Subic-Clark-Tarlac toll project probe sought
By JUDY T. GULANE, Reporter

A resolution in the House of Representatives has directed the Committee on Oversight to conduct an inquiry in aid of legislation into the "alleged overpricing" of the first portion Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway Project that will be undertaken by the Bases Conversion Development Authority (BCDA).

In House Resolution No. 95, Quezon Rep. Danilo E. Suarez, who is also the chairman of the Committee on Oversight, noted that the 41-kilometer Subic-Clark toll project -- the first portion of the 94.5-kilometer expressway project -- will cost a total of PhP13 billion, which means that it will cost PhP310 million per kilometer.

BCDA had approved an estimated project cost of PhP8 billion for the Subic-Clark toll project, he said, based on the figures supplied by three Japanese consultants -- Pacific Consultants, Inc., Nippon Koei and Katahira.

The lowest bid for this particular stretch of the expressway project, however, was PhP13 billion from the Hasama Construction Co. of Japan.

Mr. Suarez said the average road construction cost is between PhP35 to 50 million per kilometer for expressways with two lanes, and between PhP70 to 100 million per kilometer for expressways with four lanes. This makes the PhP13 billion Subic-Clark stretch essentially overpriced.

"(T)he PhP13 billion cost of the Subic-Clark Toll Project is more than one-half of the PhP21 billion facility that is expected to cover the cost of the entire 94.5 kilometer expressway," Mr. Suarez said in his resolution, "which leaves a mere PhP8 billion to construct the remaining 53.5 kilometers of the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway."

"(T)his highly irregular and anomalous transaction, reminiscent of the two-lane Diosdado Macapagal Avenue in Manila's reclaimed area, which cost PhP75 million per kilometer, should be stopped as this is grossly disadvantageous to the government," he said.

Recently, the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) directed the BCDA to conduct another bidding for the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway Project after its total project cost ballooned to PhP27 billion from the approved PhP18.74 billion.

The additional project cost was due to a redesign of the expressway, which essentially makes it a new project that needed rebidding, NEDA Director-General Romulo L. Neri had said.

A rebidding has to be made in order to avoid legal problems, such as the Supreme Court nullifying the contract, like in the case of Terminal 3 of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

NEDA's Investment Coordinating Committee will have to approve the new project design before the BCDA can call for new bids.

Once built, the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway Project will be the country's longest. Package I of the project will extend from the Subic Freeport to the former Clark Air Base, while Package 2 will extend from Clark to the Hacienda Luisita in Tarlac.

The Japan Bank of International Cooperation will provide $315 million, or 85% of the total cost, for the project.

are his arguements correct? I mean, do expressway-quality roads cost only P50M/km? seems a tad bit too little...

noted that the 41-kilometer Subic-Clark toll project -- the first portion of the 94.5-kilometer expressway project -- will cost a total of PhP13 billion, which means that it will cost PhP310 million per kilometer.

just a thought, they the estimate include the interchanges? I heard there would be quite some so baka may error na naman sa estimate ng House. Damn, delayed na naman to.

just a thought, they the estimate include the interchanges? I heard there would be quite some so baka may error na naman sa estimate ng House. Damn, delayed na naman to.

oh yeah... I forgot all about the interchanges.

but 310 million per kilometer is still way too high... if they can still lower it they should...

Will this SCTEx link with the NLEX? I mean will there a sophisticated interchange for this crossing of two major Expressways? Naks...

I think so, Federal. They should do that.

according to the NLEX redevelopment plan, it is supposed to be Phase 3, after the rehabilitation of NLEX, and connecting C-5 (i think) with NLEX in Bulacan. not sure about the details, there was a map somewhere:D

this i got from the BCDA web site.. *i think i also posted one in the Subic-Clark thread*
_____________________________

CHRONOLOGY OF THE SUBIC-CLARK-TARLAC EXPRESSWAY PROJECT
BCDA
BCDA
Tuesday, August 24, 2004

21 October 1999
NEDA approves project at a cost of Php 15,247 Million

April 2000
BCDA submits an Updated Implementation Program seeking 22.9% increase in project
cost from Php 15, 247 Million to Php 18,740 Million due to changes in design and scope.

2000
NEDA approves 22.9% increase in cost at Php 18,740 Million.

February 2002
Rufo Colayco is appointed President and CEO of BCDA

2002-2003
BCDA consultants perform detailed design and engineering work. During that period,
JBIC conducted quarterly Project Implementation Review meetings with BCDA and NEDA.

September 2003 to January 2004
BCDA conducts tender for Package 1 (Subic-Clark) and Package 2 (Clark-Tarlac). By that time, estimated cost of civil works increases to Php 22,600 Million.
Despite this fact, Approved Budget for Contract (ABC) was still bid out at Php 20,078 Million, which was equivalent to the loan proceeds for the civil works provided by the JBIC loan. This was done on the premise that competition might cause bidders to submit proposals closer to the ABC than the (higher) estimated construction cost.

February 2004
Bids amounted to Php 27,013 Million, exceeding the ABC by Php 6,938 Million (35%) and the estimated construction cost by Php 4,413 Million. Under JBIC guidelines, BCDA had the option to either re-bid or negotiate and reduce the scope of the road without affecting its functionality. BCDA chose to negotiate the project.

20 July 2004
Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Romulo L. Neri declares that the project should be re-bid due to design changes and the lowest evaluated bid exceeded the ABC and is in violation of RA 9184. Sec. Neri issues this statement in a press conference a day before (19 July 2004) sending BCDA a letter.

July 2004
BCDA explains that the design changes account for only 17%, well within NEDA’s 20% contingency on changes of scope. Furthermore, since the project is being funded through a special yen loan package, the project falls under the JBIC Procurement Guidelines, which allows BCDA to negotiate with the bidders in order to reduce costs. Ergo, BCDA did not violate RA 9184 as Neri asserts.

16 August 2004
NEDA still insists on redesigning and re-bidding the project. Neri also puts forth an unrealistic timetable for re-bidding which, according to him, would take only 11 months to complete.

17 August 2004
BCDA explains to Neri that under the JBIC rules, the bidding process would take a minimum of 20 months.

Present
Based on negotiations so far, BCDA was able to negotiate the price to a reduced Php 22,078 Million, which is slightly under the estimated construction cost. Further negotiations could further reduce the contract price down to the Php 20,078 Million ABC level, thereby eliminating the need to conduct a re-bid of the project.

source:http://money.inq7.net/topstories/view_topstories.php?yyyy=2004&mon=09&dd=30&file=3

No rebidding for P21-B expressway project

Gil C. Cabacungan Jr.
Inquirer News Service



PRESIDENT Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has vetoed a plan of Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Romulo Neri to rebid a P21 billion project to build a 94-kilometer expressway that will link the Subic Bay Freeport Zone west of Manila, the Clark Special Economic Zone north of Manila and an industrial zone in the northern province of Tarlac.

At a meeting in Clark on Tuesday, the President ordered the National Economic and Development Authority, which Neri heads, to approve the project after the Bases Conversion Development Authority (BCDA) successfully negotiated with the Japanese contractor to reduce the project cost to P21 billion from P27 billion.



BCDA president Rufo Colayco, who opposed Neri's sudden call for a rebid, hailed the President's decision, which he said should lead to finalization of the contract with the project's financier, the Japan Bank for International Cooperation.

Arroyo decided against a rebid when Neri failed to guarantee that the project could be auctioned off to a new contractor with better terms in the next six months.

While the BCDA was in the middle of negotiations last June, Neri called for a rebidding and a redesign of the expressway project, which he said was "overpriced."

Colayco opposed a rebid, saying it would delay the project and strain relations with Japan, the country's biggest source of official development assistance.

The BCDA believes that infrastructure projects, including the expressway, will convince more foreign businesses to do business in the central and northern Luzon regions.

The expressway project is envisioned to serve as the backbone of a new economic growth corridor that in time could be more significant than Metro Manila.

It aims to provide a direct link among the Clark, Subic, the Luisita Industrial Park in Tarlac and the Bataan Technology Park near Subic. With INQ7.net

Gov't OKs P21-B Subic-Clark-Tarlac expressway project
Posted: 8:02 PM | Sept. 30, 2004

THE GOVERNMENT has approved a 21-billion-peso road project that would connect former US military bases at Subic Bay and Clark Field with the northern province of Tarlac, the state-run Bases Conversion Development Authority (BCDA) said.

The cost of the Subic-Clark-Tarlac expressway project has been reduced from the initial bid price of 27 billion pesos, said the BCDA.



"The reduction in cost was possible through negotiations with the lowest bidders and value engineering. It must be noted that the quality of the civil works and the functionality of the road were maintained," BCDA said in a statement.

The government hopes to complete negotiations with the lowest bidders by October, while construction is set to begin in January.

KOJM Joint Venture and Hazama-Taisei-Nippon Joint Venture were the lowest evaluated bidders for the project's phases 1 and 2, respectively.

The expressway project, which is targeted for completion by July 2007, will connect vital economic areas in the central region of the main Philippine island of Luzon.

The two former American military bases are now special economic zones.

The road project is being financed by a 40-year loan from the Japan Bank for International Cooperation.

The 41.93-billion yen loan, which will cover 85 percent of the project's total cost, carries an interest rate of 0.95 percent per annum.

finally...they should get this expressway well underway now. It is quite important to lure investors into central luzon. And good that they were able to lower the costs.

according to some maps i saw, this one is connected to NLEX. anyone can confirm that?

i think.... It think it's phase 2 or something

P21-B expressway project may start in January
Posted: 1:55 AM | Oct. 01, 2004


Inquirer News Service

printable version email a story write the editor feedback


CONSTRUCTION of the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway project may start in January, as the Investment Coordinating Committee of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) has approved the project on condition that it would cost no more than P21 billion, the Bases Conversion Development Authority (BCDA) said.

The 94.5-kilometer expressway will link the Subic Bay Freeport Zone west of Manila, the Clark Special Economic Zone north of Manila, and an industrial estate in the northern province of Tarlac. It is envisioned to catalyze economic activity in central and northern Luzon.



With the NEDA approval of the project, the BCDA needs only two more approvals from the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JIBC), which is funding the project, BCDA president and chief executive Rufo Colayco said in an interview.

"We expect to finalize the negotiations for the price with the contractors by the third or fourth week of October," Colayco said. "JBIC needs to approve that."

The lowest bidders for the two segments of the highway were KOJM consortium and the Hazama-Taisei-Nippon group, Colayco said.

He said that through negotiations with the bidders, the BCDA had reduced the cost of the civil works component to P22.1 billion from the initial bid price of P27 billion.

On instructions of Malacañang, the BCDA will again negotiate with the bidders to cut the cost further to P21 billion.

Both the 50.5-kilometer Subic-Clark component and the 44-kilometer Clark-Tarlac component will consist of four-lane asphalt concrete pavements with asphalt overlay.

The project covers a total of four major bridges spanning the rivers of Gumain, Porac, Pasig-Potrero and Sacobia-Bamban; eight interchanges; 35 minor bridges, and 13 overpasses.

"We expect to complete in late November the negotiation on the details of the contracts, which JBIC must also approve," Colayco said.

He said that if the timetable is met, the contracts could be awarded by December.

The 30-month construction period can then begin in January 2005 and end in July 2007, he said.

The BCDA originally planned to begin construction work at the start of this year. Ronnel Domingo, with INQ7.net


here's the another link:
http://bworld.com.ph/current/TopStories/topstory5.html

wow.. so it's a year late...

wow.. so it's a year late...

most pinoy gov't projects are man, ;)

so pag natapos to, that means this would be the longest expressway in the country, taget finishing date is late 2007

yeah, it would be, unless NLEX or the SLEX+STAR connection extends.

MANILA, PHILIPPINES | Monday, October 4, 2004


Q&A
SBMA chairman Francisco Licuanan and BCDA CEO Rufo Colayco speak on
Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway Project
Creating growth opportunities for RP
"If you go in with the attitude, 'I want to help something of significant value happen to improve this country,' then you also have to say at the same time that you are prepared to take all the nonsense that comes with it."


Before joining the Senate in 1992, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, then with the Department of Trade and Industry, initiated the concept of developing Central and Northern Luzon. Today, that initiative is among her government's main objectives. And leading its pursuit are two former business executives who have distinguished themselves in the fields of investments and property development: Francisco Licuanan, formerly with Ayala Land; and Rufo Colayco, who worked both with SGV&Co. as well as the Kuok group. BusinessWorld sat recently with both men to discuss the anchor of the government's global gateway initiative -- the PhP21-billion Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway Project.

BusinessWorld (BW): How did this entire endeavor evolve? How was it conceptualized? How did it come about?


BCDA CEO Rufo Colayco (RC): First of all, I'm sure I'm not the first one to talk about this. Vic Lim (BCDA chief during the Ramos Administration), way back, was already talking about creating a corridor. It's just that if you work in government, and you work day to day, the big ideas, the big picture, tend to get set aside. Days become weeks, and months, and finally years, and then people look back and say how come we never did anything about that.

When (former President Estrada) put me and Felicito Payumo in Clark and Subic in 1998, it occurred to me that the way things have gone before, probably partially because of the personalities, tended to be thinking more in terms of the greater SubicIt tended to be Subic-centric or Olongapo-centric. It occurred to me that with the way things were going, the result would be what I call economic enclave sa super-jumbo PEZA -- two of them in effect (Clark and Subic). Instead of the 500 hectares that Ayala Land would build into a technopark, we are talking about 5,000 hectares and, essentially, you attract investments into that place, jobs get created there, and then people go there to work.


Rufo Colayco

But I thought, what if we look at all of Central Luzon as the target, and think of these two (Subic and Clark) as anchors that we will link...I said, why don't we link Clark and Subic first and create a convergence of air and sea transport, which if you handle right, becomes a very viable logistical asset. But more importantly, you orient the whole development to Central Luzon itself.

When you look at Central Luzon, if you connect the provinces to each other, you'll have an explosive mixture. (Mr. Licuanan) is very familiar with this...I talked to him about it. He's not walking into this thing new. He's been thinking about this himself. Even at that time, I could sense that he was one of the few guys who sort of thought it made sense.

The idea is you have this huge agricultural plain in Nueva Ecija and Tarlac, which is underutilized. If it is irrigated and served with roads better than what we have now, it can probably feed most of the Philippines, with some export.

And it is just north of Metro Manila, which is the natural market. And to the west of it will be this corridor that we are creating when we link Clark and Subic.

So why not just link that new corridor, by linking Clark and Subic to the rest of the plain? Why don't Clark, Subic, and BCDA get together and create this backbone infrastructure for the region?

We have a natural deep water harbor in Subic, which will be the gateway for Central Luzon to connect directly with the international market, rather than go through the bottleneck in Manila.

You have a strategically located airport near to it (in Clark).

And the two are strategically located with respect to the rest of the region, the central plains.

Tourism is there, too. You create that (Subic-Clark corridor) and I think it's one of those places where you get the big bang to the buck: Two plus two equals four and a half or five.

We've been pursuing this in the last year and a half, we conducted extensive talks in Central Luzon to get ground level enthusiasm for it, which is there now.

And then all of the sudden (Mr. Licuanan) became available when he retired. I think this is the most positive thing that could have happened. With (Mr. Licuanan) on board, we have full support (of the President).


BW: (to Mr. Licuanan) To a large extent then, the timing of your retirement (from Ayala Corp. recently) was crucial?


Francisco Licuanan (FL): Well, I was lucky...


BW: My understanding originally was that the Subic-Clark hub was an attempt to decongest Metro Manila?


RC: That was my idea, but we have to find out what Mr. Licuanan thinks. He's in charge. My original concept was that our industries have died. About 10 million Filipinos have to find work offshore because there are no more jobs here because we are so uncompetitive, with our inefficiency of our choking up Manila. Other countries like China can produce goods more cheaply and efficiently than we can.

We have to give ourselves a break and so we have to create a better, more competitive environment, so that our private sector can have a chance to fight. That's the primary thing as far as I was concerned.

The secondary thing is that, in the process, we will create a logistics corridor or hub. We can do some transshipment business like Singapore does.

The primary is to enable Philippine domestic business to become competitive, and secondarily, to have a hub that will have some transshipment business.


FL: The way that you become competitive is you create a very efficient logistics environment. In the process you, become a regional hub, and you need volume, so you got to get both.


BW: How optimistic are you that volume will come?


FL: We have not gotten to the point of quantifying it. I think we all know that we are up against something very difficult, which is China.

One of the things we are going to have to do is to find what particular areas we can complement, not compete, with China. China will be China. They will be the more dominant force in this region.

And in fact, it's a national problem, not only a Central Luzon problem. The Philippines will have to find its niche in this new regional order that China will dominate.


BW: Can we say then that the idea of the Subic-Clark hub, to be created with the help of the expressway project linking them, is an attempt to highlight the best of what the Philippines can offer?


FL: We can say that, in effect, in the end, government has to be an enabler. Government can provide infrastructure, and hopefully not just the hard infrastructure but also what we call the soft infrastructure -- the policy environment, etc. In the end, it's the private sector that will find the opportunities. Thinking further ahead, we can help with research and things like that, to help find the opportunities.


BW: But how sure are we this particular project, the hub with the Subic-Clark expressway, will not suffer the same fate as many other government projects that were not implemented?


FL: Well, first of all, nothing is sure. We just have to look at what the chances are. I can refer only to my personal reaction when I was approached (to lead the Subic-Clark-Tarlac tollway project) and my feeling is that this is one time when we have a chance of succeeding.

First of all, the basic infrastructure, the largest elements of the physical infrastructure, are either there or at least have funding. The port (in Subic), and you got funding to improve the container port. You have the airport (in Clark); at least you've got the runways. They are going to have the radar, at least they have it funded. Then the road (tollway), which at that time I thought was already a go, is also funded.

So, at the very least, the largest elements of the infrastructure are already there or have a chance of being there... There are a lot of other elements we have to put together.


BW: It's just a matter of linking these elements ...


FL: There's a lot, lot, lot of hard work to do. But at least some things that would normally be impossible are already there...rather than you build a new port, build a new airport, walang pag-asa yun [that would be a waste of already-available/existing opportunities].


BW: A number of controversies hounded the tollway project only recently. Is it finally going to push through?


FL: (To Mr. Colayco) Rufo, you have the letter saying it's approved?


RC: What I have is a certification (from the National Ecomic and Development Authority, or NEDA) that it is approved. I made sure that we got that.

When we weren't in government, we knew that it was going to be like this. It's frustrating, but if you won't accept it as a reality, then you leave and you don't do anything.


BW: (To Mr. Colayco) Has it (government work in Clark and then BCDA) been frustrating for you?


RC: That's putting it mildly (laughter). If you take the attitude "I'm not going to take any of this nonsense," then you're only option is to leave. And if you leave, how do you get anything done? If you go in with the attitude "I want to help something of significant value happen to improve this country," then you also have to say at the same time that you are prepared to take all the nonsense that comes with it. If you end up leaving, talo ka, di ba [you would have been beaten, right]? You didn't get anything done.


BW: Was all the nonsense you had faced within your expectations when you joined the government?


RC: No, far worse than I have imagined really, and far more devious, far more determined. You cannot imagine some of the stuff I had to go through.


BW: (to Mr. Licuanan) Hearing this from somebody who has been in government for some time, what are your expectations in terms of frustrations?


FL: You'll never know how bad it is until you are actually in it. I can talk theoretically; I've seen a little.


RC: (to Mr. Licuanan) You ain't seen nothing yet.


Francisco Licuanan


FL: I'm psychologically preparing myself. I'm starting with the premise that it's not going to be smooth-sailing. It's not going to be, I don't expect it to be. If it gets beyond my level of tolerance, I will surrender. But I have a high level of tolerance. Like Rufo, I'm a very stubborn guy.


RC: That's the irony of it I think in many circles, Mr. Licuanan and I have in some ways similar reputations: stubborn, brusko, impatient...


BW: Did you ever work together previously?


RC: No, but only because we were running our respective responsibilities. He was with Ayala and I was with SGV and then Kuok.

People don't understand these things very well: we might get very upset even with each other sometimes, but its never personal. We are just trying to get something done. We may disagree on how it should be done, but at the end of the day we will both yield to the fundamental principle that we will get it done.


BW: As far as the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway Project is concerned, is there a meeting of the minds between you two on how it should be implemented?


FL: Yes.


RC:I would say, there is a very high degree of congruence. I'm sure that we will have different approaches, but the fundamental thing is there.


BW: With your extensive experience in the private sector, what do you think you'd be able to bring to the table?


RC: At the end of the day, Mr. Licuanan is the one who is going to be the leader. If I get to stay in BCDA, I have defined BCDA's role going to the future, being principally the provider of the highway backbone.

First of all, to link Clark to Subic and then to link two of them to the rest of the region.
Second phase is to go further north and to go further east. North is up to La Union, east is up to Palayan City, which is a stone's throw from Dinggalan Bay facing the Pacific.
It's more than just talk because that second leg going north is already with NEDA for evaluation staff level

So if I get to stay in BCDA to run it, it's going to be quite straightforward -- I would build those highways. I would have to link everyone to its grand design. And to the extent that we may have to modify what were doing, to fit in with what is being donewe'll do that.


FL: What I hope to put in is try to unify the approaches of the three institutions (Subic, Clark, and BCDA) because as Rufo was saying, until this concept came along they really had their own different objectives.

Theoretically, the objectives are now somewhat unified, but that's in theory. Now we have to get the management all working together in that direction. And that's still a very broad objective. We've got to thresh out that objective in terms of substrategies and action plans.

At the broadest level, I'm just supposed to be working on strategies, plans, coordinating. I'm supposed to step in whenever the things happening on the ground are not congruent with the strategy.

So to me, that's my major role: getting an organized and consistent approach to the broader objectives among the three management, and that may involve trying to influence the management.


BW: Obviously, this hub will succeed only to the extent that investments will come in and investors will agree to help out in the project. My understanding is that JBIC will finance only the expressway itself and the seaport. But everything else in terms of infrastructure and communication will have to come from investments outside.


FL: The service infrastructure will be market-driven. If we can create the basic investments in manufacturing and service, then the guys that can provide services to them will come.

The problem is this usual chicken-and-egg thing: can you get the volume of demand so that they can invest?

If we talk about telecommunications, there is basic telecommunication for the region as it is, so I have no doubt that PLDT, Globe, and others will be willing to provide that. We have some issues with regard to policy structure and I would have to begin to understand and solve that. Energy is a major issue, a country issue.


BW: Has any particular group expressed interest in joining this project or investing in the hub?


RC: Iran. In fact, they're doing it all over the country, but they are very much aware of this initiative.


FL: I don't know the details, and this is not something I've gotten involved in yet, but I know (Clark Development Corporation chairman) Roy Navarro and his group are in deep discussions with Iran and they are about to tell me where they are.


BW: Considering your previous involvements in the private sector (Mr. Licuanan with Ayala Corp. and Mr. Colayco with SGV and Kuok), if you would find yourself in situation that you would have to decide on a particular issue that would involve your former companies, how do you intend to go about it?


RC: If I could abstain from participating in the decision, I would. But how do you do that if you are chief executive of the entity doing it? So you just have to be careful when you conduct those transactions Just because you happen to have an association with somebody does not mean that you will necessarily have a bias in dealing with him.


FL: There's reality and there's appearance. I have no problems, knowing that I would be unbiased vis-a-vis Ayala. I think I did as well by them as they did by me. So it's not like I really owe them in that sense, but then there's appearance I can abstain or I might end up saying, pwede ba, huwag ninyo akong ipitin [please spare me of this awkward situation]...go somewhere else.


RC: Especially the way Philippine government is, it's not as big an issue as it appears. I'm talking about things like discrete transactions. Maybe its more touchy.

In fact...( to Mr. Licuanan) you know frankly, I think the logical platform from which you should pursue this thing is as chairman of BCDA. Setting aside the issue whether that's right or not, there's a big problem with that. At least for the first year, because he was running Ayala Land just a few weeks ago, which is now partners with BCDA (at Fort Bonifacio)... So we end up attending FBDC (Fort Bonifacio Development Corp.) board meetings within weeks after he left.

Now that wasn't a problem, whether at least from a perception viewpoint, although that's touchy. Because that's more private, less subject to scrutiny.

But if you talk about acquiring, for example, the right to operate a highway or the right to develop a large tract of land as an industrial thing, that can be conducted very visibly in an arm's length manner.


BW: Any expectation on how much value your project is going to create?


FL: No numbers. It's not that I don't believe them (NEDA projections), but they are so large that I don't want to think about them. No numbers at the moment.


BW: What is your timetable in terms of government service?


RC: I've been saying everywhere I've gone, if we get nothing else more than building the infrastructure, building the road, building the seaport, the airport...to me the seaport and the road are the more important things. Then we would have accomplished something of great value.

To give you a sense of what I mean, just try to imagine for a moment what it would be like today if 30 years ago the north and south expressways were not built. Can you imagine? Nothing would have happened.

Same thing here. If we get a fresh seaport to get rid of the nonsense in Metro Manila ports, and sufficient highway for the rest of the region, that in itself has to create a hell of a lot of value, making things that would not always happen...

The other part is we could create institutions institutions that will not only enhance but probably mobilize those pieces of infrastructure far more effectively, generating growth and development.


BW: Are we talking about creating a new agency from the existing agencies?


FL: I don't know. There was a grand plan, which I guess is still there, to merge everything into one. I have my reservations about that, partially because I don't think it will ever get done.

Maybe we are talking three or four institutions. We are talking of maybe the airport office, the seaport...and then the road infrastructure is another institution.

But I guess what we have to develop is the coordinating role, the developmental role. In that context, we still have not talked about the role of other agencies, the regional development council, for example.


RC: If I could build the highway all the way to La Union, and all the way to Palayan, I'm done. (To Mr. Licuanan) But your role in a way is more multi-faceted. Once you brought in the strategic partners with their know-how, their market links, that's when you can probably step off and say some younger guy would take over this, I'm done.


BW: Do you have any strategic investors in line? Groups you would like to invite?


FL: We can approach them, but you know we've got to have something to sell.


BW: So are we getting started on the tollway in January?


RC: I think so.


BW: Then can we say with some degree of confidence that all issues and controversies have been resolved?


FL: I think the President realizes that it is not a viable alternative to re-bid. She loses time and probably lose money. I think she has made that clear.


BW: (To Mr. Colayco) How long have you been in government?


RC: Eighteen months first round (at Clark). This one (at BCDA) is longer, from March 2002, so 30 months...


BW: Are you staying on?


RC: Well, I'm in a hold-over capacity because I am serving the unfinished term of Babes Singson. So the President would have to reappoint me for me to stay on.

And I don't think she has decided to. My term ended last July 28, so hold-over until now. I think as of now, she is inclined to appoint someone else to do my job.

The visioning now will come from Mr. Licuanan. As I mentioned earlier, the role of BCDA will be relatively straightforward: build the highway.


FL: BCDA was able to structure itself to build the second part. I think Phase One is going to be straightforward. If someone else takes over, he may need to catch up because a lot of the work will be the financial packing: we have to provide the counterpart money. BCDA has some resources, but you have to shape it in such a way that you can maximize it.


BW: What does BCDA hold now? How much are we talking about?


RC: In terms of land, the remaining land Fort Bonifacio consists principally of eight and a half hectares inside the Global City, and another five or four just north of it behind Pricesmart. That's virtually it. And there's the 45% interest share in Fort Bonifacio Development Corp. That's very very valuable, specially now that Ayala Land is... in FBDC as well.

Elsewhere, there are bits and pieces of military land along Roxas Boulevard, Libis BCDA owns 4,400 hectares in Clark that land cannot be disposed of without congressional approval. Leases only. That applies to Subic as well.


BW: (To Mr. Licuanan) What do you expect to do in SBMA?


FL: I'm supposed to be at the planning and strategy level I hope I will not get involved in anti-smuggling...I mean, I will do something to some extent... but that's why the President said she was sending Joey Calimlim there. We have to back up Joey, but surely he is he guy to do it. We have to work on the institutional framework because, actually, the position he is appointed to is a position that won't allow him to do his job. We have to sort it out. Within SBMA, we will give him the authority he needs.


BW: What about Alredo Antonio?


FL: He is the CEO. In SBMA, I'm simply presiding officer. In practice we work as a team, and we talk about things. He is the CEO.


BW: How about BCDA, who is the new chairman?


FL: Mr. Rojas is the chairman, replacing Mr. Padernal. He once was with RCBC, but he left quite a while ago. So he is a banker by profession. Funny, they are all RCBC (SBMA's Antonio, Clark's Navarro, and BCDA's Rojas), but Mr. Yuchengco had nothing to do with their appointments.

I was with BanCom previously, of Sixto Roxas. I left and joined Ayala in 1979. Essentially, my training was in finance. But work at Ayala Land was beyond that. I was general manager.


BW: I am keeping my fingers crossed that this tollway project will fly.


FL: I think we have a very very high probability that this road will materialize. Extremely high.


RC: It will start in Subic where the Tipo road ends, and then go down hills, mountains, Dinalupihan follows foot of mountain and gets into Clark through the friendship gate through Angeles, and then it will go out to Mabalacat then north to Tarlac.

It's a new alignment, but the road going to Clark will be a parallel to McArthur.


FL: Almost perpendicular, not quite parallel to the Olongapo-Gapan road.




RC: When you get past Dau later on, you will ses a ramp that will take you across (the highway) to Clark over McArthur. Effectively, the continuation of the north express will be the Subic-Clark-Tarlac tollway. Then you get on the Clark-Tarlac portion of the Subic-Clark-Tarlac.


BW: (To Mr. Licuanan) With all your years in Ayala, did you ever get to work on a highway?


FL: No. The Southrail -- we were serious about it. But it was affected by the peso devaluation and the Asian crisis. When we were putting it together, the exchange was PhP38.50.


BW: Does it really make sense to get into rail?


FL: Truth of the matter is, no railroad has ever made money, except when they have major land speculation

But I think what we need is a change in mindset in government. Why are we willing to subsidize by using government funds...to build roads without being willing to build railroads? We should look at it the same way.


BW: For the Subic-Clark-Tarlac toll fees, how much are we talking about?


RC: We will be at par with the North Luzon. Running probably a bit behind in terms of rate.


BW: When can we expect the new Subic-Clark-Tarlac tollroad to open?


RC: July 2007.


BW: Do you think that's feasible?


FL: Well, if Mr. Colayco gets it awarded by January, the rest is construction. Right now, he is negotiating (with contractors) to bring the cost down.

There were gaps in the procedures previously, and the price went up, so there has to be some evaluation of whether it should continue or not.


BW: Is PhP21 billion the final cost?


RC: We are not there yet.


FL: We are approved for that.


RC: JBIC is providing a ¥39-billion civil works loan, which at current exchange rate is PhP20 billion. Now we need another PhP1 billion.

We are in discussion (with contractors) and they are cooperating. The tollroad will be 94.5 kilometers long.


FL: If you look at it, the profitable part will be Clark-Tarlac portion at least in the short term, because the traffic is there. The Subic-Clark portion is really a missionary route, but eventually it may be more profitable. But as of now, the existing traffic in the north is very evident.


BW: The Ayala group has worked with many Singapore businesses. Do you intend to invite them to this project?


FL: We intend to invite them because they are a natural candidate. They also have a basic country decision to go out and expand.


BW: How about the Chinese?


RC: My personal guess is that for the typical mainland Chinese entrepreneurs, there's so much opportunity back home that he'll be focused there for a while. The Taiwanese are different, though. And there's so much land relation between Taiwanese and Filipinos.



BW: What types of investments do you expect to come in once the Subic-Clark tollroad is ready?


FL: At this point, we don't have the numbers. It's very early. In effect...you put in the infrastructure, you make it very efficient...immediately the statistics will start pouring in. That makes it more economical for other investors to locate there other than other areas in the Philippines. Once investors start coming in, then you can promote your tourism.


RC: Even tourism is partially driven by infrastructure. That's why Boracay is never going to be that big, because access is bad and it's not big enough for you to spend on the access. Sa Thailand, they chose a couple of spots they could build infrastructure and allowed the private sector to take over.


BW: So main objective now is to get the road done?


RC: The road, electricity, water -- that is the one bad thing about Central Luzon. The mountains were denuded so long ago and then the ground water has been extracted so aggressively.


BW: What policy changes are we looking at to make this hub project work?


RC: We're looking at changes in the air policy. That becomes necessary. At least that's the major one.


FL: One of the problems is the regulatory problem of taxation...and the exemption and tax incentives. That's a big issue. There's a lot more, but these are the two most important.


RC: To some degree, there is also this issue of ownership of utilities. For example, we're now going to be looking for operations and maintenance contractors for the road. And the law says that entity has to be Filipino, at least 50%. We prevent capital from moving freely into the capital-intensive things that are needed to develop the economy.


BW: How is the financing?


RC: The 40-year loan, 10 years grace on principal. We'll pay the interest during the first 10 years. And the interest rate is 0.95%. The guarantee fee is higher than the interest per year.

But the one that would apply to the extension to La Union is better. The interest rate would be better: instead of 0.95%. it will be half a percent.

The thing that we hope will become more and more recognized is the huge potential that this (Subic-Clark hub) initiative brings. As we said, there's no other place where we can get such significant results in such quick time with excellent return in investments for the country.

Because all the elements for success are there: the proximity to the domestic market, and at the same time the instrument by which to decongest that market. It's all there, you have agriculture, tourism, manufacturing, manpower.


BW: Good luck to you, gentlemen.


FL: That's what I tell my wife.
http://bworld.com.ph/current/ThisWeek/sct_map.jpg

oh... great long article... I hope this project goes on well...

Phase 2 would be nice... going to Baguio and northern towns would be faster... plus another possible port city in the Pacific coast... cool...:D

I hope soon there would also be this kind of development in Mindanao....so our fellow Muslim Filipinos would also have enough work...:D

hmm... that small map seems to be diff from the one i posted in the NLEX thread. man it's heaps long.

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=96028&page=4&pp=25

poster number 93.

looks like we're gonna have a series of expressways throughout Central Luzon. awesome :guns1:

Construction of the 94.5-kilometer (km) Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway is slated to begin early next year after the Bases Conversion Development Authority (BCDA) and contractors finally agreed to lower the cost by PhP1.1 billion to P21 billion.

In a statement yesterday, BCDA said the agreement avoided a re-bid, which would have delayed the project by another two years.

"The result of the negotiations has further reduced the cost of construction by as much as PhP1.1 billion from the last negotiated cost of P22.1 billion," the press release quoted BCDA president and chief executive officer Rufo Colayco as saying.

The agreement will be submitted for the BCDA board's approval on Wednesday. The BCDA will then seek the nod of the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), Mr. Colayco said. The Japanese government is funding the tollway project through the JBIC, which will extend a 40-year loan agreement at an interest rate of 0.95%, with a 10-year grace period on principal.

BCDA officials failed to jump-start the project early this year as the lowest tendered bids exceeded the Approved Budget for Contract or ABC by as much as P6 billion, or 35%.

Mr. Colayco said the notice to proceed would be issued to the winning bidders by middle of December, after provisions of the loan agreement with JBIC have been complied with.

"Hopefully, once the bids are formally awarded next month, construction would begin by January next year and would be completed by 2007," he said in the statement.

The winning bidders are Japanese consortia Kojima-Obayashi-JSE Engineering-Mitsubishi Steel (KOJM) Joint Venture for Package 1 (Subic to Clark) and Hazama-Taisei-Nippon Joint Venture for Package 2 (Clark to Tarlac).

The country's longest tollway will link Subic Freeport, the Clark Special Economic Zone, and the Luisita Industrial Park in Tarlac, all in Central Luzon. The Subic to Clark portion will cover 50.5 km while the Clark to Tarlac portion will stretch 44 km.

Doesn't say anything about a connection to SLEX....... hope one happens.

SLEX is far... skyway would be the link if ever...

SCTEx ---> Interchange ----> NLEX ----> Skyway onramp at Balintawak (maybe will be started after 10 years pa...) ----> Then SLEX

i think he meant NLEX. haha... or maybe Renell really was talking about SLEX.

good news re. SCTEX. they've finally got it going. hopefully, nothing bad happens from now until January.

btw, is C5 connected to SLEX? cuz they're going to etend it to connect with the NLEX, right? so if it's also connected to the SLEX, there'd be three major highways linking the two expressways. C5, EDSA and hopefully Skyway...

Yeah absent-minded. Plus the NAIA Expressway... the SLEX with be linked to the Coastal Expressway... wow, fully integratred.

damn i meant NLEX :bash:

lol sorry guysss :D and if connected, where?

damn i meant NLEX :bash:

lol sorry guysss :D and if connected, where?

maybe at San simon as seen in the map...

The Bases Conversion Development Authority (BCDA) has announced the successful conclusion of the negotiations with the lowest evaluated Japanese bidder of the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway Project (SCTEP) reducing the cost by R1 billion signalling the start of the long-delayed 94-kilometer road network.


The winning bidder is composed of Japanese consortiums KojimaObayashiJSE Engineering-Mitsubishi Steel (KOJM) Joint Venture for Package 1 (Subic to Clark) and Hazama-Taisei-Nippon Joint Venture for package 2 (Clark to Tarlac).

BCDA president and chief executive officer Rufo Colayco said that following the negotiations, the civil construction cost has been down to R21 billion from the last negotiated cost of R22.1 billion.

The awarding of the SCTEP Project was delayed early this year as the lowest tendered bids for the project exceeded the Approved Budget for Contract (ABC) by as much as 355 or R6 billion more.

According to Colayco the result of the negotiations will be submitted to the BCDA board for approval on October 27. Subsequently BCDA will have to obtain concurrence from the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC).

Following its further compliance to the provisions of the loan agreement with JBIC, BCDA expects to issue the notice to proceed to the winning bidders by mid-December this year, Colayco said.

"The resolution to proceed with the implementation of the project is the fruition of the 8-month negotiations process between BCDA and the Japanese contractors,’’ Colayco said.

Once the bids are formally awarded next month, construction would begin by January next year and would be completed by 2007.

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has approved the project last month in the NEDA Investment Coordinating Council (ICC) cabinet level meeting wherein the President directed officials of BCDA to negotiate further with the bidders and work out to bring the cost to R21 billion or less than a billion of the approved agency estimates.

The project is being funded by a 40-year loan agreement between the government of Japan through JBIC and the government of the Philippines at an interest rate of 0.95% with a 10-year grace period on principal.

"The project is essential to the development of the region as it would create thousands of jobs and transform the area into an international logistics center, which is part of President Arroyo’s 10-point agenda,’’ Colayco stressed.

"The completion of the SCTEP would transform the Subic Freeport and the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport into a giant under-modal transshipment hub,’’ he said.

It will complement with Subic, which is being groomed as the country’s premier seaport.

maybe at San simon as seen in the map...

well, this one isn't related to NLEX. that one im guessing is only part of big NLEX plans. also that one doesn't seem like it's heading into tarlac..

@ article - Great that they settled this. Now, lets get the actual job done!

SCTEx is connected to NLEX... near the northern part of Clark Air Base.

phase 3 is from Luisita Park to Rosario, La Union. phase 2 is from Luisita Park to Dingalan Bay (Pacific Coast) - passing Cabanatuan

BCDA set to award civil works component of SCTEP
By Marianne V. Go
The Philippine Star 11/01/2004 (http://www.philstar.com/philstar/NEWS200411010707.htm)

The Bases Conversion Development Authority (BCDA) will award this month the civil works component of the 94.5-kilometer Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway Project (SCTEP) to the Japanese consortia Kojima-Obayashi-JSE Engineering-Mitsubishi Steel (KOJM) Joint Venture and the Hazama-Taisei-Nippon Joint Venture.

KOJM and the HTN have agreed to undertake the SCTEP construction at a cost of P20.97 billion.

Package 1, which will cost P12.7 billion, will cover the construction of the Subic to Clark portion and which will be undertaken by the KOJM Group.

Package 2, which will cost P8.2 billion, will cover the construction of the Clark to Tarlac portion and will be undertaken by the HTN Group.

Following the awarding, the BCDA will still have to obtain concurrence from the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), which will fund the project, to officially award the contract.

The BCDA Board recently approved the final cost of P20.97 billion after a protracted negotiation that had started in February this year.

The original bid of both contractors amounted to P27 billion last February.

Construction would begin by January 2005 and would be completed in 2007.
=====================================================

I hope there would be no more delays on this project (fingers crossed).
:)

http://www.bcda.gov.ph/images/global06.jpg
http://www.bcda.gov.ph/images/global07.jpg
http://www.bcda.gov.ph/images/global08.jpg
http://www.bcda.gov.ph/images/global09.jpg
http://www.bcda.gov.ph/images/global010.jpg
http://www.bcda.gov.ph/images/global011.jpg
http://www.bcda.gov.ph/images/global012.jpg
http://www.bcda.gov.ph/images/global013.jpg
http://www.bcda.gov.ph/images/global02.jpg

thanks man:) i like looking at those diagrams :yes:

looks like Subic-Clark-Tarlac and NLEX will form a "wishbone" of expressways throughout Northern Luzon.. pretty good

exactly what magazine was that article in

BizNews Asia/ April26-May3, 2004? :D

fear leads to anger~anger leads to hate~hate leads to suffering

Hindi ba quote ng Stars Wars Part II yan?

i think it was yoda the man. :yes: :D

WOW! thanks for the article and images.

is Aurora province now part of Central Luzon (Region 3)? i hope all this development will also spread to the north in the future.

this may be out of topic but, i read some articles from the web that sen. pimentel's proposals for the constitutional change will result to 10 federal states (including the Bangsa Moro Federal State in Mindanao), which means existing regions today will be merged (ie, regions 1 & 2 into something like Ilocano Federal State) :D do u guys think federalism will spur more development in other parts of the country?

EDIT: i checked www.nscb.gov.ph and Aurora is indeed part of Region 3.

WOW! thanks for the article and images.

is Aurora province now part of Central Luzon (Region 3)? i hope all this development will also spread to the north in the future.

this may be out of topic but, i read some articles from the web that sen. pimentel's proposals for the constitutional change will result to 10 federal states (including the Bangsa Moro Federal State in Mindanao), which means existing regions today will be merged (ie, regions 1 & 2 into something like Ilocano Federal State) :D do u guys think federalism will spur more development in other parts of the country?

EDIT: i checked www.nscb.gov.ph and Aurora is indeed part of Region 3.
Ilocano Federal State... sounds so cool. I never really did like the Region X numbering system we have now. So impersonal assigning numbers to regions.

If I were to divide the Philippines into federal states. I would divide the country based on major dialects... Ilocos. Katagalugan. Bisaya, etc. Then we can really see some good competition between the federal states.

And as we all know... competition is always good for the economy.

Former AFP chief Abaya assumes post as new BCDA prexy

Former Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff and retired General Narciso L. Abaya assumed his new civilian post as president and chief operating officer of the state-owned Bases Conversion Development Authority (BCDA), a company statement issued Wednesday said.

Mr. Abaya assumed his post last November 8 after being sworn in to office by Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita earlier in the day at Malacañang.

Mr. Abaya brings with him a wide array of skills and experiences in corporate governance. Even though retired from the military service, Mr. Abaya will still continue to work for the welfare of the AFP by ensuring the continuous flow of funds for the AFP's modernization program.

Under Republic Act 7227, the law which created the BCDA, it is mandated to remit to the National Treasury 35 percent of the proceeds from the sale of former military baselands and 50 percent of proceeds from lease of former military baselands for the AFP modernization fund.

Mr. Abaya is also expected to champion BCDA's flagship project -- the 94.5 km Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway Project (SCTEP). The project is in line President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's 10-point agenda of decongesting Metro Manila and establishing Clark Special Economic Zone and the Subic Bay Freeport Zone as centers of excellence in international service and logistics in the entire Southeast Asia.

The PhP27.5 billion expressway is expected to reduce the travel time from Clark to Subic to a mere 30 minutes. Travel time from Clark to Hacienda Lusita in Tarlac will likewise be reduced to a mere 20-minute drive.

The construction of the modern expressway project, pegged at PhP21 billion, will be financed through a special yen loan from the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC). The loan terms include 0.95 percent per annum interest rate, 40 years repayment period, ten years grace period, and 50 percent Japanese content requirement.

The BCDA, on the other hand, will infuse PhP6.5 billion to cover right-of-way (ROW) acquisition, general administration, taxes and duties, and other various programs related to the project.

The 94.5-km elevated four-lane asphalt concrete pavement (ACP) with asphalt overlay expressway project, similar to the newly renovated North Luzon Expressway, is divided into two packages. Package I, the Subic-Clark section is 50.5-km long while Package II, the Clark-Tarlac section is 44-km long. Construction of the modern expressway has been scheduled for January 2005.

Mr. Abaya is a graduate of the US Military Academy in West Point, New York, USA. At West Point, he was a consistent dean's lister and has distinguished himself as the only Filipino cadet thus far who has held the rank of cadet captain in the United States Corps of Cadets.

He holds a Master of Science degree in Civil Engineering from Lehigh University, Betlehem, Pennsylvania, USA and topped the Civil Engineering Board Examination in 1974. He also holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of the Philippines, Quezon City where he graduated with honors in 1980. -- AFP

Any news when this'll start... a stretch of fresh pavement worth 94+KM sounds yummy.

Well, in the article i posted above it says "Construction of the modern expressway has been scheduled for January 2005.":)

WOW! thanks for the article and images.

is Aurora province now part of Central Luzon (Region 3)? i hope all this development will also spread to the north in the future.

this may be out of topic but, i read some articles from the web that sen. pimentel's proposals for the constitutional change will result to 10 federal states (including the Bangsa Moro Federal State in Mindanao), which means existing regions today will be merged (ie, regions 1 & 2 into something like Ilocano Federal State) :D do u guys think federalism will spur more development in other parts of the country?

EDIT: i checked www.nscb.gov.ph and Aurora is indeed part of Region 3.

I thought Aurora province was somewhere down south? therefore it being in the Southern Luzon Region, along with Rizal, Quezon, Laguna etc.

Althought not directly about the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway project, here is a bit of bad news. But answers several questions raised earlier.

Tollway firm abandons plans for direct Subic-NLEx link

Plans to create a new toll road directly linking Subic to the North Luzon Expressway (NLEx) have been temporarily shelved by Manila North Tollways Corp. (MNTC).

MNTC officials said current traffic from Pampanga to Subic does not require two direct roads considering the Bases Conversion Development Authority (BCDA) is also planning to build another road.

"If the BCDA pushes through with the Subic-Clark-Tarlac project, then we see no reason as of the moment to push through with our project," MNTC President Jose de Jesus told BusinessWorld.

The MNTC has a 30-year concession to create three toll roads aimed at creating a seamless connection from provinces in the northern part of Luzon to Metro Manila.

The Lopez-led firm is currently completing the PhP10-billion rehabilitation and modernization of the 84-kilometer NLEx. The MNTC finished its first project, the Tipo Toll Road in Subic, in 1998. Under the MNTC's original plan, another toll road will link the Tipo road to the NLEx.

"Even if the BCDA does not directly connect NLEx to its toll road, it would still not make sense to make another toll road to Subic," said Anthony Mabasa, president of the Toll Management Corp. which will operate the NLEx on behalf of the MNTC.

The BCDA has approved the PhP20.97 billion final cost for the 94.5-kilometer Subic-Clark-Tarlac expressway. Two-year construction is expected to start in January.

The Subic-Clark-Tarlac expressway is expected to transform the region into an international logistics center. It aims to connect three major growth areas: Subic Bay, Clark, and the Luisita Industrial Park.

The toll road will be integrated with the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport in Clark and the Subic Bay Freeport under the Subic-Clark Alliance for Development.

Initial estimates show an expressway will cut travel time between the seaport and the airport to 30 minutes from the current one hour to one and a half hours.

I believe that's one of the phases in this diagram in the NLEX thread. well only temporarily i supposed. not much to rant on really.

Yeah...its not horrible news. Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway is supposed to link to NLEX anyways.

I thought Aurora province was somewhere down south? therefore it being in the Southern Luzon Region, along with Rizal, Quezon, Laguna etc.

Aurora is basically in the eastern part of Luzon (north of Quezon, south of Isabela and east of Quirino and N. Ecija). looking at its location on the map, it would make sense if Aurora integrates with Central Luzon region. i guess the reason why it used to belong to the southern tagalog region is that Aurora used to be a part of Quezon province. please correct me if im wrong.

@tyronne.. yup i think you're right... Aurora used to be part of Quezon.. or rather Quezon used to be part of Aurora before Tayabas became Quezon province...

Yeah...its not horrible news. Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway is supposed to link to NLEX anyways.

yeah probably.. is that sure thing?

the article did state it's temporarily shelved, so I guess it's not too big a problem right now. considering the fiscal situation the country is currently saddled with, I guess it is practical to set it aside for now - especially as they see no vital need for it. even if it can be afforded, there is no point when it's just gonna lose money.

hopefully, the SCTex will link to NLEX...

yeah probably.. is that sure thing?

uh...its very likely.

would that be on the top end of NLEX? or one of the phases that will go to Subic, which will probably come to the same route as SCTEX

Funding for SCT highway project awaits JBIC okay
By Marianne V. Go | The Philippine Star | 12/15/2004

The Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) has still not given its concurrence for the financing of the 94.5 kilometer Subic-Clark-Tarlac (SCT) expressway project because of concerns about the Bureau of Internal Revenue’s (BIR) insistence on the collection of value-added tax (VAT) on importations made by foreign contractors and Philippine counterpart funding for the project.

According to Bases Conversion Development Authority (BCDA) vice president for operations Antonio Rex Chan, the delay in the JBIC concurrence has pushed back the awarding of the civil works component of the SCTEP to the Japanese consortia Kojima-Obayashi-JSE Engineering-Mitsubishi Steel (KOJM) Joint Venture and the Hazama-Taisei-Nippon Joint Venture.

KOJM and the HTN have agreed to undertake the SCTEP construction at a cost of P20.97 billion.

The awarding was supposed to have been made last month.

Chan disclosed JBIC is asking the BCDA to first resolve the BIR tax issue either by seeking a deferment of the tax payment to the BIR or with the BCDA advancing the payment first to the BIR so that the project can proceed as scheduled.

The taxes involved would amount to a total of P2.3 billion over a three year period or an initial P700 million for 2005 alone.

Likewise, JBIC also wants the BCDA to ensure the counterpart funding.

The BCDA is hopeful that the JBIC concurrence would still be given before the year ends so that the timetable for the ground-breaking for the project by January 2005 would still be met.

Package 1, which will cost P12.7 billion, will cover the construction of the Subic to Clark portion and which will be undertaken by the KOJM Group.

Package 2, which will cost P8.2 billion, will cover the construction of the Clark to Tarlac portion and will be undertaken by the HTN Group.

Both packages, Chan said, would be undertaken at the same time so as not to further delay the road project which will connect the two former US military bases.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
bad news: further delay because of conflicts yet again with the government and the investors. sigh.. haha! hopefully, they will be able to successfully resolve this ASAP.

good news: once it does finally get started, phase 1 and 2 will be worked on at the same time. I guess that reduces the risk of having either one of the two being shelved after the first is completed.

Tax financing issue remaining hurdle to expressway project

The Japanese agency funding the PhP20.97-billion Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway Project wants the government to take care of value-added taxes (VAT) and import duties to be incurred prior to giving its go-signal for the construction of the 94.5-kilometer (km) tollway.

Officials of the state-run Bases Conversion Development Authority (BCDA), which is spearheading the project, said concurrence of the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) is the remaining hurdle. They clarified, however, that the tax issue will not scuttle the deal.

Tokyo is expected to deliver its concurrence within the week and once it is sealed, contracts will be awarded to the winning bidders in time for groundbreaking ceremonies scheduled in January, said Antonio Rex Chan, BCDA vice-president for operations.

"JBIC wants an assurance on the financing of the taxes," the BCDA official told reporters.

The issue of taxes is a major concern among Japanese businessmen, as firms that paid VAT and import duties in the past are having a hard time getting a refund from the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR).

Loan agreements for official development assistance-funded projects typically require the government to refund the taxes as they are not by law exempt from payment.

Mr. Chan said VAT and import duties for the Subic-Clark-Tarlac tollway construction have been included in the 2005 budget, which is still pending in Congress.

Estimated payments for next year total PhP700 million.

Arrangements are also being made with the BIR for a deferment of tax payments, Mr. Chan said. In any case, the BCDA can advance the amount, he added.

"That could not be a deal-breaker," he said.

The government had to seek the JBIC's nod after adjusting the project cost downward from the original contractors' bid of PhP27 billion, which is 35% or PhP6 billion more than the approved budget for contract.

The BCDA board approved the final cost of the civil works component in October after negotiating with the winning bidders to keep the price tag below PhP21 billion upon the order of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

The winning bidders are Japanese consortia Kojima-Obayashi-JSE Engineering-Mitsubishi Steel or KOJM Joint Venture, which agreed to the contract amount of PhP12.7 billion for Package 1 (Subic to Clark) and the Hazama-Taisei-Nippon Joint Venture, which agreed to PhP8.2 billion for Package 2 (Clark to Tarlac).

What will be the country's longest tollway is to be 85% funded by a 40-year loan agreement between the Japanese government through the JBIC and the Philippine government at an interest rate of 0.95% with a 10-year grace period on principal. The BCDA will raise the remaining 15%.

Package 1 stretches 50.5 km from the Subic Freeport to the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport in Clark, Pampanga and will have three major bridges, two interchanges, two minor bridges, 140 culverts, and 38 underpasses.

Package 2 is 43.1 km long from Clark to Luisita Industrial Park in Tarlac and will have one major bridge, six interchanges, eight minor bridges, 110 culverts, and 13 underpasses. -- Felipe F. Salvosa II

Posted: 3:14 AM | Dec. 21, 2004

Inquirer News Service
www.inq7.net


ANGELES CITY -- The presidential adviser for the Subic-Clark Growth Alliance said the implementation of the P21-billion Subic-Clark-Tarlac toll road project was expected to push through without hitches.

"I'm optimistic because it's mostly procedural matter and we have not heard any negative reactions from the local representatives of the JBIC [Japan Bank for International Cooperation]," said Francisco Licuanan, in reaction to reports that the JBIC, which is funding the road project, was rethinking its commitment.

Licuanan, also chair of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority, said "nothing was unusual" about the JBIC review of the financial viability and funding capability of the Bases Conversion Development Authority as a borrower. "It's a matter of procedure," he said.

About 85 percent of the road project cost will be financed through a 41.9-billion yen loan.

The JBIC, according to reports, withheld its approval for the project because it wanted to first get assurance that it would not pay for construction-related taxes and duties worth P2.3 billion.

The 94.5-kilometer road will connect the two former American military bases that have been developed into special economic zones.

The Subic Bay Freeport Zone in Zambales and the Clark Special Economic Zone in Pampanga possess infrastructure network that, when connected, could strengthen the potentials for growth of Central Luzon.

Under the 10-point program of the Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo administration, Subic and Clark are envisioned as leading logistics, transport and warehouse hub in Southeast Asia. Tonette Orejas

good:okay:

Here's a 2004 article from China:

An expressway is probably the second most expensive mode of transportation in terms of initial construction cost, next to a subway. The current cost in China ranges from 11 million yuan (US$1.3 million) per kilometer on the recently completed Guwang Expressway in Ningxia to 115 million yuan (US$13.8 million) per kilometer on the one leading from downtown Guangzhou to the city's new airport.

Cost varies from 42.5 million yuan (US$5.1 million) per kilometer on average in Guangdong to 29 million yuan (US$3.5 million) in Fujian.

There were no modern expressways on the Chinese mainland 20 years ago. The first one, an 18.5-kilometer stretch in a Shanghai suburb, was completed in 1988. But since then there has been a construction craze. In 2003 alone, 4,639 kilometers were added. China now has the world's second longest network of expressways: 29,800 kilometers at the end of 2003. The plan is to extend it to 70,000 kilometers by 2010.

If you multiply the per-kilometer cost by the length, you begin to understand the size of the industry and the magnitude of the money involved.


Here's the complete article: http://www.china.org.cn/english/2004/May/95298.htm

The article talks of corruption too in the form of bribes.

Construction of P26-B Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway seen in first half of '05 - Abaya

Roy Rosales
BCDA Press Release
Friday, January 07, 2005

With the recent signing by the state-owned Bases Conversion Development Authority (BCDA) of a loan worth P1-billion with the Banco De Oro Universal Bank (BDO), the construction of the 93.7 km Subic-Clark Tarlac Expressway Project (SCTEP) is expected to start within the first half of the year, BCDA President/CEO Narciso Abaya said.

"We expect construction of the 93.7 km expressway, the longest so far in Philippine expressway history, to commence within the first half of the year," Mr. Abaya said.

The SCTEP has a total project cost of approximately P26.154 billion. A loan from the Japanese government through the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) will cover 85 percent of the project or roughly P21 billion. The one billion loan that BCDA had recently forged with BDO will be part of the 15 percent counterpart fund that BCDA has committed to raise. The P1-billion loan was arranged though Bancommerce Investment Corporation (BIC).

Mr. Abaya said once completed by 2008, the modern expressway will interconnect the deep water seaport in Subic and the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA) in Clark to facilitate the transport of goods and services and people in a globally competitive environment.

"In the medium- to long-term, the Subic-Clark corridor will allow the country to leap frog into the mainstream of global trade and industry attracting more investors resulting to more jobs for the Filipinos," Mr. Abaya said.

He added that travel time from Clark to Subic will be a mere 30 minutes while that of Clark to Tarlac will be a mere 20 minutes.

"A marked reduction in travel time alone will help contribute in reducing the cost of doing business," notes the BCDA president.

Mr. Abaya said the 93.7 km elevated four-lane asphalt concrete pavement (ACP) with asphalt overlay expressway project, similar to the newly renovated North Luzon Expressway, is divided into two packages. Package I, the Subic-Clark section, is 50.5 km long while Package II, the Clark-Tarlac section, is 44 km long.

A total of eight interchanges will be constructed namely: Tipo Junction, Dinalupihan Interchange, Clark Logistics Interchange, Spur/North Luzon Expressway Interchange, Clark North Interchange, Conception Interchange, San Miguel Interchange and La Paz Interchange.

A total of 33 bridges will also be constructed. Of the 33 bridges, four are major bridges with a length of more than 300 meters. Of the four major bridges, the Sacobia-Bamban River Bridges is the longest at 1,160 meters. The three other bridges are the Pasig Potrero River Bridge, 720 meters; Porac River Bridge, 400 meters; and the Gumain River Bridge at 318 meters.

Other structures that will be constructed as part of the expressway include 44 underpasses and 255 culverts. Another feature of the expressway is the state-of-the-art closed-circuit toll system

The Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway is among the infrastructure projects identified in President Gloria Macapagal-Aroyo’s Medium-Term Philippine Development Plan (MTPDP) that is expected to develop Clark and Subic as centers of excellence in international service and logistics in the entire Southeast Asian region – one of the President’s ten-point agenda.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
a little update on the SCTEx project from the BCDA website. there have been more recent developments since this one. regarding the VAT subsidies. the BCDA has assured the JBIC that the P2.3B VAT subsidy for the project has been endorsed by the DBM and included in the 2005 Gov't Appropriation Act (the 2005 budget that's being passed, right?). so once that's passed through Congress, they automatically get the money to pay off the VAT that the Japanese contractors involved in Japan ODA-funded projects are exempted from. this should make way for the JBIC's concurrence so the project will finally kick off...

according to the excerpt ggmac posted above, the SCTEx is around the average price. $5.1M X 94.5 X 56 = P26.989B. the SCTEx is to cost P26.154B...

It's been a long time since I updated myself with this project. When is this one due to be finished?

according to the article it will be in 2008...

Mr. Abaya said the 93.7 km elevated four-lane asphalt concrete pavement (ACP) with asphalt overlay expressway project, similar to the newly renovated North Luzon Expressway, is divided into two packages. Package I, the Subic-Clark section, is 50.5 km long while Package II, the Clark-Tarlac section, is 44 km long

and it says that this will be an elevated expressway.. why was this so?... why haven't they planned this to be a ground level highway?

maybe because squatters will live beside it if it's ground-level... but seriously, i think it's a typo and is at ground level...

Oh yeah and what's "state-of-the-art closed-circuit toll system"?

is it similar to the one they have here in Singapore?

It's been a long time since I updated myself with this project. When is this one due to be finished?
This project is supposed to finish in 40 months , from my initial understanding. This includes the two packages.

There will be some elevated portions , mostly near clark when they connect it to NLEX, but the majority of the km's will be at grade.

No idea what "closed circuit" system means.

hmm.... if the toll system would be like that of Singapore's... it may not be easily feasible, because cars that would ply the expressway should have cards installed before running on it...

well.. if they're mostly elevated, more squatters will have an instant roof above them.. hehehe... :D

@bustero, so the connection to NLEX is part of the SCTEX plan?

@bustero, so the connection to NLEX is part of the SCTEX plan?
yup, my understanding is that it's actually the first phase, because the priority is to link clark airport, sm mall, etc to NLEX, Phase 2 to tarlac, Phase 3 to subic, but this may have been superseeded by GMA's intiative for the strong republic transport system plan, so sabay sabay na lahat. That's why even the SLEX connections to other highways are moving na rin. It's her plan to raise gdp by making farm to market linkages more efficient by better transportation.

alright, where do they plan to connnect both expressways?

maybe because squatters will live beside it if it's ground-level... but seriously, i think it's a typo and is at ground level...

If squatters were the reason, elevating the expressway would have been a daft idea, because they'd just live under it :D

However, the autostradas of italy are elevated, especially when they cut across mountains. maybe they're elevating it to make sure that its completely level, like the autobahn. But then again, that's IF they're elevating it, which I highly doubt.

@bustero, so the connection to NLEX is part of the SCTEX plan?

there were two plans to connect if i remember correctly. One via SCTEX project and the other via the NLEX project. I heard MNTC (NLEX contractor) shelved its plans for connection since SCTEX would be doing the same thing and if both are constructed at the same time, traffic would be divided among the two thus less revenues. wierd huh? :D

federal, yeah I have heard about the NLEX plan.. i think it was in the NLEX thread, post #94

alright, where do they plan to connnect both expressways?
Are you referring to NLEX to SLEX or NLEX to Subic Tarlac EX?

The former is supposed to be the skyway and c6, unknown timetable.

The latter Please see bold area below:

Construction of P26-B Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway seen in first half of '05 - Abaya

Roy Rosales
BCDA Press Release
Friday, January 07, 2005




With the recent signing by the state-owned Bases Conversion Development Authority (BCDA) of a loan worth P1-billion with the Banco De Oro Universal Bank (BDO), the construction of the 93.7 km Subic-Clark Tarlac Expressway Project (SCTEP) is expected to start within the first half of the year, BCDA President/CEO Narciso Abaya said.

"We expect construction of the 93.7 km expressway, the longest so far in Philippine expressway history, to commence within the first half of the year," Mr. Abaya said.

The SCTEP has a total project cost of approximately P26.154 billion. A loan from the Japanese government through the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) will cover 85 percent of the project or roughly P21 billion. The one billion loan that BCDA had recently forged with BDO will be part of the 15 percent counterpart fund that BCDA has committed to raise. The P1-billion loan was arranged though Bancommerce Investment Corporation (BIC).

Mr. Abaya said once completed by 2008, the modern expressway will interconnect the deep water seaport in Subic and the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA) in Clark to facilitate the transport of goods and services and people in a globally competitive environment.

"In the medium- to long-term, the Subic-Clark corridor will allow the country to leap frog into the mainstream of global trade and industry attracting more investors resulting to more jobs for the Filipinos," Mr. Abaya said.

He added that travel time from Clark to Subic will be a mere 30 minutes while that of Clark to Tarlac will be a mere 20 minutes.

"A marked reduction in travel time alone will help contribute in reducing the cost of doing business," notes the BCDA president.

Mr. Abaya said the 93.7 km elevated four-lane asphalt concrete pavement (ACP) with asphalt overlay expressway project, similar to the newly renovated North Luzon Expressway, is divided into two packages. Package I, the Subic-Clark section, is 50.5 km long while Package II, the Clark-Tarlac section, is 44 km long.

A total of eight interchanges will be constructed namely: Tipo Junction, Dinalupihan Interchange, Clark Logistics Interchange, Spur/North Luzon Expressway Interchange, Clark North Interchange, Conception Interchange, San Miguel Interchange and La Paz Interchange.

A total of 33 bridges will also be constructed. Of the 33 bridges, four are major bridges with a length of more than 300 meters. Of the four major bridges, the Sacobia-Bamban River Bridges is the longest at 1,160 meters. The three other bridges are the Pasig Potrero River Bridge, 720 meters; Porac River Bridge, 400 meters; and the Gumain River Bridge at 318 meters.

Other structures that will be constructed as part of the expressway include 44 underpasses and 255 culverts. Another feature of the expressway is the state-of-the-art closed-circuit toll system

The Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway is among the infrastructure projects identified in President Gloria Macapagal-Aroyo’s Medium-Term Philippine Development Plan (MTPDP) that is expected to develop Clark and Subic as centers of excellence in international service and logistics in the entire Southeast Asian region – one of the President’s ten-point agenda.

If you mean exactly where , I was told by the CDC guys it should land besides ... what else... SM of course :)

Yeah I meant NLEX and SCTEX.

sounds good:okay:

Updates anyone? Quite an important expessway to be ignored.

construction starts march. or so they say.

BCDA seeks P1-B loan for toll road project
By Ding Cervantes | The Philippine Star | 03/11/2005

CLARK FIELD, Pampanga — The Bases Conversion Development Authority (BCDA) has applied for a P1-billion loan from the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) for its P5-billion counterpart fund in the P26.154-billion Subic-Clark-Tarlac toll road project.

The project is expected to start anytime before July. Once completed, the 93.7-kilometer, four-lane toll road will be the longest in the country, the BCDA said.

The toll road will link up the Subic Bay Freeport and the Clark and Hacienda Luisita economic zones.

Rex Chan, BCDA vice president for operations, told The STAR the project will not cause massive land conversion of agricultural areas within the Cojuangco-owned Hacienda Luisita in Tarlac, contrary to the fears of the estate’s protesting workers.

"The expressway will be a limited access tollway and will be fenced throughout. It will only provide a terminal for passengers from Tarlac and other parts of Northern Luzon in San Miguel, Tarlac," he said.

Chan said the BCDA has applied for a P1-billion loan from the DBP after obtaining another P1-billion loan from Banco de Oro.

It has raised P1 billion from its own funds and another P2.3 billion in tax subsidy as provided under the recently approved General Appropriations Act.

It has to raise a total of P5 million as its counterpart fund for the toll road project.

Chan, however, said the project proposal has remained with the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) which will provide P21 billion or 85 percent of the total cost.

The project proposal was sent back to the JBIC for concurrence after it was amended to reflect an increase in cost due to delays since 2001.

"I don’t know what else they are looking into, but all the required documents are there," he said.

But he said he expects the JBIC to officially approve the project proposal within a week.

Earlier, the JBIC had threatened to withdraw funding amid fears that some P2.3 million in value-added tax and import duties would be levied on the delayed project.

"The P2.3 billion would cover the taxes which would also flow back to the government so there would be no cash outflow from the government," Chan said.

He said the BCDA has used P1 billion of its P5-billion counterpart fund to settle right-of-way problems in areas that the Subic-Clark-Tarlac toll road will traverse.

The BCDA has divided the project into two packages: Subic to Clark, and Clark to Tarlac.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
hopefully they will finally commence construction by July. last time they reset the target start date, they pegged it at March. but I guess the JBIC wanted to be assured of VAT compensation for the Japanese contractors so they had to wait for the 2005 Budget to be passed by Congress. they should concur it after the BCDA gets the P1-B loan from DBP to complete its P5-B counterpart fund.

it's pretty funny how the P2.3-B VAT compensation is to be paid out by the BCDA to the Japanese contractors who in turn cash it into the BIR who then have to bring it back to the BCDA as the counterpart funding... haha! I wonder if they can skip that and just kinda "waive" the VAT as if it's been paid so the fund can just stay with the BCDA.

:speech:

SCTEX Groundbreaking on Monday!

Arroyo to lead expressway groundbreaking on Monday (http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/pam/2005/04/01/news/arroyo.to.lead.expressway.groundbreaking.on.monday.html)

tyronne, patrol ng pilipino
naglilingkod, saan man sa mundo!

cool!

Wow!

yahoo!!! :D

kewl!!!

woot woot :happy:

anyone gonna check on it occasionally... any Subic weekend warriors out there?:D

Awesome!! hope this is proceeds without anymore glitches.

:speech:

SCTEX Groundbreaking on Monday!

Arroyo to lead expressway groundbreaking on Monday (http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/pam/2005/04/01/news/arroyo.to.lead.expressway.groundbreaking.on.monday.html)

tyronne, patrol ng pilipino
naglilingkod, saan man sa mundo!

MONDAY?.......what year?

^haha! you have a point in asking that question. but let's hope it's all "go" for this project. :)

finally!! yay... haha! yeah, I hope everything goes smoothly from now until it opens.

I was at subic over the weekend. At the tipo expressway, there were signs saying something about subic clark expressway. Cant wait for this to finish specially the connection to nlex. It took me about 2.5 - 3 hours driving from subic to manila with no stop over. If the expressway is finish, travel time could be 1.5. Thats amazing!! It would be faster than going to tagaytay!

there was a full-page ad about it earlier in the Inquirer. Thank God SOMETHING is moving :D

wow 1.5h to Subic. Absolute sweetness. Gonna help Bataan and Pampanga too.

Indeed it would be awesome. Agriculture and manufactured goods would surely benefit from faster and easier transport.

I was at subic over the weekend. At the tipo expressway, there were signs saying something about subic clark expressway. Cant wait for this to finish specially the connection to nlex. It took me about 2.5 - 3 hours driving from subic to manila with no stop over. If the expressway is finish, travel time could be 1.5. Thats amazing!! It would be faster than going to tagaytay!

that is from nlex-subic but if your are traveling from southern manila (using edsa) to subic i doubt if it will take 1.5 hours :D

We really need badly the segment of the Skyway that passes through MM so travel time to NLEX if you're from the south of MM (or from north of MM to SLEX) will be faster.

BTW where does SLEX in Metro Manila ends? the farthest i've been was in paco.

It ends in Paco, yes.

Updates anyone? Quite an important expessway to be ignored.



:speech:

SCTEX Groundbreaking on Monday!

Arroyo to lead expressway groundbreaking on Monday (http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/pam/2005/04/01/news/arroyo.to.lead.expressway.groundbreaking.on.monday.html)

tyronne, patrol ng pilipino
naglilingkod, saan man sa mundo!

April 4 2005, http://sctep.epinoy.com/

Doesn't SLEX technically end in the Magallanes interchange? I think it's renamed Osmena Highway......and unlike other unnecessary name changes, I think this one deserves to have a different name even though it all goes straight. The toll disappears, and the cracks and holes appear as you ramp down SLEX northbound into Pasay and Buendia:D


That's a sweet as map:yes: :colgate: Looks like there will be a SCTEX-NLEX interchange :yes:

Thanks for the website. Its great.

regarding, NLEX - will it end where it currently ends? or will they extend it further up north in the future?

Thanks for the website. Its great.

regarding, NLEX - will it end where it currently ends? or will they extend it further up north in the future?


the SCTEx will be connected to Sta-Ines NLEX, and continue up to Hacienda Luisita.

it is proposed (sctep) to be continued up to La-Union (poro point).

btw good website!

is it just me or the pictures on that web site aren't up yet? thanks for the site, though.

Nope, like SCTEP itself the site only had a groundbreaking event:D

But man, it's pretty set out to be one hell of a website. Unlike that PNCC site, or other expressway related sites before.

website seems to be fine.... http://sctep.epinoy.com/

yeah... that is a good site... informative... it now has pictures of the plans for its interchanges...

also there was once posted the plan to have another connection to SCTEP to Aurora...

yes. after this project (SCTEP). there is also a proposed plan linking hacienda luisita to dingalan bay (via cabanatuan).

this is alongside the proposal of the extension from luisita to la union. ;)

that's very good for... well basically almost every province south of benguet and north of manila:D hopefully the next president will expand the SLEX-STAR alliance hehehe, all up to Bicol

BCDA declares availability of P22-B fund for Subic-Clark-Tarlac tollway
By Ding Cervantes
The Philippine Star 05/11/2005

CLARK FIELD, Pampanga — The finance department of the Bases Conversion Development Authority (BCDA) has finally issued a certificate of availability of funds, the final requirement to facilitate the long-delayed release of the P22-billion 93.77-kilometer Subic-Clark-Tarlac tollway.

But full blast work on the tollway, which would be the longest in the country when finished, cannot start until three to four months from now pending the completion of a geographical survey now being done by its Japanese contractors, BCDA vice president for operations Antonio Rex Chan told The Star yesterday.

Chan said the certification means that the P18-billion soft loan from the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) and the 15 percent project cost counterpart of the Philippine government are now available for the project.

"The certification means that cash is now available from both JBIC and BCDA, and there’s no more reason why the project should be delayed," Chan said.

He added that the BCDA has already obtained loans from Banco de Oro and the Development Bank of the Philippines to come up with almost P5 billion needed for the 15 percent counterpart fund from the government as required by law.

"The foreign loan has an interest of only .9 percent annually and is payable in 40 years," Chan said. The P18-billion loan for the project was allocated by the JBIC from its Special Yen Loan Facility way back in December 1998. The loan was firmed up during the visit of President Arroyo to Japan in 2001.

The project has been divided by the BCDA into two packages, one project extending from Subic to Clark and the other from Clark to Tarlac. They are to be implemented by the Japanese firms Kajima Joint Ventures Inc. and Hasama Joint Ventures Inc. which are now conducting a survey in the areas to be traversed by the tollroad from the Subic Freeport through the Clark special economic zone and winding up at the Luisita economic zone in Tarlac.

Chan said the length of the tollroad was based on an earlier survey conducted by the local firm FF Cruz, but the result of the survey is now being reviewed by the Japanese contractors.

He denied reports that changes have been made in the pathways of the tollway reportedly to accommodate a prominent Makati-based business clan which has allegedly been buying up properties in areas to be traversed by the project, particularly in the Subic area.

The tollway project is expected to open up huge foreign investments by linking up the major economic zones in Central Luzon, as well as airports and seaports north of Metro Manila.

" The BCDA has already spent some P600 million for acquisition of properties to be traversed by the toll road which Mrs. Arroyo identified earlier as a vital component of her administration’s 10-point agenda to transform the Clark and the Subid as a competitive hub in Asia.

The tollway will have four lanes through Subic, Clark and Tarlac and will provide a main transportation network that would facilitate human and cargo transport in Central Luzon.

yay...!! so everything should be a "go" by August or September of the year through to completion maybe a few months later than planned in 2008. I pray nothing else goes wrong till then... haha!

They starting in two fronts and meeting in the middle? Or is that too expensive, and so they're starting in Subic, near that... Tipo expressway (sp?)

i think start at Subic knowing how slow government is... always constructing projects in phases wherein phases 2 and above get completed or even started after 5 or more years.

the project is divided into two parts: Subic to Clark Package and Clark to Tarlac Package.
simultaneous ang paggawa.

after this, the next phase would be an extension superhighway from Tarlac to La Union and another highway from Tarlac to Dingalan Bay (aurora) ... i hope .... :)

First Holdings to bid for 94-km Subic-Clark expressway project
By Zinnia Dela Peña
The Philippine Star 06/10/2005

The Lopez-owned First Philippine Holdings Corp. (FPHC) plans to bid for the 94.5-kilometer Subic-Clark expressway project under the Bases Conversion Development Authority (BCDA), a top company official said.

At the sidelines of the company’s stockholders meeting yesterday, FPHC president Elpidio Ibanez said they are prepared to bid for the road project to leverage on the strength of its involvement in the North Luzon expressway or NLEX.

Ibanez said the company is just waiting for the terms of reference of the estimated $500-million expressway project prior to submitting a bid. The terms of reference are expected to come out in the third quarter.

"We will study the terms of reference and if we think it’s still attractive then we will bid. We’re interested in operating it," Ibanez said.

The completion of the Subic-Clark expressway is seen to provide impetus for new businesses, industries and tourism to develop the rest of Luzon. It will link not only the seaport facilities in Subic and the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport and logistics facilities in Clark but provide access to the other major economic players in the region.

The project is expected to be completed in July 2007.

Funding for the project is provided through an Y41.931-million soft loan from the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC).

FPHC is the power and infrastructure investment unit of Benpres Holdings Corp. and the parent of Manila Electric Co. (Meralco), the country’s largest power distributor.

FPHC reported a net income of P3.3 billion last year, mainly coming from its power generation business. It did not provide a comparative figure but based on its 2003 annual report, FPHC posted a net profit of P3.82 billion in that year.

The lower profit was due to provisions made by Meralco, in which FPHC holds a 17.7 percent stake. FPHC’s share of the provision amounted to P1.2 billion. Without the provision, FPHC’s profit would have grown 18 percent to P4.5 billion.

Among the company’s subsidiaries are First Generation Holdings Corp. in which FPHC holds 88.44 percent interest and First Philippine Infrastructure Development Corp. (38 percent).

For this year, FPHC is confident its net profit will grow 10 to 15 percent, banking on higher contributions from its power distribution and tollways businesses.

Power generation is expected to contribute between 75 percent and 80 percent of FPHC’s earnings this year, slightly lower than in past years when the business contributed as much as 90 percent.

FPHC is not planning any major capital expenditure for this year, with no big projects in the pipeline.

Although it lost in the bidding for 600-megawatt Masinloc coal-fired power station of state utility National Power Corp., FPHC remains interested in Napocor’s asset sale.

The government has been trying to sell Napocor’s generation and transmission assets valued at P280 billion to help pay off the ailing state utility’s debts.

This year, FPHC will start servicing its debt, which now stands at $85 million.

This is something about the counterpart loan being used to finance the project. There are some tollway specs thrown in. I hope this will be finished on time. :cheers:

Here's the link to the article (http://www.philstar.com/philstar/NEWS200506240708.htm)

BCDA inks P1.5-B loan to complete counterpart funding for SCTEP
By Marianne V. Go
The Philippine Star 06/24/2005

The Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) recently signed a P1.5-billion loan with three banks to complete its local counterpart funding for the 93.7 km Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway Project (SCTEP).

The BCDA said it has concluded the loan deal with the Philippine National Bank (PNB), the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) and Allied Banking Corp. (ABC).

The loan was arranged through Bancommerce Investment Corp. (BIC).

BCDA President and Chief Executive Officer Narciso Abaya said the loan is a 30-month committed credit line facility convertible to a five-year term loan upon drawdown to finance the equity counterpart of the SCTEP.

As part of the loan agreement, the DBP-Trust Services would serve as the Debt and Sinking Fund Agent which is responsible for the establishment/management of the Debt Service Reserve Account.

The DBP-Trust Services would also facilitate the payment of interest and principal to the lenders.

Last year, the BCDA signed a debt facility worth P1 billion with the Banco De Oro Universal Bank (BDO). Abaya said that with the financial aspect of the SCTEP in place, the BCDA expects construction of the 93.7 km expressway, the longest so far in Philippine expressway history, to be completed as projected by the latter part of 2007. Construction started last April.

The SCTEP has a total project cost of approximately P27.5 billion.

A loan from the Japanese government through the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) would finance the construction cost of P21 billion.

The BCDA has committed to raise the remaining amount as counterpart fund of roughly P6.5 billion.

Of the P6.5 billion, P3.1 billion would be in the form of tax subsidy, while P3.4 billion would be financed through a debt facility.

Abaya noted that once completed, the modern expressway would connect the deep water seaport in Subic and the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA) in Clark to facilitate the transport of goods and services and people in a globally competitive environment.

"In the medium- to long-term projection, the Subic-Clark corridor will allow the country to leapfrog into the mainstream of global trade and industry, attracting more investors resulting to more jobs for the Filipinos," Abaya said.

The BCDA said travel time from Clark to Subic would be a mere 30 minutes, while that of Clark to Tarlac would take no more than 25 minutes.

The marked reduction in travel time would help contribute in reducing the cost of doing business in the area.

The 93.7 km expressway project, similar to the newly renovated North Luzon Expressway, is divided into two packages. Package I, the Subic-Clark section, is 50.4 km long, while Package II, the Clark-Tarlac section, is 43.2 km long.

A total of eight interchanges would be constructed namely: Tipo Junction, Dinalupihan Interchange, Clark Logistics Interchange, Spur/North Luzon Expressway Interchange, Clark North Interchange, Concepcion Interchange, San Miguel Interchange and La Paz Interchange.

A total of 33 bridges would also be constructed. Of the 33 bridges, four are major bridges with a length of more than 300 meters.

Of the four major bridges, the Sacobia-Bamban River Bridges is the longest at 1.16 kilometers.

The three other bridges are the Pasig-Potrero River Bridge, 720 meters; Porac River Bridge, 400 meters and the Gumain River Bridge at 318 meters.

Other structures that would be constructed as part of the expressway are 44 underpasses and 255 culverts.

Another feature of the expressway is the state-of-the-art closed-circuit toll system.

The Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway is among the infrastructure projects identified in President Gloria Macapagal-Aroyo’s Medium-Term Philippine Development Plan (MTPDP) that is expected to develop Clark and Subic as centers of excellence in international service and logistics in the entire Southeast Asian region.

It is also included in the President’s 10-point agenda.

yeah... I was gonna post this too. haha!

seems like construction is well underway now since the groundbreaking last April. hopefully there will be no controversies that arise as they near its completion...

sounds like the SCTEX will also be pretty high-tech. I hope they make it as world-class as the new NLEX. oh yeah, it looks like it will be connected to the NLEX through one of the interchanges. so that's good. it might even end up being operated and managed by the same people now in control of the NLEX...!

Same ol same ol


BCDA inks P1.5-B loan for expressway project

The state-run Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) has inked a P1.5-billion loan with three banks for the counterpart funding of the P27.5-billion Subic-Clark-Tarlac expressway project (SCTEP).

Map of the Expressway project

The deal with the Philippine National Bank, Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP), and Allied Banking Corp. was arranged through Bancommerce Investment Corp.

BCDA President and Chief Executive Officer Narciso Abaya said the loan is a 30-month committed credit line convertible into five-year term upon drawdown.

The DBP trust services will serve as the debt and sinking fund agent, which is responsible for the establishment and management of the debt service reserve account and to facilitate the payment of interest and principal to lenders.

The new loan brings to P2.5 billion the total counterpart fund raised for the project.

Last year, the BCDA signed a P1-billion debt with Banco de Oro Universal Bank.

The BCDA has committed to raise about P6.5 billion as local equity, of which P3.1 billion will be in tax subsidy and P3.4 billion in loans.

The 93.7-kilometer SCTEP has a total cost of P27.5 billion, of which P21 billion will be financed by the Japan Bank for International Cooperation.

The BCDA said it expects to complete the project in the latter part of 2007. The construction started in April.

COMPONENTS

The project has two components: package I is the 50.4-km stretch from Subic in Olongapo City to Clark in Angeles City, Pampanga, and package II covering 43.2 kilometers from Clark to Tarlac.

A total of eight interchanges will be constructed, namely, Tipo, Dinalupihan, North Luzon Expressway, Clark North, Conception, San Miguel, and La Paz.

The BCDA said 33 bridges will also be constructed, of which four are major with more than 300 meters. These bridges are Sacobia-Bamban, Pasig-Potrero, Porac, and Gumain.

The government will also set up 44 underpasses, 255 culverts, and a closed-circuit toll system.

The SCTEP is under the 2004-2010 Medium-Term Philippine Development Plan.

good news!!! thanks for posting bustero. hopefully next time, groundbreaking na mababasa natin.

Wait, so this project is On Going, or happening as we type. There hasn't been any update on their site or on this site. I think the whole political mumbo jumbo has thrown updates on a lot of projects off course.

There aren't any pics on their web site that shows any construction, so does that mean they haven't really started or that they are too busy with construction that they can't out up construction pics. I hope the latter is the reason.

taken while on the way back from Sitio San Martin (UST community service site)...

http://www.pwetko.org/gallery/albums/userpics/Picture096_23Jul05.jpg
approaching the construction area of the Puyat underpass section of the SCTEP inside the Clark Ecozone near the Mabalacat Gate

http://www.pwetko.org/gallery/albums/userpics/Picture097_23Jul05.jpg
an unfinished section of the SCTEP, this shot shows the section going towards Subic (the Spur Road interchange is probably beyond the horizon)

http://www.pwetko.org/gallery/albums/userpics/Picture098_23Jul05.jpg
looking back at the construction area... btw, the cranes are being used to position the bored foundation piles' steel reinforcement...

my apologies for the rather poor shots, forgot to bring a decent digicam (this was using a Treo600)... I'll definitely take more shots when we visit for more community service activities in the next few weeks...

wow... sweet!! so work is really ongoing on the SCTEP! thanks for the first construction pictures, apoing!!! awesome!!

btw, what's that asphalt road your car was on in the first picture?

wow... sweet!! so work is really ongoing on the SCTEP! thanks for the first construction pictures, apoing!!! awesome!!

btw, what's that asphalt road your car was on in the first picture?

that road was the Gil Puyat Ave. approaching the Mabalacat gate on the north part of Clark...

btw, BCDA released this press release last July 19th:
http://www.bcda.gov.ph/philnews.asp?item=30519:26:50%20AM

BCDA Fasttracks Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway Project

BCDA Press Release
Tuesday, July 19, 2005

The Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) recently assured that the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway Project will be finished by its target completion date and “within budget”.

The expressway is slated to be finished by the end of 2007 at a cost of P21 billion.

The 4-lane toll road network will connect the industrial, transport and business hubs of Subic, Clark and Tarlac.

BCDA President and CEO Narciso Abaya pointed out that the project is a major component of the Global Gateways Initiative. It is an important anchor of the ten-point program of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo as part of her vision for the development of Central Luzon and the rest of the country, he explained.

Abaya said that timely completion of the project is crucial “in order to boost regional growth and provide incentive for new businesses and industries along the project vicinity and the rest of Luzon”.

Meanwhile, BCDA vice president for operations Antonio Rex Chan said that despite recent depreciation of the Philippine peso, the project budget is relatively unaffected since it is yen-based and thus more stable. Chan said that fluctuations in the exchange rate have been taken into account in determining the project cost.

“There are provisions in the contract that will provide a buffer, ” he assured.

Chan explained that the planned expressway will pass through Angeles City, Mabalacat, Porac and Floridablanca in Pampanga, Tarlac City, Bamban, and Concepcion in Tarlac and Dinalupihan and Hermosa in Bataan.

Aside from the 93.7 km. main expressway, BCDA will construct four major bridges over the Pasig-Potrero River, Porac River, Gumain River and the Sacobia-Bamban River, Chan disclosed.

“We will also construct eight interchanges, 29 minor bridges, 44 underpasses and 303 culverts. This will be capped by the construction of toll booths and toll facilities,” he revealed.

“When this expressway is completed, it will be comparable to the best quality toll expressways in the region if not the world. At the same time, we will make sure that toll fees will be affordable to all road users,’ Chan emphasized.

He added that the P21- billion project will link not only the seaport facilities in Subic and the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport and logistics facilities in Clark. SCTEP, but provide access to the other major economic players in the region. Among these are the Bataan Technology Park and the province of Tarlac.

“The expressway will trigger the growth of the entire Central Luzon, Chan pointed out. It will also provide the shortest, most direct access and most efficient link to the four economic zones,” Chan added.

These economic zones include the Subic Bay Freeport and Special Economic Zone, the Morong Special Economic Zone in Bataan, the Clark Special Economic Zone, and the Central Techno Park in Tarlac.

Chan said that the project will help alleviate the worsening traffic conditions along the North and South highway arteries of northern Metro Manila—the North Luzon Expressway, the Manila North Road, and the Pan-Philippine Highway. Equally important, the project will provide an alternate route to the constantly lahar-threatened Olongapo-Gapan road.

Funding for the project is provided through a *Y41.931 million soft loan from the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC). Counterpart funding of P6.2 billion by the BCDA was secured through loans from Banco de Oro and the Development Bank of the Philippines.

BCDA: Peso devaluation will not affect construction of Subic-Clark-Tarlac toll road
By Ding Cervantes
The Philippine Star 07/26/2005

CLARK FIELD, Pampanga — The devaluation of the peso will not affect the construction of the P27.5-billion Subic-Clark-Tarlac (SCT) toll road, which is supposed to be completed in 30 months, the Bases Conversion Development Authority (BCDA) said.

This is because funds for the project are based on a stable Japanese yen, BCDA vice president for operations Rex Chan said.

Chan explained that fluctuations in the exchange rate have been taken into account by the two Japanese contractors when they submitted their bids last year.

"There are also provisions in the contract (between the BCDA and the contractors) that will provide a buffer," he added.

Japanese firms Kajima Joint Ventures Inc. and Hasama Joint Ventures Inc. won the bidding last year for the project when the peso to US dollar exchange rate was lower.

BCDA president and chief executive officer Narciso Abaya said in a statement that the completion of the SCT expressway, which will be the longest tollway in the country when finished at 93.7 kilometers, is crucial in "boosting regional growth and provide incentive for new businesses and industries along the project vicinity of Luzon."

Of the total P27.5 billion project, P21 billion is a loan from the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC). The remaining P6 billion constitutes BCDA’s counterpart, which will cover payment for right-of-way costs and some P3.1 billion tax subsidy.

In an interview with The Star, Chan said provisions in the contract with the two Japanese contractors assigned to finish the project would ensure the completion of the project within the designated time frame.

Chan said contractors will be fined P5 million per day if they fail to finish the long-delayed P27.5-billion, 93.7-kilometer Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTE) within 30 months.

This, amid reports that the full blast contruction of the tollway was again stalled by changes in the project design that would use "burrowed" earth instead of lahar for road filling. About five million cubic meters of compacted materials are also needed for the project.

A source who asked not to be named said that the initial plan was to use 100 percent lahar debris. But th change in plan would be more costly and destructive to the environment.

Chan, however, said that the use of lahar is still being tested and may be used for embankments at the flyover portion of the SCTE at the gate of Clark in Mabalacat, Pampanga.

He said that while volcanic materials are used for similar projects in Japan, there is yet a need to determine whether Mt. Pinatubo’s lahar could be compacted to suit the SCTE. Laboratory equipment from Japan, he noted, has already arrived.

Chan said that if the Japanese contractors fail to finish the project in 30 months, they would be fined P5 million per day of delay.

Chan said work on the SCTE is largely not noticeable yet because the contractors have merely started putting in place embankments and piles for bridges in areas not readily visible to the public.

The project covers 33 bridges. Of these, four are major bridges with a length of more than 300 meters, including the Sacobia-Bamban River bridges, which will be the longest at 1.16 kilometers. The three other major bridges are the Pasig-Potrero River bridge, which will be 720 meters; the Porac River bridge, which is estimated to be 400 meters; and the Gumain River bridge at 318 meters. Other structures include 44 underpasses and 255 culverts. Another feature of the expressway is the state-of-the-art closed-circuit toll system.

Super coolness. It's always great to hear something moving forward in our country. God knows, we deserve it.

Very good to hear:)

SCTEP here:

http://sctep.bcda.gov.ph/

but no updated pics of construction yet. sorry.

the SCTEP/NLEX connection is very simple isn't it? I was expecting like a big turnpike, guess that's not in the budget..

oks naman itong project na ito no.hindi ba overprize.nabigla kasi tito ko cliente nya kasi yung vice-governor ng bataan at nag-tatanong kung may butchling plant ang company ng tito ko sa bataan. cguro for this project.

thanks for the link bardigones! do you work at the BCDA or are you a part of the project?

it's nice that the BCDA launched a whole new sub website for this project! seems to be a pretty high-tech gov't agency... quite a lot of info there - even though some of it is a bit hard to read. hehe I hope they update it regularly though.

when the SCTEx is completed will it be the gov't mainaining and operating it or will it be the contractors? or will the maintenance and operations be bid out as well? is that what a local company announced it was planning to bid for? forgot which one... MNTC din ata??

SCTEP here:

http://sctep.bcda.gov.ph/

but no updated pics of construction yet. sorry.

yep, no ongoing construction pictures but there are new on-site pre-construction pictures that were not there two weeks ago :)

http://sctep.bcda.gov.ph/onsite.jsp

and a new jpeg map
http://sctep.bcda.gov.ph/map.jsp

anyone who knows when will they extend the tollway to rosario, La Union?

extension maybe on 2007...


you should also try the flash version of the map:

http://sctep.bcda.gov.ph/map-flash.jsp

site is updated:
http://sctep.bcda.gov.ph/

Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway Project to benefit Kapampangans
by Eloisa P. Galang

San Fernando, Pampanga (12 September) -- The implementors of the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway Project (SCTEP) met with the sectoral representatives of all stakeholders in the project at a public forum on Global Gateways held recently at the Benigno S. Aquino, Jr. Hall inside the provincial capitol compound in the City of San Fernando, Pampanga.

Dubbed as the "Global Gateways: Kayantabe king Panyulung ning Kabiayan" (Global Gateways: Partner in Economic Development), the forum gave all sectors involved in and affected by the project an opportunity to be heard on issues related to it.

Governor Mark Lapid, in his welcome remarks, underscored the importance of the forum as a venue whereby questions could be asked and issues ventilated regarding the project which is purported to hasten development in the province.

Lapid said "Magandang pagkakataon ito upang makinig sa mga nakakaalam ng proyekto at magtanong sa kanila kung ano ang maidudulot nito sa ating lalawigan".

Gen. Narciso Abaya, president and chief executive officer of the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA), said that the SCTEP is a major component of the Global Gateways Program to optimize the economic benefits of Clark and Subic economic zones.

According to Abaya, the Global Gateways initiative started nearly two years ago when a technical working group composed of BCDA, business groups and government agency representatives embarked on an information caravan in the seven provinces of Central Luzon. The Global Gateways vision was presented to multi-sectoral groups in the local level who in turn participated in workshops generating ideas and opinions on how it can best be pursued.

The workshops, Abaya further said, culminated in the Central Luzon Development Summit on the Global Gateways held at Holiday Inn in Clark Pampanga in March 2004 where President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo personally endorsed and expressed her support for the program. It was eventually included in her ten-point development agenda.

The SCTEP, being a major component of the Global Gateways, had its groundbreaking in April 2005, after which construction started and shall be completed on target by the end of 2007. The BCDA, according to Abaya, is determined to accomplish its job with transparency, complete the construction of an expressway which is even better than the modern North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) and, in the process, build stronger partnerships with the people of Central Luzon.

Gen. Roberto Dimayunga, program manager of the SCTEP, gave the guests/participants a project update which include the construction of: a four-lane 93.77 km expressway running from Subic Bay in Zambales all the way to Tarlac, thus, providing easier access to the Subic seaport and the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA); four major bridges crossing the four major Central Luzon rivers - Gumain, Pasig-Potrero, Porac and Sacobia-Bamban.

Felipe Neri said that the Subic-Clark Alliance for Development (SCAD) which he heads was created under Executive Order 365 issued by President Arroyo. Its vision, according to Neri, is to develop the Subic-Clark corridor into a globally competitive logistics hub, thereby making local industries competitive, too. This involves the participation of all sectors in the local government units particularly in the identification of these industries. A master plan on this, Neri said, is currently being drawn up.

Ultimately, the SCTEP shall complement the Subic Seaport, Clark Airport, NLEX and North Rail Project thus completing a whole infrastructure system that would fast track development in the whole of Central Luzon and its environs.

While the project is being touted as crucial to the region's development by its implementors, representatives from the local government units (LGUs) and non-government groups raised questions on such issues as rights of way in areas covered by the construction, concrete benefits it would give to the poor, funding sources.

These questions were handled by the BCDA officials who expressed willingness to entertain more questions and in a detailed manner. They invited the parties who had more queries to come to the BCDA office so they could iron out misunderstandings and arrive at a mutually satisfying agreement of all those concerned.

The forum concluded with a statement from Levy Laus, chairman of the Pampanga Chamber of Commerce, supporting the SCTEP and the Global Gateways Program. The statement was signed by a multi-sectoral representation from business, government, civil society/NGOs, and the media.

The BCDA management expressed confidence that with continuing dialogue among all sectors, the implementation of the SCTEP in particular, and the Global Gateways in general, shall proceed smoothly and have the wheels of development set into motion and move on unhampered.

This is one thing that's going right. Usually the projects that are not politicized in this country are the ones in the shadow. Don't hear about the progress of this one too much. DMIA also isn't too politicized or in the middle of a political war so it isn't on the news that much, but the airport itself is making more progress than any of the airports at MM. Let's keep it that way.

This is one thing that's going right. Usually the projects that are not politicized in this country are the ones in the shadow. Don't hear about the progress of this one too much. DMIA also isn't too politicized or in the middle of a political war so it isn't on the news that much, but the airport itself is making more progress than any of the airports at MM. Let's keep it that way.

Because the project is not in metro manila. They wont get the arousal of peoples feelings in the provinces because the opposition is not supported there. You see the north rail, I bet in the comming months its gonna get flacked coz part of it is in manila, and they can play with the feelings of urban poor in manila.

hey guys! any idea bout the proposed TARLAC - PANGASINAN EXPRESSWAY in the early 90's?

could this be part of Subic-Clark-Tarlac expressway extension project? extension of NLEX? or a separate tollway from Tarlac, passing Eastern Pangasinan (Rosales,Villasis, Urdaneta City,Binalonan, Pozurrubio, Sison) then towards Rosario, La Union?

it could also pass through northwest Tarlac, then central towns of Pangasinan, ending in Dagupan..

FVR & JDV planned a lot of infra projects for Pangasinan. Too bad JDV lost to Erap.

Expressway delay caused by mayors irks traders
Tuesday, October 18, 2005

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO -- Local officials making impediments in the completion of the much-awaited Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway Project (SCTEP) have earned the ire of business leaders in the Province of Pampanga.

Rene Romero, Pampanga Chamber of Commerce and Industry Inc. (PamCham) vice president and private sector representative to the Central Luzon Regional Development Council (RDC), said the business sector is disappointed upon learning that a mayor in Tarlac has seized the dump trucks used in the construction of the tollway project.

A report said Mayor Noel Villanueva of Concepcion, Tarlac has ordered the dump trucks used by Japanese contractor Hasama Taisei-Nippon Steel Joint Venture (HTNS) impounded. The trucks have been hauling sand from quarry sites in Tarlac.

Romero said the businessmen are bewildered why the mayor, whose town will certainly benefit from the expected robust economy in Central Luzon once the SCTEP becomes operational, would cause undue delay to the project.

"We are saddened by this development. While we have waited for so long for this project to materialize, here we are blocking the opportunity for the region to move forward," he said.

Romero had been advocating for the SCTEP's speedy completion even through changes in the leadership of the agency implementing the project, the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA).

The businessmen, he said, are puzzled on why the contractor, who has secured all necessary permits from all concerned government agencies, including the local government units, has to suffer similar setbacks.

He said the mayors, instead of causing the delays, should be the one looking for ways to assist the government in completing the project soon.

"Our mayors should be reminded that the project is being pursued not for the Government of China or the contractors but for the country and the localities that would benefit from the economic spin-offs that the project would ignite," Romero said.

HTNS was awarded by the BCDA to construct the SCTEP Package 2, the Clark-Tarlac section for a contract amount of P8,270,800,11 of the total 93.7-kilometer expressway, which is slated to be finished by the end of 2007 at a cost of P21 billion.

The project aims to connect the industrial, transport and business hubs of Subic, Clark and Tarlac. It will not only link the seaport facilities in Subic and the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA) and logistics facilities in Clark, but also provide access to the other major economic players in the region.

The planned expressway will pass through Angeles City, Mabalacat, Porac and Floridablanca in Pampanga; Tarlac City, Bamban and Concepcion in Tarlac; and Dinalupihan and Hermosa in Bataan.

hey guys! any idea bout the proposed TARLAC - PANGASINAN EXPRESSWAY in the early 90's?

could this be part of Subic-Clark-Tarlac expressway extension project? extension of NLEX? or a separate tollway from Tarlac, passing Eastern Pangasinan (Rosales,Villasis, Urdaneta City,Binalonan, Pozurrubio, Sison) then towards Rosario, La Union?

it could also pass through northwest Tarlac, then central towns of Pangasinan, ending in Dagupan..

FVR & JDV planned a lot of infra projects for Pangasinan. Too bad JDV lost to Erap.

if I weren't mistaken... that there was a previous post here that says that the SCT maybe be extended upto La Union.....

Expressway delay caused by mayors irks traders
Tuesday, October 18, 2005


So...is it still delayed? I thought construction has started.

[b]A report said Mayor Noel Villanueva of Concepcion, Tarlac has ordered the dump trucks used by Japanese contractor Hasama Taisei-Nippon Steel Joint Venture (HTNS) impounded. The trucks have been hauling sand from quarry sites in Tarlac.

I hope PGMA does something about this Mayor to teach him a lesson that obstructionism will not be tolerated in th e Philippines.

Courtesy of Colliers

Pampanga Access Road to Expressway Eyed
Sun Star - 9/1/05

The Pampanga Provincial Government has
asked the Bases Conversion Development
Authority (BCDA) to consider opening an
access road for Central Pampanga to the
Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway Project
(SCTEP). A 93.7-kilometer tollway is expected
to boost the economy of North
Philippines, particularly the provinces of
Tarlac, Bataan, Zambales and Pampanga.
The tollway aims to provide easy access
to the international container port facility
in Subic and the international cargo/passenger
airport facility in Clark to boost
industrial activities that will catalyze the
growth of the entire Central Luzon. The
BCDA has to study the proposal since the
SCTEP “works on a certain budget.” In
the original SCTEP plan, an interchange was
intended to be constructed in Porac, but
due to the high project cost, the said access
road, along with several other interchanges
have to be omitted.

Well that's one for the federalists in the country. This would have been state jurisdiction alone, none of this mayor blocking crap.

Sunstar Pampanga
Tuesday, October 25, 2005
Town not against expressway project: Tarlac mayor
By Dante M. Fabian and Albert B. Lacanlale

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO -- Concepcion, Tarlac Mayor Noel Villanueva Monday said he and other town officials do not oppose the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway Project (SCTEP) but want some concerns addressed "positively" by the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA).

Villanueva issued the statement in reaction to earlier reports that two business leaders in the province appealed to him and to the Municipal Council of Concepcion to resolve conflicts with the contractors of the SCTEP in order to avoid delay of the project.

He described the reports as biased since the town officials' statement on the issue was not ventilated.

Villanueva added that the reports also put the entire town in a bad light as these suggested that the officials caused undue delay to the project for no justifiable reasons.

"We are not irrational beings who would just stop a project for no concrete reason," he said.

A report said the town has issued an order to SCTEP contractors to seize their operations within the town pending the BCDA's action on several of the town's concerns.

The mayor, however, said he ordered the confiscation of the trucks of Hasama Taisei-Nippon Steel Joint Venture (HTNS), one of the contractors, as the firm continued with its work in spite of the Municipal Council resolution, which has given him the authority to temporarily suspend the ongoing construction of the SCTEP within the territorial jurisdiction of the town.

The Municipal Council noted that although the local officials did not object to the initial mobilization for the project, they have decided to suspend works since there are "violations of pertinent laws".

A 'divided' town

Villanueva said the Municipal Council resolution came as the Municipal Government wanted the BCDA to resolve several major concerns like the change in the SCTEP design within their town, and the alleged exploitation of the town's natural resources.

"There was no consultation with the LGU (local government unit) before the construction started," he said.

The present SCTEP design within Concepcion, Villanueva said, would virtually "gerrymander" the town as barangay roads will be cut off by the toll road. "The tollroad splits the town in two and the non-provision of links, like flyovers, across the SCTEP would kill the whole town," he said.

The contractor, he added, has closed road networks without coordination and appropriate ordinance from the Municipal Government; and has failed to secure building permits and pay appropriate fees.

'Illegal quarrying'

Villanueva added that the contractors have been quarrying on rivers outside the regulated zones, such as in the Parua River Control System (Parua).

In another resolution, the Municipal Council sought the suspension of quarrying in Parua, claiming that "the continued and unabated extraction of minerals proximate to the river bank will cause scouring and pose danger to the stability and integrity of the flood conrol structure."

Furthermore, the town's legislative body said the "continued passage of overloaded dump trucks will result in the dilapidation of barangay roads."

No opposition

Villanueva said the Municipal Government is not imposing regulations on the contractors but fights for the welfare of the people of Concepcion.

"We are not in opposition to the project. But we want the project to move forward not to the expense of Concepcion. We don't create problems. We are part of the solution, but only if it's a win-win situation that no one would be adversely affected," he said.


(October 25, 2005 issue)
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well.. at least they do have a point in raising such concerns to the contractors...

hehe kaya naman pala pikon itong mayor.

I hope this will be the only interference that every filipino project almost has to have :bash:

Sunstar Pampanga
Thursday, October 27, 2005
Bases agency confident of addressing Tarlac town's worry
By Albert B. Lacanlale

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO -- The Bases Conversion Development Authority (BCDA) Wednesday expressed confidence that the state-owned firm could resolve the concerns aired by the Municipal Government of Concepcion in Tarlac.

In a press statement, the BCDA said they have been in talks with Concepcion Mayor Noel Villanueva to address his concerns regarding the construction of the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway Project (SCTEP).

"We are confident that we can reach an agreement that will be beneficial to all concerned," the BCDA said.

The BCDA, the lead agency in the implementation of SCTEP, is referring to the several issues ventilated by Villanueva, relevant to the tollroad construction within the territorial jurisdiction of Concepcion.

The mayor has been asking the BCDA to change the design of the tollroad to avoid dividing the town, which Villanueva branded as "gerrymandering".

Last Tuesday, businessman Rene Romero volunteered to mediate between the Municipal Government of Concepcion and the BCDA in threshing out any issues that might impede the construction of the highway.

The BCDA assured the town officials in the areas affected by the expressway project that the agency would continuously conduct dialogues to address their concerns.

The agency also expressed gratitude to local officials who have been supporting the project, which is expected to boost economic development in Central Luzon.


(October 27, 2005 issue)
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Join the Sun.Star message board. Click here.

mukhang maayos naman, in a big project like this madami talagang little problems, happens all over the world too. (well except for the more authoritarian places where they'll just build the road regardless!)

bump (prune coming soon)

Maybe you should just combine this with the subic clark thread, maybe even DMIA

Nah, its best if it had its own thread. More news and updates should be able to revive this thread:)

on january 2006 ill be updating the SCTEP website with new progress pics.

http://sctep.bcda.gov.ph/

the highway on the left side of the picture which runs on the side of the DMIA runway is expressway-like... is this the SCTEP?... or would this connect to it?.. this starts from the CSEZ entrance though... and as you ply this highway.. you'll see big billboards that says... '--> 20mins to Tarlac' and '<--20mins to Subic'.. it also says Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway Project....

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v162/pau_p1/Trip%20To%20Singapore/DSC06346.jpg

^ If im not wrong, its not a highway...its just a wide avenue serving as an entrance to Clark.

ah ok.. hehehe.. maybe those parts that I saw the billboard is where the SCTEP would cross it... there is a construction being done on that road where they are digging and setting up iron wires formed for pylons of a bridge or something....

the highway on the left side of the picture which runs on the side of the DMIA runway is expressway-like... is this the SCTEP?... or would this connect to it?.. this starts from the CSEZ entrance though... and as you ply this highway.. you'll see big billboards that says... '--> 20mins to Tarlac' and '<--20mins to Subic'.. it also says Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway Project....

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v162/pau_p1/Trip%20To%20Singapore/DSC06346.jpg

hi pau,
do you have any more pics of the airport DMIA. obviously you seemed to be landing there.....

oh I posted all of them in the Subic and Clark thread... actually that is the take off part of my trip..:D

there would be an interchange in that portion where you would see those To-Tarlac and To-Subic signs.

First posted 04:50pm (Mla time) Mar 06, 2006
By Erwin Lemuel Oliva
INQ7.net

PHILIPPINE police raided a Japanese firm contracted to build the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway last week after local authorities received a tip that it was using unlicensed software.

Led by a team from the Philippine National Police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group Anti-Fraud and Commercial Crime Division (PNP-CIDG-AFCCD), local authorities raided the Hazama Corp. offices inside the former Clark Air Base on March 3, 2006.

The raid stemmed from a complaint from the Business Software Alliance (BSA) that Hazama was using unlicensed software.

INQ7.net called up Hazama Corp's office in Makati City but staff
said that the matter was "with our lawyer" and declined to comment further.

INQ7.net also tried calling the Japanese company's office in Clark, but was unable to get through.

Regional Trial Court Executive Judge Antonio M. Eugenio Jr. issued the search warrant, which resulted in the seizure of 74 sets of desktop computers loaded with allegedly pirated

Microsoft products and 48 PCs with allegedly unlicensed Autodesk software. The seized items including the supposedly unlicensed software were valued at about 15 million pesos.

The raid was part of a government and private sector campaign called Pilipinas Anti-Piracy Team. The PNP, BSA, and the National Bureau of Investigation are proponents of this campaign.

The campaign is expected to go after more intellectual property violators in the country, according to the local authorities.

Police Senior Superintendent and chief of the AFCCD Noel delos Reyes said in a statement that the raid "will have a negative effect on Hazama's operations considering that only six computers were not confiscated by us from their offices."

"Considering the amount of the funding for the project, however, I don't see any reason why Hazama's management allowed the use of pirated software in the first place. Thus, any delays that will be experienced by the project should be blamed on the Japanese officers of the firm. If the project was in Japan, I don't think they would have used pirated software," the police official added.

Local authorities are discussing the involvement of the Japanese Embassy and the Japanese Chamber of Commerce in a joint advocacy program to remind all foreign firms doing business in this country of the consequences of violating local copyright laws.

Charges against Hazama executives Kunio Kimata and Shinji Sukegawa for alleged copyright violations are being prepared, according to the police. Police are also in contact with the Bureau of Immigration to check on the status of the Japanese executives' stay in the country.

US$408 MLN Subic-Clark-Tarlac Tollway to be Completed by 2007

DINALUPIHAN, Bataan, March 8 Asia Pulse - Construction of the Philippines' 90 kilometre Subic-Clark-Tarlac tollway budgeted for about P21 billion (US$408.4 million) is more than 15 per cent completed and will be finished on 2007 as scheduled, the Bases Conversion Development Authority said Saturday.

Engr. Mel Doroteo, BCDA consultant for Phase I of the project, said the whole length of the project measuring about 50 kilometres from Pampanga to Bataan, Subic and Clark in Angeles is almost clear with little pockets remaining unpassable. The project that started construction on July 2005 was divided into two phases. Phase I, funded for P11 billion, is targetted for completion by November 2007. On the other hand, Phase II has a total length of 40 kilometres that stretches from Clark to Hacienda Luisita in Tarlac.This phase which costs P10 billion and was targeted for completion on August 2007.

Doroteo said the project construction has minor problems which had been addressed immediately by BCDA and its contractors. The BCDA consultant was in Dinalupihan and conducted on the spot dialogue with farmers and residents affected by the four-lane road crossing hundreds of hectares of ricelands in the flood-prone Bataan town.He was accompanied by Dinalupihan Mayor Joel Payumo and former Chairman Felicito Payumo of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority.The Payumos helped explained to the farmers the economic benefits the expressway will be bringing in the area.

They urged the landowners and farmers to air their concerns so proper measures can be instituted by BCDA and the Japanese contractor in the area, the Obayashi Construction under Project Engr. Raymond Tanglao. Mayor Payumo said the multi-billion peso highway passes through 16 out of 34 barangays (community villages) in Dinalupihan connected to Floridablanca in Pampanga. The Dinalupihan portion of the road has a length of 17 kilometres.
Tenant farmers and landowners in the affected area expressed worries that the expressway will cause more floodings and destroy their crops. Former SBMA chair Payumo convinced BCDA consultant Doroteo and construction Engr. Tanglao to heed the request of farmers who, he said, know best the movement of flood waters in their ricefields. The elder Payumo acted as go-between with the farmers and the BCDA.

Some concrete pipe culverts were changed into box culverts that will serve as passage of farm equipments in and out of the farm and the installation of three box culverts in addition to those specified in the plans were agreed upon by the farmers and the BCDA and Tanglao. The BCDA consultant said the road from Luakan to Pita in Dinalupihan alone will have 40 water openings in addition to a 25 metre viaduct and four bridges. "We have designed the project based on the worst floods that happened in the area for the last 50 years," Doroteo said. The Obayashi engineer made the assurance that water openings will be in place before La Nina strikes.

Tanglao said they are even willing to cut or excavate on strategic points of the road should floods occur and threaten the crops. (PNA)

^^ excellent. Thanks for the update, its been a while since we last heard about SCTEX.

Some photos of the SCT Expressway from the web.

http://www.harrythehorse.com/2005/2005images/oct/03.jpg

http://www.harrythehorse.com/2005/2005images/oct/04.jpg

http://www.harrythehorse.com/2005/2005images/oct/33.jpg

http://www.bcda.gov.ph/images/global02.jpg

update...went to zambales and passed by this portion of the expressway where it crosses the national road in dinalupihan, bataan. sensya na sa quality.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y91/imagesaver1206/national%20roads/subicclarktarlac%20xwayupdate/563dd4c1.jpg

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y91/imagesaver1206/national%20roads/subicclarktarlac%20xwayupdate/af90c2b8.jpg

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y91/imagesaver1206/national%20roads/subicclarktarlac%20xwayupdate/07107f20.jpg

a sizeable part runs parallel with the national road leading to subic...

looks like an elevated portion here...
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y91/imagesaver1206/national%20roads/subicclarktarlac%20xwayupdate/642058fb.jpg

some of the trees have to go...
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y91/imagesaver1206/national%20roads/subicclarktarlac%20xwayupdate/0ecd4195.jpg

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y91/imagesaver1206/national%20roads/subicclarktarlac%20xwayupdate/59d3869b.jpg

:)

I posted some picture updates on the clark subic thread as well.

thanks sa updates dudz! :)

Mac Arthur Highway Overpass at Mabalacat, Pampanga
http://img162.imageshack.us/img162/6916/img31908bl.th.jpg (http://img162.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img31908bl.jpg)

They really make good use of lahar deposits as the base of the expressway
http://img139.imageshack.us/img139/2654/img31913rl.th.jpg (http://img139.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img31913rl.jpg)

Approaching the NLEX to SCTEX Spur Road Interchange near Angeles Exit along NLEX southbound
http://img162.imageshack.us/img162/5759/img31921tj.th.jpg (http://img162.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img31921tj.jpg)

kelan ba tlga yung completion date, 2007 or oct.2006? :D

probably 2007... :)

Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway Extension
Posted in Uncategorized by fcpayumo on the July 4th, 2006

http://www.fnf.org.ph/photos/express-yourself-16.jpg

The SCTex extension to Rosario, La Union will be a very financially viable project for the private sector to implement. No need for Official Development Assistance, unlike the phase 1. Thus, a more competitive bidding can be done unlike in a tied loan where only contractors from the ODA creditor country can participate.

But there’s no doubt that en extension is desirable. Together with the NLEX and the SCTex phase 1, the Tarlac to Rosario, La Union extension will connect all the industrial and tourism centers of Central and Northern Luzon. But the Tarlac-Rosario leg will even be more attractive to financiers since it is a mainstream road where the traffic volume is already present, unlike the missionary Subic-Clark leg.

This is the only significant infra project that is changing the landscape of Luzon. For many years, the country has been left behind by our neighboring countries. The only notable road construction that happened were the North Diversion Road and the South Road during the Marcos years. It is about time we catch up.

DMCI eyeing extension of Subic-Clark expressway


Inquirer
Last updated 03:23am (Mla time) 07/28/2006

CONSTRUCTION giant DMCI Holdings Inc. is considering forming a Filipino-led consortium that will push its bid to undertake major toll road projects in the country, company president Isidro Consunji said.

It is looking at a venture that would extend an expressway currently being built from the Subic Bay Freeport Zone to the Clark Special Economic Zone and to an industrial estate in the northern province of Tarlac, all the way to the province of La Union, Consunji said. The expressway is scheduled for completion in the fourth quarter of 2007.

On average, road projects cost P100 million per two-lane kilometer, Consunji said.

Last year, DMCI Holdings joined in biddings for P8.0 billion worth of construction projects, Consunji said. These included St. Luke's Medical Center in the Fort Bonifacio Global City near the Makati business district, the P1.2-billion Subic-Clark-Tarlac expressway, the Gokongwei group's P500-million One Adriatico Place condominium building in Manila, and the Kuok group's P300-million St. Francis Square Tower condominium building in the Ortigas business district.

Consunji said the company was in talks with the Fil-Estate group on constructing a 200-unit residential walk-up building in Fil-Estate's Fairways & Blue Water resort and golf club project on the resort island of Boracay.

The construction of mall magnate Henry Sy's SM Supercenter Sucat Annex in Parañaque City, which will cost P276 million, has been awarded to DMCI as the general contractor, Consunji added.

DMCI was the general contractor for Shopwise's fourth and biggest branch, in the Cubao commercial district of Quezon City, which started operations in May last year, he said.

^^
mukhang promising.... maganda ito 'pag nagteam-up MNTC at DMCI

Very good project , hopefully it gets done sooner rather than later! I wonder lang if they have the road right of way already, always a big sticking point in this country.

wow... up to la union... :) :) sound very promising... :)

Very good project , hopefully it gets done sooner rather than later! I wonder lang if they have the road right of way already, always a big sticking point in this country.

i read an article before stating that this extension will be built parallel with MacArthur Highway (east side). much of the area on this side are farm lands.. hope it wont cause any delay if this project pushed through.. masmababa rin kasi value ng farm lands mukhang masmadaling pondohan ang right of way nito.

Sounds great. The govt really needs to invest more on infrastructure like this to boost our agriculture and industry.

grabe pa rin ba traffic dyan?? last time na dumaan kame ang traffic...

kala ko ba may plan dati na underwater expressway from subic to cavite...

kala ko ba may plan dati na underwater expressway from subic to cavite...

yea.. yung bridge-tunnel project via corregidor island! the plan was to connect subic and bataan with the ecozones in the cavite and batangas international sea port.

yea.. yung bridge-tunnel project via corregidor island! the plan was to connect subic and bataan with the ecozones in the cavite and batangas international sea port.

^^ Is it feasible?
It'll be a megastructure.

Ano underwater expressway from Bataan to Cavite? Whoa! Whoa ulit! san niyo nakuha yang news na iyan? GRabe nagulat ako. Kapag nangyari yan puwede na siyang isama sa megastructures sa National Geo

^^ Hindi muna ako magwa-wow, you know the government. And if it would be realized, I'm sure the initiative would be done by a foreign investor :D

may ganun ba? oonga... feel ko 20 years from now... hindi parin yan nagagawa... pero sana magbago ang kapalaran ng Pinas! hahaha :jk:

^^

I thought that project died with Erap.

tagal ng balita yan... high school pa lang yata ako binalita na yan sa tv patrol or sa knowledge power...

Off topic: ey im going to singapore, could we have a mini meet :D sa november pa yata :lol: layo pa

Ano underwater expressway from Bataan to Cavite? Whoa! Whoa ulit! san niyo nakuha yang news na iyan? GRabe nagulat ako. Kapag nangyari yan puwede na siyang isama sa megastructures sa National Geo

..napanood ko sa Knowledge Power..pinakita pa nga ang renderings eh!!!

@ Jedebench, could you give us an idea how the renderings look like? Ive never heard of this before. sort of outdated? Hehe...

tigs, I was sending you the contact for Cebu Pacific but your inbox is full.
Singapore? We are actually planning of going there. We're supposed to go there with some workmates. Pero nawala na yung plan, nakapunta na ako ng HK at nagwowork na sa SG (sa affiliate din namin) yung kasama namin dapat. We were planning of Novermber din kasi yun ang dating ng bonus namin. By the way the number for CEB is 02 7020888

^^If I remember it correctly, the rendering became the front page picture of Inquirer a few years back.

@ Jedebench, could you give us an idea how the renderings look like? Ive never heard of this before. sort of outdated? Hehe...

tigs, I was sending you the contact for Cebu Pacific but your inbox is full.
Singapore? We are actually planning of going there. We're supposed to go there with some workmates. Pero nawala na yung plan, nakapunta na ako ng HK at nagwowork na sa SG (sa affiliate din namin) yung kasama namin dapat. We were planning of Novermber din kasi yun ang dating ng bonus namin. By the way the number for CEB is 02 7020888
wala ko makita eh, pakitanong na lang si ernie baron kung may copy siya.

wala ko makita eh, pakitanong na lang si ernie baron kung may copy siya.

Requiescat In Pace.

Requiescat In Pace.
..patay na ba si ernie?

^ Yup, he's passed away about a year ago

ang alam ko, from the Marcos era, there was this planned project for a bridge from metro manila to cavite city....didnt happened though...

i was at clark the other day, and i saw these massive columns/pillars being setup in the area.. my gf said that those columns/pillars are for the flyover for the SCT expressway..

Off topic: ey im going to singapore, could we have a mini meet :D sa november pa yata :lol: layo pa

uy, sige, masaya yan. PM mo lang ako saka ang ibang sg forumers! :)

guys check out what i found in wikipedia;

Subic-Clark Expressway
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Subic-Clark Expressway is a 51 km four-lane expressway currently underconstruction near Manila, The Philippines. It starts in the Subic Bay Freeport Zone in Zambales and ends at its interchange with the North Luzon Expressway near the Clark Special Economic Zone in Pampanga. It provides faster travel time and faster transportation of cargo between the two economic zones. It will have similar features with the recently rehabilitated North Luzon Expressway. The expressway is part of the Bases Conversion Development Authority's Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway Project or SCTEP, which aims to connect the ecozones of Subic and Clark and the Hacieda Luisita in Tarlac.

Who could have updated the article? I hope a reliable person edited that

kala ko ba may plan dati na underwater expressway from subic to cavite...

Speaking of which, I thought about a more or less similar plan to this when I saw the entire stretch of the SCTEX project on this thread.

During the Ramos administration, they were proposing to build the NORTH MANILA COASTAL ROAD (similar to the Manila-Cavite Expressway). To be used as an alternative to the NLEX going to the provinces of Bataan, Zambales and Western Pangasinan (via the C-4 extension) without the need to pass through NLEX and the then-lahar-stricken San Fernando-Gapan Road (SFGR).

But some "more-intelligent-than-engineers" politicians/people opposing the project said its not viable since the seabed on these coastal areas was too soft to handle a big project like this, which modern technology then can provide/fix, and thus, too costly to build.

I read about it from a very smart 1990s columnist (forgot the name) of the Philippine Star (his column was on the Editorial page). His other proposal (on his column), among other engineering and logically-sound thoughts, was to make Roxas Boulevard a non-stop expressway-like avenue that would have an overhead bridge crossing (e.g. on interchanges) Roxas instead of a putting it parallel to it like the ones currently in the EDSA-Roxas and Buendia-Roxas intersections.

^yeah. I'm also thinking about the Roxas Blvd estension too when I'm looking at maps. Cause you see, it would really be hassle free when you extend it to the provinces. Especially to the South and North of MM. So what happened to the prosposal of the columnist? And why were the politicans against the project? I mean aside from the one that you said. I doubt if that is their reason. There must be something behind that criticism. POlticians in this country criticizes project not because thier concerened or what they're criticizing it because they could not get anything from it.

^yeah. I'm also thinking about the Roxas Blvd estension too when I'm looking at maps. Cause you see, it would really be hassle free when you extend it to the provinces. Especially to the South and North of MM. So what happened to the prosposal of the columnist? And why were the politicans against the project? I mean aside from the one that you said. I doubt if that is their reason. There must be something behind that criticism. POlticians in this country criticizes project not because thier concerened or what they're criticizing it because they could not get anything from it.

Well, as I've said before, they thought it to be very very costly to make the seabed stronger first before building the expressway. Hopefully, now that GMA said on her SONA that the government has enough funds to support these overly-expensive infrastructure projects she's prioritizing until 2010, maybe they can try to revive the proposal. Mas masarap pa ring magbiyahe kung tabing dagat kaysa farmlands, tipid sa airconditioning dahil magbubukas ka talaga ng bintana. hehehe

The columnist did have a lot of brillant proposals on his column which really makes perfect engineering sense until now, sadly, none of them materialized i.e. ignored.

^^^ kaso malagkit ang hangin sa tabing dagat, iba ung pawis pag mas matagal kang naexpose sa hangin sa seaside..kaya sa sakin mas ok pa din magdrive sa farmland..hehehe

meron na bang mga pictures taken sa development ng subic clark expressway, sana may mag post, gusto ko sana makita ang progress nun. tnx

Check out pictures in this thread, the DMIA thread and subic clark thread

Speaking of which, I thought about a more or less similar plan to this when I saw the entire stretch of the SCTEX project on this thread.

During the Ramos administration, they were proposing to build the NORTH MANILA COASTAL ROAD (similar to the Manila-Cavite Expressway). To be used as an alternative to the NLEX going to the provinces of Bataan, Zambales and Western Pangasinan (via the C-4 extension) without the need to pass through NLEX and the then-lahar-stricken San Fernando-Gapan Road (SFGR).

But some "more-intelligent-than-engineers" politicians/people opposing the project said its not viable since the seabed on these coastal areas was too soft to handle a big project like this, which modern technology then can provide/fix, and thus, too costly to build.

I read about it from a very smart 1990s columnist (forgot the name) of the Philippine Star (his column was on the Editorial page). His other proposal (on his column), among other engineering and logically-sound thoughts, was to make Roxas Boulevard a non-stop expressway-like avenue that would have an overhead bridge crossing (e.g. on interchanges) Roxas instead of a putting it parallel to it like the ones currently in the EDSA-Roxas and Buendia-Roxas intersections.


I believe that columnist was Mr. Abaya. I forgot his first name.

I believe that columnist was Mr. Abaya. I forgot his first name.

Oh yea, thanks davidwebb. That's his name alright! I used to wait for the Thursday issue of Philstar back then for his weekly column. =)

Speaking of updates, these photos were taken last sunday along the San Fernando-Gapan-Olongapo road (the place of construction is indicated in one of the pics, unfortunately I forgot of which town and province)...

http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m211/flip2_0/sctex01.jpg

http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m211/flip2_0/sctex02.jpg

...really not sure if this ongoing construction is part of the SCTex.

Construction firms forming consortium to bid for Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway
Leading construction firms are forming a consortium to bid for the 94-km Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway.

Jorge A. Consunji, president of the Philippine Constructors Association, said the group had identified members such as Consunji-led D.M. Consunji, Inc., EEI Corp., F. F. Cruz & Co., Inc., Makati Development Corp., First Balfour, Inc. to form the all-Filipino consortium.

The group is also inviting other local investors to come in such as Metro Pacific Investments Corp. which is eyeing infrastructure projects.

The group had said it is keen on participating in government projects like the Daang-Hari-South Luzon Expressway link road and the extension of the Light Rail Transit Line 2 from Santolan to Masinag in Antipolo.

Mr. Consunji said the association had written President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and will seek an audience with her to signify their interest.

"There are many ways to address the fiscal deficit of the government. One way is to tap private money which we have not done as of now. If you talk to private bankers, they are awash with cash. It is a question of private and government working together and offer feasible BOT [build-operate-transfer] projects. This has to be understood by proponents. I don’t see why there will be no investor if it is going to be profitable," he told BusinessWorld.

"We are looking [at] as many as possible interested parties. Once we get one off the ground, it is easier. Japan Bank for International Cooperation has offered to finance the tollway. We don’t know yet which the government will accept. Hopefully, they will favor the local. This is being offered at no expense to the government," he said.

In a study, UBS Securities Philippines, Inc. said that indeed, private sector participation could fill infrastructure gaps.

"As in the past, we believe the government will tap the private sector via build-operate-transfer (BOT) contracts to develop infrastructure.

"The government has said that it intends to prioritize infrastructure projects that are strategic for trade and investment such as roads, railways, and air and sea ports," the local affiliate of Swiss financial giant UBS said.

In her annual state of the nation address, Mrs. Arroyo announced increased spending on infrastructure. Budget Secretary Rolando G. Andaya, Jr. said the price tag of the projects mentioned in the annual address on July 24, originally estimated at P372.02 billion, has been trimmed slightly to P369.21 billion.

UBS Securities said government estimates suggest the need for more than $11 billion in new investment in the power sector for both generation and transmission over the next 10 years.

In the study, UBS cited the property sector among the economy’s drivers.

While consumption growth is "resilient," buoyed by the remittances of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), UBS Securities said future areas of strong growth could be those where substantial demand is not being or would not be met. These are also areas the government considers a priority, it added. Growth could come where the country has a natural and/or human resource competitive advantage. It cited the property sector which faces a substantial housing backlog and has a single-digit vacancy rate.

Also, UBS Securities said taking into account the potential revenue of call centers and outsourcing firms of over $7 billion as cited by the Business Process Outsourcing Association of the Philippines, these call centers "also feed into" the other subsectors of the economy such as consumption due to the higher disposable income of call center agents and their requirements for office space, telecom services and IT equipment.

It believed competition could increase in the high growth out-sourcing leasing and middle-income housing segments since developers have been launching large-scale mixed-used developments.

However, it said a possible rise in the cost of construction materials or increasing competition among developers that could "squeeze margins" would pose a risk to the property sector aside from political instability.

UBS said a rise in private sector investment in "sunrise industries" such as infrastructure, call centers and business process outsourcing operations, property and mining is projected to drive the economy higher than its historical rate of 4.5% to 5%.

As the government has contained its budget deficit, UBS Securities said this may allow the government to pump-prime and attract more foreign direct investment (FDI) based on falling macroeconomic risks.

"While consumer spending is resilient, government expenditures and FDI have been weak due in large part to the country’s fiscal problems. We believe a falling budget deficit could allow the government to pump-prime the economy. As the government is in a good position to exceed its deficit target, we believe it may need to strike a balance between growth and fiscal reform. Lower macro risks and the government’s provision of vital infrastructure facilities could encourage FDI," it added.

Listed property firm Megaworld Corp. is among UBS’s top picks as its "medium-term growth has been secured by the development of new large-scale mixed-used communities."

Megaworld is set to spend $1.16 billion for projects over the next 10 years to ride on better occupancy rates and strong demand for office and residential space.

http://www.bworldonline.com/BW100506/content.php?id=101

Good thing this came along..

BCDA approves construction of Clark interchange
By Ric Sapnu
The Philippine Star 10/09/2006

CLARK ZONE, Pampanga — The Bases Conversion Development Authority (BCDA) has approved the construction of an interchange at the Clark special economic zone as part of the ongoing P20-billion Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway project.

Levy Laus, president and chief executive officer of the Clark Development Corp. (CDC), said one of his immediate priorities is to connect the Subic seaport and the Clark airport through an interchange.

"Can you imagine the impact of this to President Arroyo when this project is inaugurated in December 2007? (That she would) find out that the Subic seaport and the Clark airport are not connected," he said.

http://www.philstar.com/philstar/NEWS200610099902.htm

Wow, I hope we could get a forumer in that area to take photo updates! :colgate:

wah i did it's buried in the other pages. will take some more when i go back in a couple weeks time. I think ako yata nagsulat diyan sa wikipedia na iyan eh. Kaya lang binara nila kasi mostly plagiarized daw (but I footnoted my reference) hehe. will try again.

guys check out what i found in wikipedia;

Subic-Clark Expressway
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Subic-Clark Expressway is a 51 km four-lane expressway currently underconstruction near Manila, The Philippines. It starts in the Subic Bay Freeport Zone in Zambales and ends at its interchange with the North Luzon Expressway near the Clark Special Economic Zone in Pampanga. It provides faster travel time and faster transportation of cargo between the two economic zones. It will have similar features with the recently rehabilitated North Luzon Expressway. The expressway is part of the Bases Conversion Development Authority's Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway Project or SCTEP, which aims to connect the ecozones of Subic and Clark and the Hacieda Luisita in Tarlac.

Actually it was renamed Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway. Near the Mabalacat Gate of Clark you can see the by-pass bridge going to Tarlac.

The overhead bridge in MacArthur Highway in Barangay Mabiga which is to connect the NLEX to Clark is still under construction. I noticed that more than 3 months already had passed and still no activity to finish it. It took more than 6 months already and only the two footings is constructed.

Well, as I've said before, they thought it to be very very costly to make the seabed stronger first before building the expressway. Hopefully, now that GMA said on her SONA that the government has enough funds to support these overly-expensive infrastructure projects she's prioritizing until 2010, maybe they can try to revive the proposal. Mas masarap pa ring magbiyahe kung tabing dagat kaysa farmlands, tipid sa airconditioning dahil magbubukas ka talaga ng bintana. hehehe

The columnist did have a lot of brillant proposals on his column which really makes perfect engineering sense until now, sadly, none of them materialized i.e. ignored.

perhaps the reasons it was never built yet is because it will the destroy the fishfonds in Bulacan from Obando to Calumpit and Hagunoy.

perhaps the reasons it was never built yet is because it will the destroy the fishfonds in Bulacan from Obando to Calumpit and Hagunoy.

Well that's possible, but if you'll notice along the existing NLEX, there's this kilometers-long viaduct built in almost the same area you've mentioned (Bulacan) specifically to protect the fishponds underneath.

Now if then President Marcos didn't see these fishponds as a hindrance to extend the project all the way to it's present end (Sta Ines, Mabalacat), how come they didn't consider the same (viaduct or something else) for this coastal project?

Well that's possible, but if you'll notice along the existing NLEX, there's this kilometers-long viaduct built in almost the same area you've mentioned (Bulacan) specifically to protect the fishponds underneath.

Now if then President Marcos didn't see these fishponds as a hindrance to extend the project all the way to it's present end (Sta Ines, Mabalacat), how come they didn't consider the same (viaduct or something else) for this coastal project?

but it will be more costly to build a viaduct along the coast of Manila Bay in Bulacan area. though engineering ingenuity can solve the problem of unstable ground owing to it is beside the sea, the cost will be in millions of dollars.
imagine how many miles of coastline from Obando to Calumpit then from the Pampanga part of the Manila Bay..

http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m142/jaime_makabayan/Bulacan.jpg

but it will be more costly to build a viaduct along the coast of Manila Bay in Bulacan area. though engineering ingenuity can solve the problem of unstable ground owing to it is beside the sea, the cost will be in millions of dollars.
imagine how many miles of coastline from Obando to Calumpit then from the Pampanga part of the Manila Bay..

http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m142/jaime_makabayan/Bulacan.jpg

All infrastructure projects, of course, will cost a lot (millions even billions of dollars), but shouldn't we think of the greater benefit among millions of filipinos (residents of northern Metro Manila, Western Bulacan, Western Pampanga, Zambales, Bataan and Western Pangasinan) before anything else?

We need it, specially now that Subic is becoming a tourist and investment hub with an international airport and a seaport and as for Clark, an international airport poised to replace NAIA in the near future. And with projects like SCTex and Northrail, it's a good thing that we should be able to alleviate worsening traffic when NLEX becomes dilapidated once more in the next few years (at most, a decade).

And if they were able to build coastal roads going to Cavite, the Cagayan-Ilocos Norte viaduct (on the northwestern tip of Luzon), the NLEX, etc. etc., why not in Northern coast of Manila Bay?

Yesterday afternoon I entered the Mabalacat Gate of Clark Special Economic Zone
and have taken photos just outside the gate.


On entering the Perimeter fence of Clark Field you will see the Mabalacat Gate on
your left and the still under construction bridge of SCTEX that will çross the Mabalacat
river.



http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m142/jaime_makabayan/mbgt3.jpg




http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m142/jaime_makabayan/mbgt2.jpg




On the right is the river separating Barangay Sta Inez and Barangay Poblacion of
Mabalacat town and the construction of the bridge of the SCTEX going north to Tarlac.




http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m142/jaime_makabayan/mbgt1.jpg




http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m142/jaime_makabayan/mbgt5.jpg




http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m142/jaime_makabayan/mbgt4.jpg




Then I went inside Clark Fields to go to Public Information Office of CDC office, then
I proceeded to Main Gate and to SM Clark. On returning back to CDC we entered again
the Main Gate of Clark which is just opposite to the eastern side of SM Clark's
Jeepney terminal.




http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m142/jaime_makabayan/SMClarsk.jpg

Driving along Manuel Roxas Highway after passing the Main Gate of Clark (Balibago,
Angeles City side) you will see the SM Clark. Here on that wide ground they will held
the annual Tigtigan Terakan (Street dancing which is usually held before at MacArthur
Highway in Balibago) I think it will be held in two weeks.




http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m142/jaime_makabayan/mg150pct.jpg
You will see on the right side the temporary blocked access road to SM Clark (only about
200 meters distance between the parallel roads of M. Roxas Highway and the SM Road.



http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m142/jaime_makabayan/mg250pct.jpg
You will see the sign " Tarlac" announcing that SCTEX junction is coming




http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m142/jaime_makabayan/mg450pct.jpg
The SCTEX is on your right, on north direction after passing the sign " Tarlac " .


http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m142/jaime_makabayan/mg350pct.jpg
This is a portion of SCTEX alongside the Manuel Roxas Highway, it looks like they were
building an overpass bridge on that portion.

The Spur Road in Barangay Mabiga in Mabalacat that will link the
North Luzon Expressway to Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway.



http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m142/jaime_makabayan/Spursouthdirection1.jpg
The construction of Overpass Bridge of Spur Road linking the North Luzon Expressway to
Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway. View towards south.



http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m142/jaime_makabayan/spursouthdir2.jpg
Construction of Overpass Bridge of Spur Road.



http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m142/jaime_makabayan/spurroad2-1.jpg
This is the sign posted on the left side of MacArthur Highway at
Mabiga, view towards north direction.



http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m142/jaime_makabayan/macarthurmabiga2.jpg
This is a construction of the Bridge for the Spur Road. You can see the still unfinished
Overpass Bridge which was slowly constructed since about 6 months ago and up to now
still unfinish.


http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m142/jaime_makabayan/macarthurmabiga.jpg
The road here is the MacArthur Highway in barangay Mabiga just nearby the Catholic-run
school of Mary's Help. You can see the traffic is diverted to a temporary road so that the
bridge can be built.



http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m142/jaime_makabayan/macarthurspur.jpg
The view is toward North direction.



http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m142/jaime_makabayan/spurtoclark.jpg
You can see the still unfinish Spur road on the west side of the Overpass Bridge being constructed. This Overpass Bridge of Spur Road which is located in McArthur Highway in Barangay Mabiga, is about 500 meters from Clark's perimeter fence.



http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m142/jaime_makabayan/boundary.jpg
The sign of boundary betwen Barangay Dau of Mabalacat and
Barangay Balibago of Angeles City.



http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m142/jaime_makabayan/macarthurbayanihan.jpg
View of MacArthur Highway's crossing in Balibago near the Bayanihan Park of Clark Special
Economic Zone. View towards south direction. On the right side is the road going to Clark
Main gate and SM Clark.


http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m142/jaime_makabayan/macarthurbayanihan2.jpg
MacArthur Highway crossing in Balibago, on the right is the Bayanihan
Park which is under CSEZ jurisdiction.



http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m142/jaime_makabayan/bayanihan2.jpg
View of relocated and new " Salakot " which is inside the Bayanihan Park.



http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m142/jaime_makabayan/interchang.jpg
View of Transport Interchange located on the west side of Bayanihan Park. This transport interchange used by Jeepneys plying Dau to Clark maingate and SM Clark, and by Jeepneys
plying Angeles - Clark route. According to some unverified story from drivers, this terminal
was built apparently free by the owner of SM Clark.



http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m142/jaime_makabayan/maingatensm.jpg
View looking westward : On the left side of this photo is the Clark's Main Gate and on the
right side is the SM Clark.

The distance between the Main Gate and the East end of SM building complex is about 200
to 250 meters ( 1 meter = 3.2814 feet) ( I estimated the distances using as reference the
lenght of previous ships, I commanded)



http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m142/jaime_makabayan/SM2.jpg



http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m142/jaime_makabayan/SM.jpg
SM Clark complex



http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m142/jaime_makabayan/salakotbayanihan.jpg
The new " Salakot " at Bayanihan Park looking from the road on the south side of Bayanihan
Park of CSEZ.

thanks emesber for the photos

thanks emesber for the photos

You are welcome my friend.

I also posted the brochures of the Public Information Office of Clark Development Corporation in the Thread DMIA / Clark.

Great! Thanks for the updates:okay:

No wonder the Overpass Bridge constructions was delayed.


http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m142/jaime_makabayan/BCDA.jpg



http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m142/jaime_makabayan/macarthurmabiga.jpg

^^ I see progress right there, nice :)

Road to progress starts with SCTEx

CLARK SPECIAL ECONOMIC ZONE--Economist Bernardo Villegas said Central Luzon is emerging as the country's "most competitive region" in terms of infrastructure mainly due to the P21-billion Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEx).

Villegas, senior vice president of the University of Asia and the Pacific, said the region, located north of Manila, could evolve into a "mini-China" if various sectors focus on "globally competitive industries."

At an economic briefing sponsored by the Pampanga Chamber of Commerce and Industries (PamCham), he named these as manpower exports; transport, telecom and tourism; electronic components and semi-conductor devices; IT-enabled services; food and agri-businesses; high-value garments and fashion goods; high-value furniture; wellness, health and beauty services; logistics; retirement villages; mining; and education.

"You will succeed," Villegas told more than 300 business leaders, noting that foreign and local investors make infrastructure on the top of criteria for deciding where to locate.

By his forecast, SCTEx would open opportunities in just three to six months, not three years. Central Luzon, he added, could really position itself as a global gateway.

"Miracle," was how Villegas called the pace of the construction of the 94-km highway being built by the Bases Conversion Development Authority through two Japanese contractors and on a loan from Japan.

In an interview, he said the SCTEx was the "main thing" that would propel the region to growth.

"That would be about 80 percent of the infrastructure," he said of the highway linking the Clark and the Subic Bay Freeport and Luisita Industrial Park in Tarlac City.

The existing facilities--the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport in Clark, airport and seaport in Subic, and the North Luzon Expressway--have provided for the early competitive advantage, he said.

"Your next competitor is Cebu but it does not have the SCTEX-type of infrastructure. Cebu is so limited in Central Visayas. If you take a look at Dumaguete, etcetera, they're very much behind Central Luzon," he said.

"We see positive things. If I were speaking in some other regions I would not be as bullish."

Renato Romero, incoming president of PamCham, raised the need for local governments to get their acts together to harness and maximize the potentials of SCTEx for local development.

At least 10 towns and cities are along the route of the new highway that has been carved on region's western mountainous boundary of the region.

Renato Tayag Jr., president of the advocacy group Bini Foundation, stressed the need for good governance in the scenario anticipated by Villegas.

BCDA president and chief executive officer, Narciso Abaya, said the toll road is 50 percent completed and is due for opening in November 2007.

thanks for the photos emesber

wow... just 1 more year... :)

tuloy po ba ang interchange nang angeles city,para naman madali makapasok sa hi-way kung taga san fernando ka galing!!:)

BCDA allots P230m for tollway access road
By Rendy Isip

CLARK FIELD, Pampanga — The Bases Conversion and Development Authority has approved the allocation of P230 million for the construction of an access road to link the Clark Special Economic Zone here to the P21-billion Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway which is expected to be finished by November 2007.

Clark Development Corp. president Levy Laus said the BCDA approved the P230-million budget for the construction of the access road that would link the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport with the Subic Freeport in Zambales and make it the premier logistics hub in the country as envisioned by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

The Clark access road is vital to the development of Clark as well as the nearby Angeles City, Mabalacat, Magalang and other towns in Pampanga.

“This is a good news for all of us, the BCDA has approved the budget,” Laus said, adding that the access road is set to be completed by November 2007, simultaneous with the completion of the Subic-Clark-Tarlac tollway.

The access road would be built in the area of Industrial Estate Five near the Yokohama Tire Philippines Inc., inside the Clark economic zone. The tollway project is 42-percent complete and development group officials expressed confidence that the project would be finished by November, ahead of its original deadline of December.

The Angeles City Council and Mabalacat Council had earlier threatened to stop the project after the development group failed to include the access road because officials claimed Clark would not directly benefit from the tollway because it will only pass the area and not link it to the economic zone.

Laus said travel time going to Subic will only take 30 minutes instead of the three-hour ride via the very busy Gapan-San Fernando-Olongapo Road.

He said Clark and Subic would both enjoy benefits from the tollway because it would attract more investments and eventually create more jobs for local folks in nearby communities of Central Luzon.

Update on SCTEX constructions near the vicinity of Clark's Mabalacat Gate.

http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n98/emesber/C1.jpg
Clark Special Economic Zone's Mabalacat Gate.





http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n98/emesber/C7.jpg
Near the Mabalacat Gate- An SCTEX bridge constructed spanning the Mabalacat River.
Looking towards the North or towards Tarlac.





http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n98/emesber/C8.jpg
Near the Mabalacat Gate- An SCTEX bridge constructed spanning the Mabalacat River.
Looking towards the North or towards Tarlac.




http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n98/emesber/C9.jpg
Clark Special Economic Zone's Mabalacat Gate.
Looking towards the southerly direction or towards SM Clark and Angeles City





http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n98/emesber/C10.jpg
Just passed the Mabalacat Gate. You can see the unfinished portion of the SCTEX,
the construction is in progress. The elevated land is a part of the Expressway
being built from Subic to Clark and to Tarlac.





http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n98/emesber/C84.jpg
Leaving Clark Driving towards the Mabalacat Gate.
You can see on the distance the SCTEX construction in progress.




http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n98/emesber/C85.jpg
Leaving Clark Driving towards the Mabalacat Gate. You can see on the distance the SCTEX construction in progress.





http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n98/emesber/C86.jpg
Leaving Clark Driving towards the Mabalacat Gate.
You can see on the distance the SCTEX construction in progress.





http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n98/emesber/C88.jpg
Driving toward the northeast or towards the Mabalacat Gate, leaving Clark.
You can see the SCTEX underpass for incoming and outgoing traffic of Clark.





http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n98/emesber/C89.jpg
Driving toward the northeast or towards the Mabalacat Gate, leaving Clark.
You can see the SCTEX underpass for incoming and outgoing traffic of Clark.

RP’s longest tollway ready by November 2007 – BCDA

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryId=59324

The Philippine Star

CLARK FIELD, Pampanga — By November next year, this landlocked province is sure to have access to the beaches of Subic, Zambales within 30 minutes at a maximum 100 kilometers per hour of travel via the new 50.5-kilometer tollway now being rushed.

At a press briefing here Wednesday, Bases Conversion Development Authority president Narciso Abaya assured Central Luzon folk that despite a 6.7% "slippage" or delay, the P21-billion Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway Project will "surely be finished."

Once completed, the 93.7-kilometer expressway would be the longest tollway in the country.

The SCTEP could accommodate as many as 200,000 vehicles at any given time, Abaya said.

A maximum weight of 13.5 tons per axle and a speed limit of 100 kilometers per hour will be imposed along the tollway, he added.

Abaya said the 50.5-kilometer package 1 of the SCTEP from the Subic Freeport to Clark will be completed in November next year, while the 43.2-kilometer package 2 from Clark to the Luisita economic zone in Tarlac City will be finished even earlier in August.

When finished, the tollway between Clark and Subic will shorten travel between the two areas to only 30 minutes, instead of one and a half hours via the existing old highway that passes through several towns in Pampanga and Bataan.

"Regardless of intervening factors, we expect the civil works for the two packages to be completed at a cost of P20.969 billion, which is below the ceiling of P21 billion," Abaya said.

This, despite the 6.7% slippage in the construction, which he blamed on the typhoons that stalled the project last August, as well as some problems the Japanese contractor had encountered with some sub-contractors and right-of-way concerns, particularly in Mabalacat, Pampanga.

He said the BCDA is still waiting for the decision of the Angeles City court on the expropriation proceedings on a property for a spur road in Mabalacat whose valuation was increased by the provincial government from P1,000 to P10,000 per square meter.

Abaya said the BCDA has spent some P500 million as compensation for property owners affected by the tollway project. Initially, the BCDA estimated that right-of-way cost would reach P800 billion.

The BCDA said the SCTEP is 53% complete, based on the contractor’s report that road works are 41% finished, interchanges, 28%, and underpasses, 70%.

Of the 49 underpasses, 27 have been completed, Abaya said.

He said work on the 43 bridges along the stretch of the SCTEP is on schedule. The major ones include the 1.16-kilometer Sacobia-Bamban River bridge which is 55 meters above the riverbed, the 720-meter bridge across the Pasig-Potrero River, the 400-meter bridge across the Porac River, and the 381-meter bridge across the Gumain River. Ding Cervantes

Thus anyone have a map on where the whole stretch SCTEP will transverse?

i guess, one was posted here...Try to check the previous pages..

this infrastructure is so vital not only to luzon, but for the entire country. It will change everything up in the norht and it will increase our competitiveness. When this opens, GMA will have left a good legacy to her home province of pampanga and the towns traversed by this highway.

Thus anyone have a map on where the whole stretch SCTEP will transverse?

yes, there is: http://sctep.bcda.gov.ph/maps.jsp

BCDA Public Affairs
BCDA
Wednesday, December 13, 2006



The Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEx) is now 53 percent complete and is expected to be finished as scheduled by November 2007, according to the state-owned Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) which is in charge of the P21 billion flagship project.

The 93.7-kilometer toll road will connect two of the country’s most important economic zones in Central Luzon – the Subic Bay Freeport in Zambales and the Clark Special Economic Zone in Pampanga – to the emerging economic hubs further north in Tarlac and up to La Union.

Project construction is divided into two packages, with Package 1 covering the 50.5-kilometer Subic-Clark section and Package 2 the 43.27-kilometer Clark-Tarlac section.

The SCTEx has a total of 34 bridges that is being constructed, with an average accomplishment rate of 69 percent as of December 6, according to the BCDA. Construction of the Sacobia-Bamban Bridge, the longest span in the SCTEx at 1.16 kilometers, has posted a positive variance -- meaning its construction accomplishment is ahead of schedule.

The average accomplishment for the road works is at 41 percent; interchanges at 28 percent; and underpasses 70 percent. The BCDA said of the 49 underpasses, 27 have already been completed.

Earlier, Economist Bernardo Villegas described the swift pace of the SCTEx construction including the right-of-way acquisition as a “miracle”. He said the SCTEx would open opportunities in just three to six months. He added that that Central Luzon could really position itself as a global gateway.

Mr. Villegas emphasized that the SCTEx is the “main thing” that would propel the region to growth.

Once the SCTEx is operational, it would only take around 30 minutes to travel from Clark to Subic and vice versa, and 20 minutes from Clark to Tarlac and vice versa. At more than 93 kilometers, the toll way will be the country’s longest.

The SCTEx is a flagship project of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and is among the mega-projects intended to transform Central and Northern Luzon into a super region. The SCTEx is expected to serve as the new economic backbone for Central Luzon and the adjoining regions that is expected to create wider opportunities for investment, trade and employment.

Looking at the Map - I reckoned that the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway is the first leg of the Expressway to be built up to Aparri Cagayan the northernmost tip of Luzon.

http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n98/emesber/RoadMapNorthPhil.jpg

In the map below, SCTEX is the phase 1 of the Expressway projects. The phase 2 is the portion from Tarlac to San Fernando, La Union. And the phase 3 is from Tarlac to Dingalan Bay in Aurora Province.


http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n98/emesber/SCTEX1050.jpg

guys tulong naman. may sinesend akong e-mail sa bcda hindi ma-send ng yahoo mail dahil may error daw. kung may time kayo please pakisend na lang po. i-papaste ko po below. salamat po.


a pleasant day to all the staffers and employees of bcda. it is my concern as a motorist always going to the northern provinces of luzon that the name of the subic-clark-tarlac expressway project is finalized as the subic-clark-tarlac expressway. i'm going to write in filipino now. bakit po ganun? ano na ang silbi ng north luzon expressway kung hanggang santa ines, mabalacat lang ito? eh di dapat ang tawag dito ay manila-clark expressway kung hanggang mabalacat lang ito. kaya nga north luzon expressway ang tawag dun dahil it is built as an expressway connecting manila and north luzon, meaning that na possible na dulo nito ay sa la union or sa ilocos provinces. ang suggestion ko po ay ganito: name the subic-clark segment as the subic-clark expressway and the clark-tarlac segment as north luzon expressway. the clark-tarlac segment is a logical extension of the NLEX so dapat yung ang pangalan ng segment na iyon. concerning also yung magiging operator ng expressway po, kung pwede po sana MNTC na mag-operate ng clark-tarlac segment para hindi na kami magbabayad pa another toll fee. yung subic-clark segment po na lang ibigay sa ibang bidders na gustong i-operate yung expressway. mas convenient po kapag ganun. please don't disregard this e-mail. salamat po.

guys tulong naman. may sinesend akong e-mail sa bcda hindi ma-send ng yahoo mail dahil may error daw. kung may time kayo please pakisend na lang po. i-papaste ko po below. salamat po.


a pleasant day to all the staffers and employees of bcda. it is my concern as a motorist always going to the northern provinces of luzon that the name of the subic-clark-tarlac expressway project is finalized as the subic-clark-tarlac expressway. i'm going to write in filipino now. bakit po ganun? ano na ang silbi ng north luzon expressway kung hanggang santa ines, mabalacat lang ito? eh di dapat ang tawag dito ay manila-clark expressway kung hanggang mabalacat lang ito. kaya nga north luzon expressway ang tawag dun dahil it is built as an expressway connecting manila and north luzon, meaning that na possible na dulo nito ay sa la union or sa ilocos provinces. ang suggestion ko po ay ganito: name the subic-clark segment as the subic-clark expressway and the clark-tarlac segment as north luzon expressway. the clark-tarlac segment is a logical extension of the NLEX so dapat yung ang pangalan ng segment na iyon. concerning also yung magiging operator ng expressway po, kung pwede po sana MNTC na mag-operate ng clark-tarlac segment para hindi na kami magbabayad pa another toll fee. yung subic-clark segment po na lang ibigay sa ibang bidders na gustong i-operate yung expressway. mas convenient po kapag ganun. please don't disregard this e-mail. salamat po.

perhaps they already changed their email address but you can send also a message to them tru their website address.

about north luzon expressway, there was a plan to extend that NLEX till Concepcion Tarlac and later up to further North. But of course, no budget and perhaps no foreign institution to fund for that throught BOT scheme,
Build Operate and Transfer like the NLEX and SLEX etc.


The SCETEX was built since there were money coming from the sales of Fort Bonifacio Military camps.

there were many plans about expressway to the north, there was also a plan to built an Expressway from Quezon City going to the North passing the Eastern Bulacan, Nueva Ecija then up north. But no budget yet.

hopefully, in 20 years, all the planned expressways will have been built.

If the NLEX will go all the way around Luzon, that would be great. At least meron na tayong parang autobahn ng germany! :okay:

hopefully, in 20 years, all the planned expressways will have been built.


i hope so, however the plan to built that NOrtheast Luzon Expressway passing Eastern Bulacan and east of Arayat mountain was originally conceived/planned when I was still in the high school.

I hope these expressway developments would also be poured to Visayas and Mindanao ;)

yun sa roxas hi-way dyan sa clark na overpass pati yun malapit sa friendship,almost finish naba,eh closed kaya nila yun old friendship gate kapag kompleto na ang subic clark tarlac expressway ..nangtatanong lang po.:) emesber thanks sa mga updated mo hah...mabuhay ka!!!!cheers tayu dyan.. dto nga yun mga dati kanong station dyan sa clark natutuwa sila nagyayaring kaunlaran dyan sa clarkkkkkkkkk lipadddddddddddd clarkkkkkkkk...ipagpatuloy mo madam gloria yan mga proyekto mo na ikauunlan nang pinasssss.. kami rito sa labas nang pinas sa likud mo kamiiii......emesberrrrrrrrr thanks hah sa mga updated mo!!!!!!!

The Spur Road (at Bgy Mabiga Mabalacat) linking the NLEX and the SCTEX - still not completed, very slow work.


http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p273/emmanuelkristofer/spur18.jpg





http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p273/emmanuelkristofer/spur5.jpg[/I





[IMG]http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p273/emmanuelkristofer/spur6.jpg




http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p273/emmanuelkristofer/spur7.jpg




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http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p273/emmanuelkristofer/spur19.jpg



Btw. The overpass bridge of the SCTEX inside Clark and running parallel with M. Roxas Avenue is still not completed.

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"i hope so, however the plan to built that Northeast Luzon Expressway passing Eastern Bulacan and east of Arayat mountain was originally conceived/planned when I was still in the high school."

Yeah, I remember reading that one too. It was way back in early 1950s.

The North Luzon Expressway was built in the late 60s therefore the plan for building the North East Luzon Expressway was planned in the 70s. Then after the eruption of Pinatubo the plan to build NELE was revived again. Of course, at present NELE plan was put in the freezer again owing no funds.