The meeting would be the right venue to really discuss all statistics. If they have certain questions, it would be the proper forum to validate and confirm with the data that we have already disseminated to the public,” Horn added.
Horn said that should President-elect Aquino opts to hold his oath-taking at the Quezon Memorial Circle (Quezon City) as what was hinted earlier, the Malacanang transition team is ready to give support. (PND)