BY KERLYN G. BAUTISTA, Reporter
Mindanao rail planned
Germany, Saudi Arabia to put money in Cagayan-Cotabato phase

Germany and Saudi Arabia are investing over P18.1 billion to partially finance the construction of an 82.5-kilometer mass transit system that will link the cities of Iligan, Cagayan de Oro, Gingoog, Marawi, and Cotabato in Mindanao by 2008.

This project, estimated to cost $520 million or over P28 billion, is expected to benefit 60,000 to 90,000 commuters daily in the Iligan-Cagayan de Oro "Industrial Corridor."

Transport Undersecretary Guiling A. Mamondiong told BusinessWorld yesterday that Germany would invest 220 million euros or P15.4 billion this year for the railway’s electronics and mechanicals.

Through German technology company Siemens, it will also provide 12 trains with travel speeds of 80-150 kilometers per hour. It will also put up ticketing, signaling, and communication systems.

Saudi Arabia will also lend $40 million and donate another $10 million, or a total of P2.705 billion, for the project.

The official said the government would also seek funding from Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Oman, Libya, Brunei, and Thailand, which would do the feasibility study on the railway. Civil works will start in 2006. Project completion is scheduled for 2008.

"This will be the first major railway system outside Metro Manila, something that is well in line with the decongestion of the metro. After these rail projects are finished, we think we can have 40% reduction in our oil import," he said.

The government is proposing to build the Mindanao Railway System, a six-phase, 2,000-kilometer circumferential railway system.

Its first phase will connect Iligan and Cotabato. Phase two will connect Gingoog, Butuan, and Surigao. Phase three will connect Butuan, Monkayo, and Davao. Phase four will connect Davao, General Santos and Cotabato. Phase five will connect Iligan, Aurora, Dipolog, Liloy, Ipil and Zamboanga, and phase six will connect Cagayan de Oro, Malaybalay, Damulog, and Davao.

WTF???? Is this for real?

:eek: Siemens Trains...wow. Yeah, its for real...although that project has been delayed for decades now. Hopefully it will finally push through.

at last this will surely bring tremendous economic and social benefits to the people of mindanao and hopefully everybody muslims and christians alike will benefit from this infrastructure and contribute to peace and prosperty in this troubled region of our country

fantastic ! that would bring great prosperity to troubled mindanao ! but i cannot find any matches on the siemens homepage nor on german governments infrastructure/loans-to-the-phil. pages....hopefully this is not another illfated project like T 3 at NAIA with fraport. does anyone have some tips where i can find more about this project ?
salamat !

fantastic ! that would bring great prosperity to troubled mindanao ! but i cannot find any matches on the siemens homepage nor on german governments infrastructure/loans-to-the-phil. pages....hopefully this is not another illfated project like T 3 at NAIA with fraport. does anyone have some tips where i can find more about this project ?
salamat !

as much as we'd all like to find information about many projects, the digging process is pretty difficult :) not every project has a website, and sometimes, if they did, it would be crap. After all, unlike skyscraper projects, infra projects don't feel the need to advertise anything other than Gloria's face :D After continuous digging, I'm sorry to say that your best source for info is most probably here :D

If you're not content with the info here, you're free to dig on your own. News articles contain the most information at times, but they can be dreadfully repetitive. The NEDA site also lists infra projects and what status of red-tape they're in. Other government sites may have a tidbit or two, as well :)

Anyways, back on topic, this is such a cool project, but I can't help but feel that these trains are probably way better that what northrail is gonna get :D

Yeah, Siemens trains are definitely better than any Chinese DMU trains Northrail will get. If only Northrail also got Siemens rolling stock;)

i hope it will push through. studies on that mindanao-wide network were conducted during ramos administration pa ata.

It was a flagship project under Erap. I have route maps in my computer somewhere.

whoah, this is cool.. this will start mindanao's development.. or should i say improve mindanao's development??.. siemens? definitely cool!!.. wish luzon also have trains like this.

if it will come to reality... mindanao will surely soar high....more investments... just hoping things about the project will turn out right...

sana yung mga rebelde sa timog iwanan na ang pagrerebelde nila. instead, they should take advantage of any job opportunities this project would bring to the locals of mindanao.

well... I hope too.. that this project pushes through... connecting the Mindanao province will ease out movement of goods...

it's probably the best moved yet... more developments, these are what mindanao really needs. let's pray that all things go well. and I also dont mind that they're getting the Siemens trains (and northrail only gets the chinese dmu's). they should have the best facilities if ever possible. :)

hi boybyhy,
can you put those routemaps of the railways in mindanao to our all convenience please ? could not find any....salamat po !

i also read that the panay railway system is to be rehabilitated with a new connex to the being-built new airport complex of iloilo. any news about that plan ?

ooooh yea i remember one of the forumers posted the sign of the gov't Rehabilitating the line.. i believe Siemens are also the rolling stock being used

that great!...a railway system in Mindanao!awesome....

hi solblanc,
you are sooo right. i am very glad i found this site here ! let´s see how mindanao rail develops. hopefully not another fake completion date, posponed and posponed year by year through curruption and other mischiefs over and over again.

dont worry richard we are all praying the project will be completed for the good of the people of mindanao

Sorry. I was mistaken. I thought I had route maps but apparently, what I have is just a Powerpoint presentation that has a slide that shows a map of Mindanao and a representation of the route, not the actual route maps. But it shows major stops along the Mindanao Railway-- the longterm plan.

im sorry dear skylinepigeon
but praying will not do, face the facts. it´s a matter of clean business and solid profits. that´s all a company is interested in : making money. they will build a railway in the antartics, if the profits are higher than the investment. it´s called turn around. but what am i telling you, you know very well.....so let´s just see what happens. praying, by the way, is good for everything, everyone, so let´s keep up our trust in god anyhow for the health&wealth of the peoples of the world.

ok boybaha,
where can i see that representation of the route ? on what and where longterm plan ? would be greatful for a link. salamat !

look what i found :
http://www.mindanews.com/2004/03/30nws-railway.html
and
http://www.bayanihan.org/html/public_html/index.php?topic=Tourism&page=8

hopefully you guys can open these pages. i´m not sure i did it correctly. i am not so keen on computers.....

OK. Here is a screencap of the PowerPoint slide I spoke about. This presentation was given to a group of investors at the Marco Polo Hotel in Davao in October, 1999.

This is the "finished product" after a long range plan. From what I recall, that plan called for the construction of the eastern portion of the railway as its first stage, linking Butuan to Davao. From there, the MRS goes westward. I believe the Butuan to Marawi link was next. These plans were the Erap-era Flagship Projects plan.

http://img110.echo.cx/img110/8878/mrs2ce.jpg (http://www.imageshack.us)

No net links to government sites as I believe my harddrive is the only place these exist these days. I used to do the PP presentations for my boss at the time and since the ousting of Estrada, that commission has fallen out of favor and was dismantled.

PS. I don't think I'm doing anything bad by posting these old presentations here because they weren't top secret (and in fact were part of the PR role of the Presidential Committee on Flagship Projects) and since that office no longer exists, it's ok to do this. I only have their Powerpoint presentations anyway. Hmm. And the projects are obsolete... do you remember the garbage landfill project for San Mateo, Rizal? Ahehe.

WOW!!! hopefully no hitches will occur in the construction of that project.. its about time that vital infrastructure projects would also be done in mindanao.. luzon has the highest concentration of the governments projects kasi.. especially the NCR region..

thanks boybaha,
makes sence, that railway layout. all that´s missing now is a link from cotabato to davao (direct connnex). but this will takes another 20 years and a lot of loans to get done before they think of further expansion plans.

Alright. Manila needs a facelift, and it's slowly but surely going through the process. Anyone got your own plans for Bay City, Pasig River, Ortigas, BGC? It can be drawings and notes, or anything;)

sounds nice, will think. don't have drawings just dreams.

be nice if those dreams can talk eh?:D i'm trying to put down something from brain to MS word, or to paint;)


Speaking of paint, part one of my CCP redevelopment plans. CCP needs to be for the public, wide roads for the cars, and monorail for the commuters and the tourists. :yes: CCP also needs to be use residentially, so along with bus routes, say hi to Manila's first monorail line (unless SM's plans to build a monorail from MoA to Manila's main public transport lines don't come through)

http://img292.echo.cx/img292/2655/monorailccpcomplex5qb.png (http://www.imageshack.us)

hmmm... if we had the funds to perform all the possible redevelopment plans... well, I think the first project would be the cleaning of the Pasig River and all the esteros in the Metro.. this includes clearing of legal and illegal settlers at least 10 meters from the river/estero..

of course the Northrail is ongoing now... I think my next idea would be setting up an organized public transport system, setup up bus routes that would lessen traffic use of EDSA... also, set up a memorandum to private buses to clean up or replace old buses with newer ones specifically with good airconditioning.

next is maybe build a freeway within the metro... the metro is made up of avenues (EDSA, C5, Quezon, Commonwealth)that clog up on intersections... we need a real highway with proper exits... well I hope in the new developing cities would have this....

next is to ban high polluting vehicles from our roads, setup a maximum car life on our roads... I think 10-15year old cars should no longer be allowed to be registered. Halt distribution of Bus and Jeepney franchise.. remove franchise of high polluting and dilapidated PUVs... Set high standards to allow any vehicle to run on our streets.. And improve the mass transport system..

Maybe an iconic building or statue, some sort of landmark. ONe problem with Manila is there's no face internationally.

One idea I had was a Manila sign similar to Hollywood or Miami , near the airport so visible from planes landing immediately but they would be series of towers at least 200 meters high. So it would be a series of buildings sticking out. No other tall building should be allowed near it.

I agree with both Pau and bustero. MM really needs some proper masterplanning (is that a word?:D). Theoretically and according to my Urban Geography studies, all major arteries must lead to the CBD (in our case Makati). In addition, there should be a expressway ring road around the city, with the CBD in the center. However with MM, this is not the case. Instead, EDSA which is supposedly our ringroad is the only major access to Makati and Ortigas, giving it lots of pressure during rush hour. Thats why it gets so clogged up because everybody uses it! Fortunately, C-5 has improved over the years as an alternative route, but it is still not enough. There should be a proper expressway system around the city. And skyway is not enough...should be more extensive.
I realise the most major arteries go to Binondo and Quiapo which makes sense since it was our CBD in the past. But things are changing and new planning that will lead to Makati, Ortigas and BGC is needed.
Next, i like how the adminstration is building MRT lines...but they should be given more priority to get rid of all the delays.
Lastly, bustero is right...MM needs a landmark to give Metro Manila an image when it is mentioned. This way, more tourists and investors will identify MM as a place to go.

for the iconic landmark.. I think that the Rizal Monument can be this but... the tourism department should build it up to symbolize the country.... but of course a modern structure wouldnt' harm to be Manila's symbol...

I would probably redevelop the area immediately surrounding the Rizal Park area, particularly points immediatly south of it, along Kalaw. This includes the restoration of the Luneta Hotel for adaptive re-use and the reshaping of the area into an art-deco haven that compliments that two new skyscrapers with retro-looking lowrise. Kind of make it a Malate extended to the north.

I would also continue what Lito Atienza is doing with the Binondo/Sta. Cruz areas. Probably improve access to the place by reviving river travel. Would try to entice more corporations to resettle the area by providing tax incentives. Also, making Escolta an arts district ala New York's Soho that celebrates the architecture.

In the process, there would be a celebration of Manila's art deco heritage.

Alright, Mike has his Art Deco plan going on, I have my....CCPCP (CCP Complex Plan)

My CCP Redevelopment Plan includes
-New medium-rise, high-density cost-effective apartments parallel to Westin Philippine Plaza and the Manila Film Center, facing Manila Bay
-A Ferry terminal for Manila's new ferry transport system (similar to Sydney's), going to either south in the PEA land or north into Intramuros-Fort Bonifacio
-Construction of a effective transport system for tourists and inhabitants of the CCP complex, either a on-grade tram or monorail. This transport system can be extended southwards into Bay City
-Establishment of office space along the Buendia extension on the CCP complex.
-Sufficient underground and multi-level parking for the cultural buildings (Folk Arts, CCP, PICC, Manila Film Center)
-Sufficient park space and recreational facilities for citizens of Metro Manila, and tourists.

Hey, I'm all for Mike's Art Deco plan! If one looks hard enough, Manila has a lot of Art Deco treasures. If there's some way to tie all these structures together, it'll provide a distinct architectural identity to the city.

One other thing that's long been neglected. A proper, comprehensive, and heritage-aware reconstruction and redevelopment of Intramuros.

all major arteries must lead to the CBD (in our case Makati). In addition, there should be a expressway ring road around the city, with the CBD in the center. However with MM, this is not the case.

Well... in Makati's case, yes that is not what's happening. Yet if you look at the old CBD of Manila, Binondo-Quiapo-Escolta, that area, I think you will see that "All roads lead to Manila". There's SLEX (Osmena Highway), Shaw Boulevard, Aurora Boulevard, E Rodriguez, Quezon Ave.. then there's this idea of a big semi-ring road (EDSA) then inside it lies a smaller semi-ring road (Pres. Quirino-Nagtahan-AH Lacson-Tayuman, looking at a map here). From paper it looks like it's well planned isn't it? I see it as a lack of keeping up with population, and so they find the quick fix is just building near the center, then to the area outside of the place near the center. Perhaps too much sprawl?

I also remembered that in my plan... there should be proper signage on most parts of the metro... make the whole metro tourist friendly... also if possible setup a site containing proper road and establishment map... just like singapore have at www.streetdirectory.com.sg

hmm... I would develop C-6 as a ring expressway with proper exits, as well as complete the skyway, so that we will not have any more congestion from provincial buses and the like.

I'd also develop the bay area. I'll move the container port completely to subic. The only boats that I want to see in Manila bay are cruises, ferries, and yachts. The entire bay area should have all sorts of medium to high rise structures, and architects should be given creative license, like in Lisbon or Shanghai. The entire bay area should also be at least 20% parks.

Old Manila (especially intramuros) should be given a facelift and preserved. Revive the old spanish and american architecture, in conjunction with Mike's art-deco project. Its a very good one.

The entirety of the MRT-3 and LRT-1 should be refurbished. Assuming, of course, that money is no object, I'd send LRT-1 underground, and let the light shine in. That isn't a problem on the EDSA MRT, but wider cars would be nice, but I'd also like each station to be designed in a way that it pleases the eye.

Our public transport in Manila is ridiculously chaotic. I suggest that all public transport be bought by the government, including the Jeepneys and FXs, but not including taxis and tricycles. That way, not only will the government (or MMDA) have direct control over the flow of buses and jeepneys, fares can be consolidated into one card, similar to europe. One would only have to pay once to use the entire system for an hour or two.

Also, we might see some jeepneys and buses actually follow the rules :D

The urinals just have to go. I'd replace them with public toilets similar to london, where the toilet just blends into the surroundings. Use is free if you're a commuter. Also, it would enable girls to use the bathroom, too.

I think we need more mass transit, capable of moving 2 -3 million people using megamanila not metromanila as the base. So this is from Angeles, Pampanga to Batangas City.
Eliminate jeepneys over the long run and replace them newer more efficient systems. All public transport must use electricity or at least have very low nox/sox/particulate emissions.

Rollout wifi like korea, that way we can bypass the telco's and use voip , much more efficient.

USE POLITICAL WILL ON THE INFORMAL URBAN DWELLER!

Quite a lot of talk here, hey thanks guys :) Anyone got any specific drawings of their plans?

Welll.. here's my drawing of my CCP plans. Nothing much original:D And I'm not too sure of the map and the location of the current buildings, I've lost my Manila maps.

http://img144.echo.cx/img144/9526/ccpmasterplan1yu.png (http://www.imageshack.us)

I really like Mike's (boybaha) Manila Art Deco plan along Dewey/Roxas Boulevards. What about Spanish heritage in the Intramuros and Malate area?

And yes, to river travel via ferry or water taxis. There should be incentives to build eateries, cafes and parks along Pasig River to make it cleaner. I remember the eatery along the Estero in Binondo that serves seafood delicacies. This can be a stop-over or a destination. This is all contingent on addressing garbage and noxious smell of the Pasig River and the esteros.

How about tours featuring gustatory delights in Manila and then the Philippines? Just like the one started by the late Doreen (I can't remember now) called Lasa Filipino.

sc4 might be a good help in this thread renell particularly on the reclaimed bay area...haha.. too bad im still pretty crap at it...i'd like to try though..

(sorry peeps mejo na off topic)

http://www.mb.com.ph/TOUR2005061436887.html
RP pushing multi-billion nationwide railway project

The Philippines is pushing an ambitious 6,500 kilometer railway project that will connect the entire archipelago by train.


"In order to push for the project, we are thinking of enacting a National Railway Act (NRA) that will seek for tax exemptions for rail infrastructure projects,’’ according to Transportation and Communications Undersecretary for Railways Guiling Mamondiung.

"The sources (funding) will come possibly from the increase in real property tax, road user’s tax and ‘sin’ taxes like cigarette, liquor, and others,’’ he said.

Mamondiung said the railway system still remains the most efficient mode of transportation since it can move people and goods at reasonable cost and it only occupies one-sixth of what will take for the vehicles in the roads.

He also said the backbone of any national transport system has always been railway.

Mamondiung cited the countries that are extensively using train as its main public transport as Japan, the United States and many European countries. Railways will address the needs of long distance passengers and cargo transport.

Senate Minority Floor leader Aquilino Pimentel, Jr. (PDP-Laban) welcomed the plan of the DoTC to negotiate with local and foreign firms keen on undertaking the projects using creative funding schemes.

Mamondiung said the first on the list is the establishment of the Mindanao Railways System (MRS) that is expected to enhance the prime investment in Mindanao as site in the East Asian Growth Area (EAGA), a growth polygon composed of Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines (BIMP).

"The MRS is long overdue even before the start of the present administration,’’ he said.

Mamondiung said that Germany and Saudi Arabia will invest R18.1 billion in the first phase of the mass transit system which will link the cities of Iligan, Cagayan de Oro and Gingoog covering a total of 82.5 kilometers.

Phase 1 of the railways project is estimated to cost R28 billion and would benefit between 60,000 and 90,000 commuters daily in the Iligan-Cagayan de Oro Industrial corridor.

Based on DoTC’s timetable, civil works for the railway project will start in 2006 and is set to be completed 2008.

The MRS will consist of six phases, covering a total length of 2,000 kilometers.

Phase 1 is from Iligan-Cagayan de Oro-Gingoog-Marawi-Cotabato; Phase 2, from Gingoog-Butuan-Surigao; Phase 3, from Butuan-Monkayo-Davao; Phase 4, Davao-General Santos-Cotabato; Phase 5, Iligan-Aurora-Dipolog-Liloy-Ipil-Zamboanga; and Phase 6, Cagayan de Oro-Malaybalay-Damulong-Davao.

Earlier, a Malaysian government-controlled consortium is eyeing for the construction of the long-delayed MRS on a build operate-transfer (BOT) scheme.

At the same time, the DPWH is also hammering out a plan to build the 1,436 single-track railway system that would connect key cities on the island.

It has invested R40 million for various infrastructure projects in Mindanao, including the railway to spur inter-regional economic activities.

In 2001, there was a plan to construct a railway system between Indonesia’s South Kalimantan province and Mindanao.

The Antara News Agency has been quoted that the project would be implemented based in economic cooperation of the BIMP-Eaga.

The railway is projected to be constructed in 20 years at a cost of US$36 billion. Technical details have already been made by German consultants at a total cost of US$30 million.

However, the DoTC disclosed that the Philippine government has its own railway projects in Mindanao, which is the MRS.

In 2004, the new Delhi-based Ircon International Ltd. has expressed interest in the MRS, prompting the government to revive the project.

According to the Philippine National Railway (PNR), Ircon was interested in the development of the Iligan-Zamboanga segment of the MRS.

Ircon is an infrastructure giant that has been involved with projects including railway development in India as well as in parts of Asia and Europe.

/\ Great news indeed! :okay: Hope it'll get finished without delays or controversies....my fingers are crossed! :lol:

WOWOWOWOWOWOOW!!! I hope these projects get realized

Good if this Mindanao Rail Network is DONE ... even at the HUGE price tag rival ONLY the Death Railway .... :grin:

Ok... this article is a little too long for me to paste into these forums. But I think some of you may find this interesting. Paolo Alcazaren teaches architecture at UP. He also writes about architecture for Philippine Star. I think he has some great redevelopment ideas here and most of them are centered on the notion of finding a center for the whole of Metro Manila. I don't think MM is as soulless as he presents it, but I do feel that as far as metropolitan civic pride is concerned, he has some interesting points.

http://www.pcij.org/imag/Yearend2004/city.html

One thing I have to say about his article is that it is extremely Manila-centric. It assumes that Manila should be the civic center of the whole Philippines. What would federalization do to a plan like his?

I've attended a conference with this guy and has an ideallic dream of manila. Some are very interesting and I do agree with the general concept of the city needing a center where it's soul is. With the hollowing out of inner manila it's kinda like a dead museum piece so going back to the original burnham designs look so inviting as Manila the Beautiful is revived.

Interestingly the Dean of UP Urban Planning was there and brought the discussion to it's immediate and realistic realization. While Manila the Beautiful is nice, Burnham's plan was for a project 4 million people only. The official squatter count in Metro Manila is also 4 million. hence the idea of Manila the Beautiful must be adjusted in a big way. In an era specially of Mega cities where multicenters abound and should (even manhattan is downtown/midtown), the practical realities of multicenters can and should still be managed so that one city emerges and not the present multimunicipality mindset and fractionization that occurs.

oh... I've read that Blueprint for a City's Soul by Alcazaren... and yeah.. it offers very great ideas....

i think they should redevlelop the navotas-tondo-port area manila area into something with medium rise low-cost condos/apartments and a new business center comparable to other port cities in the world. that place kase is so chaotic. it's an ugly welcome from the philippines in that seaport. considering doon dumadaan ang mga imports and exports naten.

but seriously i want major (as in major major) ports sa pacific ocean side ng pinas... maybe in samar or davao... magiging mas attractive ung sa mga importers ang pinas kung ganoon kase magiging "gateway to south east asia" (puwede nating gamitin tong tagline na to!)

------

another development waiting to sprawl eh ung vast grassy spaces ng fairview... it can be a perfect location for a new business center pero ang malaking problem, iisa lang ung main road papuntang north of manila: the commonwealth. (lahat ng traffic crammed here) sana magkaroon ng isa pang isang access road papuntang north... maybe a road parallel sa commonwealth pero connected sa katipunan or a rehab ng quirino highway... i-convert into a 8 lane highway. that will connect this area from Manila, NLEX, EDSA-monumento.

pati rin ung payatas area, iconvert into the biggest Eco-park in asia. complete with a large artificial lake like putrajaya. this will cool the metro and will help the job the la mesa forest is already doing.

i think the south of the metro is doing a great job na in urban redevelpoment. Alabang is one good example.

behind SM Fairview is a Sta. Lucia property where they are selling the lands for commercial use... but I guess there is a low demand in that area that's why the land there has been waiting for around 2 or 3 years already to be grow...

Manila Bulletin (http://www.mb.com.ph/MAIN2005070738782.html)
RP, Poland signed accords
GMA, Belka vow to expand bilateral relations
By GENALYN D. KABILING

Albay railway extension project finalized

The Philippines and Poland yesterday inked accords to expand bilateral relations, including a railway extension project in Albay province, and agreed to cooperate in the areas of mining and law enforcement.

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and Polish Prime Minister Marek Belka witnessed the signing of the agreements after they held bilateral talks in Malacañang. Belka is on a historic two-day visit to Manila, the first by a Polish leader since the two countries established diplomatic relations in the early 1970s.

The first memorandum of understanding signed by the two countries was the institutionalization of political consultations to identify ways to improve closer cooperation and exchange views on regional and international issues.

The consultations would be held every two years by senior foreign affairs officials from the two countries to review bilateral relations.

The foreign ministries of the two nations also signed an agreement pledging to hold political consultations every two years to identify ways to improve bilateral relations.

The signatories were Boguslaw Zaleski, undersecretary of State Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Poland, and Edsel Custodio, undersecretary of Foreign Affairs.

The other agreement was a feasibility study by Poland’s Bumar Group Co. Ltd. to upgrade a railway system to the Port of Pantao in Albay and its extension to Matnog.

The expansion project, known as Sorsogon Railway Extension project, seeks to enhance the socioeconomic development of the Bicol region and benefit inter-regional commuters and traders.

The agreement was signed by Roman Baczynski, president of Bumar Group, and Jose Ma. Sarasola II, general manager of the Philippine National Railways.

In a state dinner for the Polish leader in Malacañang, the President cited the growing bilateral ties between Manila and Warsaw bound by the love of the late Pope John Paul II. Both the Philippines and Poland are predominantly Catholic countries.

Mrs. Arroyo, wearing a light blue Filipina gown, thanked the Polish government’s interest to invest in the mining industry in the country as well as its $140 million accommodation for security and defense equipment.

Belka, for his part, expressed support to President Arroyo in the pursuit of tough yet crucial economic reforms as well as a renewed crackdown against graft and corruption in government.

As a fellow economist, the Polish leader said he feels the pain of the President who has to implement unpopular tax reforms and wished her success in bringing economic progress to the Philippines.

Belka and his party were given full military honors at past 1:30 p.m. at the Palace ground. He and his wife Krystyna were welcomed by the President and some Cabinet members led by Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita.

Today, Belka is expected to meet Senate President Franklin Drilon and House Speaker Jose de Venecia at the Manila Hotel.

Separate meetings are scheduled with representatives of the Polish Society of the Philippines, Poland’s Honorary Consul in Manila, Fernando Lising; International Container Terminal Services, Inc. (ITCSI) Chairman Enrique Razon and top officials of the City of Manila at the same hotel.

Before they depart Manila, the Polish party will be given a tour of the San Agustin Church, the National Museum and Fort Santiago this afternoon.

Bilateral trade between Poland and the Philippines stood at $14.75 million in 2004. While there is virtually no Polish investment in the Philippines, a Philippine port-handling company, International Container Terminal Services Inc., has invested $100 million in the Polish port city of Gdynia in 2003.

Walang hiya polish trains.

Maybe our friend wisarut the bkk mass transit expert can illuminate us on the strenghts of the polish train industry!

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y54/chymera00/iloilocitypics/Label.jpg

hi chymera00,
i was wondering if you have any similar pics, renderings, plans layouts of the new iloilo intern. airport being constructed right now. how far are they anyway ? any pics of the construction site, shot possibly from a landing approach to the existent iloilo airport or similar ? would be great to see anything. have not seen anything like that. there is a model of the new bacolod airport, but iloilo ? no way so far.....

I'm sorry ... I dont have any pictures and renderings as of the moment. But another forumer is going here in August ... And he may be able to take some pics of it :)

who can i approach, or can you ask him to take some aerials while landing or taking off ? thank you !

taken from manila bulletin.. (www.mb.com.ph)

Gov’t eyes two railway projects in M’danao & Panay

MANILA (PNA) – The proposed construction of two railway projects for Mindanao and Panay Island will be financed from a US$300 million loan from Austria.

Railway Undersecretary Guiling A. Mamondiong said part of the amount would be spent for the 35-kilometer tunnel and portion for the Mindanao Railway.

"The others will be spent for the pronouncement of rails, switches and civil works for the Panay Railways," Mamondiong said.

Earlier, Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. led a delegation to visit the railway firm in Austria. The delegation is composed of Representatives Augusto Baculio, Janette Garin, Ferjenel Biron, Monico Puentevella, Rolex Suplico and Philippine Ambassador to Austria, Victor Garcia III.

The group visited the railway steelworks of Austrian company Voest-Alpine Stahl Donawitz Co. GmbH in Leoben, Syria.

A memorandum of agreement (MOA) was signed by the Department of Transportation and Communications (DoTC) and the Austrian Bundesministerium fur Verkehr, Innovation and Technologies (BMVIT).

Signatories were Mamondiong for DoTC and Mag. Eduard Mainoni, State Secretary, Republic of Austria.

According to the agreement, the Austrian government will provide the Philippines will knowledge and technology in the railway industry and will help establish a Philippine National Railways Academy.

It also calls for the intensification of the scientific, academic and cultural relation between the two countries specifically in the area of railway development.

The MOA would also pave the way for Austria to identify the contractor for the construction of railway tunnels, as well as supply the rails and switches for the network.

Mamondiong also signed two MOA’s with German consultants for the development of the Master Plan of the Philippine National Railway System and the Draft Railways Act.

The Master Plan includes the basic implementation concept and standards for the development of the Philippine National Railway system and its operations.

Once implemented, the railways development program in Mindanao and Panay is expected to increase the trade volume between the Philippines and Austria presently pegged at only 150 million euros. (Lynda B. Valencia)

yey good news!

there will be a 35 km. tunnel on the new railway stretch in mindanao ? where and why, that must be extremly expensive ! will it be the longest railway tunnel in asia ? incredible !
philpal

hehe I think it's unfortunately more incredibe than real right now.

the plans are very fluid, am not even sure if there are complete feasibility studes already, anyway we all hope this will push through in our lifetime:)

ehem, i see what you mean bustero.....

I've had the chance to take the MRT from Cubao on my way back to Makati one weekday morning. The ride was actually all for fun and all for the heck of riding the MRT for the first time (I was on a very short vacation in the Philippines). You know, one has to climb the overpass infront of Farmers to get to the other side where you have to take the MRT to Makati. But what made me sick was that the overpass stinked with human urine you wouldn't want to breath. Then, there were people sleeping all over the overpass you might walk over them. Can the good mayor of Quezon City or the MMDA Manager Bayani Fernando do something about it?

By the way, the MRT ride itself was worth it. It was fast and made comfortable by the train's air-conditioning system.

Pls comment on the Metro Manila MRT on its thread. This thread is about railway outside Metro Manila.:)

Let's connect it by saying that when we learn from the urine experience of carlo we hope they apply it to the cdo- davao train:)

Let's connect it by saying that when we learn from the urine experience of carlo we hope they apply it to the cdo- davao train:)

Thank you, Bustero, for your kind consideration.

Pambihira itong article, may to be continued pa! it's like watching desperate housewives.

Vol. XIX, No. 12
Thursday, August 11, 2005 | MANILA, PHILIPPINES
Property & Infrastructure

BY ELLEN P. RED, Correspondent
Railway system will make Mindanao competitive

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY -- For Mindanao to be competitive, the government must establish the Mindanao Railway System (MRS).

This was recommended by Thailand-based company Thaipicon and Industry Co., Ltd. In particular, the system’s first phase covering the Cagayan de OroIligan Corridor, the industrial zone of Northern Mindanao, should be started soon.

The recommendation is contained in a feasibility study made pursuant to a memorandum of understanding on May 15 between the Philippine National Railways and the Thai firm.

The city council and officials 10 coastal municipalities in Misamis Oriental (Lugait, Manticao, Naawan, Initao, Libertad, Gitagum, Laguindingan, Alubijid, El Salvador and Opol) have endorsed the project to the regional office of the National Economic and Development Authority.

The estimated total cost of the railway project is "P29.039 billion, excluding taxes and debt service, which is equivalent to $518.544 million at an assumed conversion rate of $1 to P56."

The study said that "based on the overall economic cost streams as derived and the expected benefit streams, the relevant economic indicators for the proposed project are computed as follows: economic internal rate of return, 23.78% and net present value at 15% of $537.455." The project’s 23.78% internal rate of return exceeds the government’s prescribed rate of 15%.

FAST-TRACK

Meanwhile, Northern Mindanao shippers, during a recent meeting in the city, urged the National Government to fast-track the MRS, which would provide an efficient transfer of goods.

The feasibility study was made in collaboration with China Railway Engineering Corp., an engineering construction group under the Chinese goverment’s Ministry of Railways; IRCON International Ltd., a public sector undertaking under the Indian Ministry of Railways; PT Industri Kereta Api of the Indian government; Team Engineering Consulting and Management Co., Ltd. of Thailand and the State Railway of Thailand.

The study noted that the MRS will be circumferential and will traverse cities and provinces to form a Mindanao-wide network.

The project will involve the construction of modern railroad tracks, operation of rolling stocks and the construction of terminals in strategic areas along the railroads where trading posts will be established.

"The development of a railway system for Mindanao is justified from historical, economic, technical and environmental perspectives," the study said.

It said the historical development of cities showed that railway systems around the world played a vital role in accelerating regional growth; while from the economic perspective, it said, "there is no doubt that moving passengers and freight by rail is more economical compared with most road-based transport modes."

The study added that from a technical viewpoint, the railway system is suited to the geography and terrain of Mindanao.

To be continued

Aha the conclusion.

Vol. XIX, No. 17
Thursday, August 18, 2005 | MANILA, PHILIPPINES
Property & Infrastructure

Railway system will make Mindanao competitive

Conclusion

From an environment viewpoint, a railway system can provide a much more environmentally friendly technological mode due largely to realization that automobile and other road-based transport modes cause considerable environmental degradation, consume huge amounts of energy, and are choking city centers with traffic congestion.

Railway: generating opportunies

The establishment of the line from Cotabato City to Gingoog City, Misamis Oriental constitutes the phase 1, which is divided into four segments.

The first segment will cover 82.5 kilometer (km) for the Cagayan de Oro-Iligan Corridor, covering Iligan City on the westbound and Cagayan de Oro on the east-bound, and will traverse 10 coastal municipalities in Misamis Oriental.

The Iligan-Cagayan de Oro was chosen to be prioritized due to the following:

* the area is a major industrial, processing and trade center;

* it has a large number of ridership, it is the site of the country’s biggest international seaport; and

* it is the most peaceful part of Mindanao.

The railway system will feature diesel multiple units consisting of four cars per set run by diesel electric power in both ends; passenger rail cars will all be air-conditioned; and a 16-hour operation is envisioned with maximum and average travel speeds of 120 km and 80 km to 100 km, respectively.

The rail will be parallel to the Iligan-Cagayan de Oro-Butuan road. Tunnels will be constructed measuring a total of about 25 km and about 45 bridges and overpasses designed for a double track with a total span of 2.4 km, which is equivalent to the number of existing highway bridges/overpasses, will be constructed along the rail line.

The project will require the acquisition of about 360 hectares of land which will be used for the construction of formation and rail tracks with the right of way measuring about 30 meters in width and about 60 meters at stations; and for the location of the depot and terminal stations.

The magnitude of the railway project will "result in limited economic variability and disruption, i.e., the demolition of permanent structures, a relocation of appropriately 1,000 household units and a permanent conversion thereof of about 30 hectares of farmlands, coconut lands, fish ponds, rice paddles, orchards into a built up area," said the study

The study said the project "will surely create new jobs during the construction period up to its operation and will certainly generate more business opportunities for the local residents arising from increased economic activities."

Among the recommended mitigating measures on the socio-economic-environment impact are the relocation of households, cash compensation, replacement of agricultural land, and updating of land use plan and strict implementation of zoning regulations. -- Ellen P. Red

it has a large number of ridership, it is the site of the country’s biggest international seaport;
what international seaport is this please ? i always thought that was manila, subic, cebu......
philpal

Definitely not subic, Cebu probably has more ridership than any place in the country, manila will have the largest tonnage but it's distributed into the three major ports, plus Batangas in the south and Subic in the north. It's possible that CDO has the longest lineal wharfage but you'll have to check it with the PPA.

lol @ "to be continued"

Anyways, it was a good read. I too was surprised at that statement. ^^

it has a large number of ridership, it is the site of the country’s biggest international seaport;
what international seaport is this please ? i always thought that was manila, subic, cebu......
philpal

Mindanao Container Terminal Project in Tagoloan, Misamis Oriental. Its construction started in 2000 to supplement the function of the Cagayan de Oro Base Port.

great sleepwalker_uno thanks,
is it true that it is (alike T 3) not operational although finished and accessable to deep-sea vessels ?

I think parts of it are operational at this point. I remember reading about it.

EXTREME ENGINEERING



I THINK THERES A BIG POSSIBILITY THAT WE CAN BUILD A BRIDGE FROM LUZON ISLAND TO PALAWAN ISLAND:) IT WOULD START FROM BATANGAS CONNECTED TO OCCIDENTAL MINDORO. A HIGHWAY THAT GOES ACROSS ORIENTAL MINDORO WHICH I THINK THEY SHOULD ALREADY BE. THEN FROM OCCIDENTAL MINDORO CONNECTING TO PALAWAN. :D, WHAT YOU GUYS THINK. TOO MUCH PROJECT, TOO COSTLY 'BA BUT THERES A BIG POSSIBILITY IN THE FUTURE

ANY IDEAS FOR OUR COUNTRY'S XTREME ENGINEERING

wouldnt that be cool.....

http://edmundtanso.smugmug.com/photos/13413647-L.jpg
On a 4,000 square metre site, Skycity will be a 80 storey tower with 36 levels comprising of commercial office space, a six star all-suiteC/O EDMUNDTANSO

this is consider an xtreme engineering in the making for our country, so far ;)

Here some more in the making:

DMIA
http://img455.imageshack.us/img455/1300/dmia2iz.jpg

BGC

http://www.condomillion.com/listings/philippines/towers/Essensa/Bonifacio-Global-City.JPG
http://www.rnlinternational.com/Images/Projects/Fort-Bonifacio_3.jpg
http://www.rnlinternational.com/Images/Projects/Fort-Bonifacio_1.jpg
http://www.rnlinternational.com/Images/Projects/Fort-Bonifacio_2.jpg

Butuan bridge
http://www.msrdc.org/projects/images/bandra_cable_stayed_bridge_set.jpg

The 25,000-seater Cebu Megadome Project
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y54/cebupics/Megadome.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y54/cebupics/Megadome3.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y54/cebupics/Megadome2.jpg

I THINK THERES A BIG POSSIBILITY THAT WE CAN BUILD A BRIDGE FROM LUZON ISLAND TO PALAWAN ISLAND:) IT WOULD START FROM BATANGAS CONNECTED TO OCCIDENTAL MINDORO. A HIGHWAY THAT GOES ACROSS ORIENTAL MINDORO WHICH I THINK THEY SHOULD ALREADY BE. THEN FROM OCCIDENTAL MINDORO CONNECTING TO PALAWAN.

and from palawan it would connect directly to davao via tunnel.

That's a long tunnel-- so they need to make it out of see-thru material so you can at least see the dugong and schools of fishes and coral reefs so that it won't be boring.

Anyone remember that photo of that airport on Laguna de Bay? Someone should post that, that's one extreme engineering endeavour if there ever was one! :okay:

Does anyone know about a proposed underwater road or tunnel in Manila?
I swear I saw this on TV. I'm not joking.

If only the flyovers were actually underground subways then we don't have to obstruct the view of our architectural buildings. Years ago they wera able to build the Quiapo underpass and that was it. Also very basic things like no more flooding of the streets of Metro Manila.

That's a long tunnel-- so they need to make it out of see-thru material so you can at least see the dugong and schools of fishes and coral reefs so that it won't be boring.

This will really be exciting.

EXTREME ENGINEERING



I THINK THERES A BIG POSSIBILITY THAT WE CAN BUILD A BRIDGE FROM LUZON ISLAND TO PALAWAN ISLAND:) IT WOULD START FROM BATANGAS CONNECTED TO OCCIDENTAL MINDORO. A HIGHWAY THAT GOES ACROSS ORIENTAL MINDORO WHICH I THINK THEY SHOULD ALREADY BE. THEN FROM OCCIDENTAL MINDORO CONNECTING TO PALAWAN. :D, WHAT YOU GUYS THINK. TOO MUCH PROJECT, TOO COSTLY 'BA BUT THERES A BIG POSSIBILITY IN THE FUTURE

ANY IDEAS FOR OUR COUNTRY'S XTREME ENGINEERING

That's sounds very exciting...if only Tigs!! If only...
At the moment Palawan is very thinly populated, so our politicos might not be too enthusiastic on pouring the necessary millions (or billions). What I think might be more feasible is linking most of the major Visayan islands - some of them are really close together - for example, Bohol-Mactan-Cebu, likewise Panay-Negros. Samar is also very close to the tip of Sorsogon, a bridge there should provide a much needed link between Luzon and the Visayan islands.

Have any one of you guys heard about a secret tunnel from Clark to Subic built by the Americans during their stay at Clark and Subic. Im not sure if its only rumors but my dad once told me that he saw somekind of a plan of it or part of it. It belonged to an elder relative who was an engineer, when he noticed that my dad and my uncle were looking at it, he rushed to stop them and kept it again.

Hmm... I wonder if its true, and if it is does the current gov't knows about it or does it still exist? And if it still does exist it would be a very useful infrastructure.

There's a pipeline that connects subic and clark and it's quite large perhaps about a meter that wouldn't qualify as a tunner though.

Before Palawan maybe connect matnog to catbalogan in samar and southern leyte to surigao so the maharlika highway will have no ferry components anymore. That would really help develop Eastern Visayas which is one of the country's most depressed.

There's a pipeline that connects subic and clark and it's quite large perhaps about a meter that wouldn't qualify as a tunner though.

Before Palawan maybe connect matnog to catbalogan in samar and southern leyte to surigao so the maharlika highway will have no ferry components anymore. That would really help develop Eastern Visayas which is one of the country's most depressed.

Yes, that's what I was thinking....

tanggalin lahat ng estero sa maynila and build a land over. it starting to become an open sewer, or estero is an open sewer :dunno:

tanggalin lahat ng estero sa maynila and build a land over. it starting to become an open sewer, or estero is an open sewer :dunno:

actually Estero is "storm drain" in other words. So we cannot remove this from Metro manila. Unless u want to see the whole streets of Manila to become esteros when it rains (which is actually already getting flooded). Storm drains are a major component of a big Metropolis. For every natural drain point we convert to concrete...the esteros must compensate for it.

Cleaning up Esteros in Manila would be and extreme engineering for me...

tanggalin lahat ng estero sa maynila and build a land over. it starting to become an open sewer, or estero is an open sewer :dunno:

Technically ito ang ginagawa nila ngayon-- kaya nagkakabaha. The esteros serve important roles as the metro's drainage systems. Ideally, if there were no squatters living in them and nobody threw garbage in them, the water would flow into the esteros and onto the bay with no obstacles.

These days, they're either full of garbage, which clogs up the esteros. Or they drain the esteros and pave over them. Nawawala ang drainage function ng estero.

Kung itigil nila ang pagdumi at pagtapon ng basura, hindi magiging mapanghi ang amoy. Tapos, kokonti ang baha.

edit: uups. naunahan ako. Yon nga ang extreme engineering. Clean up of estero and restore them to inland transportation use (ala Venice). Build azoteas behind the houses that front the esteros to bring back the retro 1890s style-- houses have 2 front doors: one on the street and one on the estero.

^^ aaah, the one close to our house in sampaloc, domingo santiago, i remember it dried up because of the people garbage. unfortunatly some people start putting rooftop in there and made it as their turf :no: kawawa cguro yun pag bumaha

Doon pala kayo sa Domingo Santiago? Katabi nga ng estero 'yon. Sobra walang patawad yung nakatira doon pati yun sinakop na.

Doon pala kayo sa Domingo Santiago? Katabi nga ng estero 'yon. Sobra walang patawad yung nakatira doon pati yun sinakop na.

d kami dun pero malayo kami dun. taga palawan kami (visayan ave.) :lol:. dun lang sakayan ng tricycle

Di ko masyadong matandaan yung streets. Malapit ba yuns sa Lealtad? May tricycle pala don?

^yes, sasakyan dun ng tricycle papuntang sta. mesa or G. tuazon. tapos may maliit na talipapa sa kanto, tapos may andoks, ngayun nga I was suprised when i went home. it even has jolibe and 7-11 in that corner

Traffic dun sa umaga. Dumadaan kami dun papunta sa UDMC (doon Doc dati lolo ko).

theirs an article before in inquirer year 1999 or 2000 that theyre going to built a bridge connecting bataan and cavite...

Paano makakadaan ang mga barko kung may bridge dun? Dapat mataas na mataas ang bridge a la Golden Gate.

theirs an article before in inquirer year 1999 or 2000 that theyre going to built a bridge connecting bataan and cavite...

How long of a span would that be? If that happens, that is indeed "extreme engineering!" :okay:

That's an old dream , every generation seems to thin it up but is shot down because there's not much economic sense for it right now, not enough people and traffic to warrant it. If they want to do a Super bridge it should be San Bernardino (maybe impossible) and Surigao Straits. Those will be real extreme engineering with great economic benefits! Then subsequently link up Leyte to Cebu to Negros to Panay. That would really be a great site to see with most of the countries largest islands with big populations now accesible via land! Baka sila Renel at Sinjin na lang makakaabot niyan sa atin and pag 90 na sila!

I hope that the polar ice caps don't melt before then, if ever something like that would be built.

about building bridges among our islands... I think that it would be very costly... but anyways... as of the moment GMA has made this almost possible with her nautical highway project where Roll-On-Roll-Off ferry would connect our highways.. from Batangas to Calapan to Roxas to Cebu.. or to Negros to Mindanao... etc...

anyways.. yeah I heard of that project of building a bridge to connec the Bataan peninsula to a point in Cavite... I hope that would come true one day...:D

Kinda OT, but since we are talking about connecting the islands....i always remember this one commercial from the Philippines where they have people pulling ropes from one island to another, therefore physically moving the islands to create one mainland. It was pretty cool, i think it was a phone company.

i think they should put a massive land between islands instead of using bridges. so, at least they can be habitable, less job and less money pouring on the project. i know it will effect the ecosystem but what about children's future ;)

hmm.. I don't think it's good.. because those gaps or channels between islands have been nautical roads of economics for us... Freighters pass thru the channels in between Bicol and Samar to reach the Batangas Port.. also the the channel between Leyte and Mindanao has been nautical highways of international freighters....

dumping land in between islands would block off these pathways and freighters would need take longer routes to get to their destinations... remember that the Panama Canal was built to help shorten Freighters trip... our channels has been very much advatageous to us...

plus of course migrating sea creatures like the whale shark and manta rays swim thru these waters... and where would the land to be dumped in the seas would come from...:D hehehe environmentalist sounding ba.. hehehe...:D

I hope that the polar ice caps don't melt before then, if ever something like that would be built.


hehe well you do know the other side of the theory is that the present global warming trend may trigger an ice age, so that would mean less water and more land for us BUT that also means the bridges would not be needed again haha

well sa totoo lang if we really want to uplift the pinoy
then the top infra isn't mrt, naia, urban highways in mm,cebu,davao but far less romantic but much more effective in terms of peso per peso spend/yirld

1000's of kilometers of farm to market roads, irrigations ditches for about 2000000 hectars, electrification for the last 3000 barangays or so, more roro ports. This would be a huge boost to agri which would uplift the poorest half of the country. and it doesn't take much to make a poor guy making US$ 1 a day to US$ 2 a day but man if that happens our effective gdp per cap goes to US$ 9500 on PPP basis. That's like Greece or something.

Of course the thread is extreme engineering so di puede, I vote for the worlds largest escalator from Davao to Mt. Apo as a tourist attraction. Just stand and you see the wonders of the National Park!

hmm.. I don't think it's good.. because those gaps or channels between islands have been nautical roads of economics for us... Freighters pass thru the channels in between Bicol and Samar to reach the Batangas Port.. also the the channel between Leyte and Mindanao has been nautical highways of international freighters....

dumping land in between islands would block off these pathways and freighters would need take longer routes to get to their destinations... remember that the Panama Canal was built to help shorten Freighters trip... our channels has been very much advatageous to us...

plus of course migrating sea creatures like the whale shark and manta rays swim thru these waters... and where would the land to be dumped in the seas would come from...:D hehehe environmentalist sounding ba.. hehehe...:D


ka-birthday, ofcourse they should put a gap between those massive damping of dirt. so it doesnt lessen our nautical economy and between those gap, they must build bridges that would connect those made up island, similar to mactan bridge

geez forget about those fish, we mainly will eat it anyways, just save those beaches in palawan, cebu, n boracay. were not looking forward for our future here. :no:

we can get xtra dirt coming from those mining activities

i like your propositions bustero. yes, help the masses make a living. it is in the sence of cristianity and the will of god. and after all, it is your people who need help to live a decent life.

Well, like someone said earlier-- cleaning up the esteros of Manila is extreme engineering.

Likewise, engineering an agreement between Piatco, other parties and the government would be rather extreme as well.

Or whatabout engineering COMELEC computerization-- it's been promised since Ramos's time.

hehe well you do know the other side of the theory is that the present global warming trend may trigger an ice age, so that would mean less water and more land for us BUT that also means the bridges would not be needed again haha

well sa totoo lang if we really want to uplift the pinoy
then the top infra isn't mrt, naia, urban highways in mm,cebu,davao but far less romantic but much more effective in terms of peso per peso spend/yirld

1000's of kilometers of farm to market roads, irrigations ditches for about 2000000 hectars, electrification for the last 3000 barangays or so, more roro ports. This would be a huge boost to agri which would uplift the poorest half of the country. and it doesn't take much to make a poor guy making US$ 1 a day to US$ 2 a day but man if that happens our effective gdp per cap goes to US$ 9500 on PPP basis. That's like Greece or something.

Of course the thread is extreme engineering so di puede, I vote for the worlds largest escalator from Davao to Mt. Apo as a tourist attraction. Just stand and you see the wonders of the National Park!

how 'bout opening the bataan nuclear power plant. it would lessen the masses burden towards electricity bill. it woud help pay some of our debt towards world bank, the money we used for this biggest white elephant infrastructure in the philippines history. ;)

Anyone remember that photo of that airport on Laguna de Bay? Someone should post that, that's one extreme engineering endeavour if there ever was one!


Yah I read that also that the airport will supposed to be constructed in Talim Island .
In connection with that also a proposed three huge island reclamation along Laguna de Bay spanning the cities of Taguig , Muntinlupa and town of San Pedro will be constructed . This three island project was supposed to eradicate the lake of too much fishpens owned by a few businessmen and deepen /desilt the lake so it can be utilized as an alternative water transportation. In lieu of these beautiful coastal highways and bridges spanning the project will also be built .
The three island reclamation project ( Taguig portion -medium size, industrial zone / Muntinlupa portion -large size, commercial -business-recreation zone / San Pedro portion-small size , waste management /landfill zone ) .

extreme engineering that I think that I would like to see is like what they did on that elevated highway in Boston that they rebuilt the road underground with parks on ground level... I'll like to see this done for EDSA..:D

hmm... that Cebu Superdome well isn't really extreme, but it could be one of the biggest in terms of capacity in the whole country. And compared to the Araneta, there's much more architectural input into it ie it looks better.

another piece of extreme engineering would be Skyway. They can't just simply build an overhead highway, they would need a lot dodging around districts, and places might not like the shade, obstructing their view etc. etc.

extreme engineering that I think that I would like to see is like what they did on that elevated highway in Boston that they rebuilt the road underground with parks on ground level... I'll like to see this done for EDSA..:D
u meant the big dig :lol:, i think theyre almost done

stuff that I want seen:

1) A tunnel between Laoag and Hong Kong. It would be really cool if we had a physical connection to the place, especially since as an archipelago, it would be nice to have another country that you could just drive to :D

2) Visayas international airport. It'll be a Man-made airport on a man-made island with physical train and highway connections to Cebu, Iloilo, and Bacolod. Like HKIA, it should have a ferry terminal where one could take a boat to any island in the Visayas

ey, i finally just notice, this was move here. i could've sworn i put this in samahan :D

hmmm... tunnel from Laoag to HongKong.... that's too far huh... hehehe... how about Aparri to Taiwan? or Sulu to Sabah.. heheheh:D

^ that's right ka b-day, much plausible idea :okay: but wouldn't it be jolo to sabah

My dream: Mindoro connected to Batangas by rail and bridge. Rail/Bridge from Bicol to Leyte and Samar then onwards to Mindanao. Connect Cebu, Panay and Negros by rail and bridge at their closest points. That way, it would just seem that we have two major islands since everything else would be connected.

^ that's right ka b-day, much plausible idea :okay: but wouldn't it be jolo to sabah

ay oo nga... hehehe...:D

My dream: Bridge from Bicol to Leyte and Samar

Your wish is my command. I will name this san juanico bridge

click -->http://virtual-museum.com/phil-panos/juanico-pano.html

^^ yup! i know that part. crazy! but it only connects Leyte and Samar. I wished that meron din connection to Bicol and Mindanao so you don't have to get on the ferry pa.

i like your propositions bustero. yes, help the masses make a living. it is in the sence of cristianity and the will of god. and after all, it is your people who need help to live a decent life.
Thank you Pareng Phil always appreciate your friendly comments too!

Actually believe it or not we had a proposal to clean up , activate , cover up the esteros around the downtown area 10 years ago. We were supposed to have a commercial floor on the 1st and 2nd floor then parking on the 3rd and 4th then a road on the 5th! This is a real plan and BOT . Unfortunately we ran into the powers that be in the area , the infamous Sy Pio Lato the gofather of Chinatown who had to have a hand in the project as he was Lim's kumpare. AFter all that unfortunately he died ! Very young too ( I guess the world really is round!). Anyway bottom line di natuloy the project. We were supposed to keep the esteros running in fact in better shape then it is now. We did the engineering studies and you know the filth and garbage is over two to three meters thick in some places ! (There was even a dead fetus - a not altogther unique thing to find there). Anyway can be done and not super expensively.

Tigidig
Actually am a fan of the Bataan Nuclear Plant if only we have one in the country to keep our sciences and engineering up to par! At the very least they should convert it to Coal or Natural Gas or something as it's already there anyway:)

u meant the big dig :lol:, i think theyre almost done

FYI, Boston's Big Dig is indeed finished. :colgate:

great stuff here!! nakakapaglaway!:haha:

not sure if this is extreme or just the usual:D. i think there was a proposal before to build an elevated expressway that will run along the southern bank of the pasig river. much like the ones they have in tokyo. wow!

FYI, Boston's Big Dig is indeed finished. :colgate:

It is? I thought it was almost finished.

Anybody knows the status of this project... Aguinaldo Highway is really in a mess..

Well, like someone said earlier-- cleaning up the esteros of Manila is extreme engineering.

Likewise, engineering an agreement between Piatco, other parties and the government would be rather extreme as well.

Or whatabout engineering COMELEC computerization-- it's been promised since Ramos's time.

QFT.

My extreme engineering wish list would be:
1. Opening up of all enclosed esteros of Manila and cleaning 'em up.
2. A highway system that will connect all major islands with tunnels (and a rail network that will also run on said tunnels).
3. Subwayfications of Manila's LRT system, instead of pillars supporting rails, I imagine trees in center island.
4. DMIA
5. Pedestrianization of Roxas Blvd.
6. Dereclamation of Centennial City.

Yun lang naiisip ko...

A network of bridges, roads, tunnels that will link Luzon Island, Visayas (Panay, Negros, Cebu, Leyte), and Mindanao Is. would be a very very awesome roject!

^^ like the friendship bridge proposed by some governors in the visayas.. it would link negros-cebu-bohol..

hmm... that Cebu Superdome well isn't really extreme, but it could be one of the biggest in terms of capacity in the whole country. And compared to the Araneta, there's much more architectural input into it ie it looks better.


check out the side view of the structure. it looks like an inclined/floating compact disc or sumthin. we rarely see those kind of structures in the Philippines. or is there such? hehe

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y54/cebupics/Megadome3.jpg

Gawa na ba 2ng cebu superdome or plan pa lang?

May nakita ako sa internet na pinaplanong gawing pinakamahabang bridge sa mundo. Search nyo na lang nakalimutan ko yung site. Sa Camiguin island yata yun connecting to mindanao...Ita-try ko ngang hanapin

wala joke lang cguro ito... kahit ano naman sa internet eh. anyway... goodluck sana nga makagawa ng longast bridge sa 'pinas dream ko un.

Matagal na tong Cebu Superdome na to eh. I think on hold ngayon ito.

may iba atang design for the cebu superdome... nakita ko on exhibit sa gallery ng UST... (i hope di siya thesis!) i should say that ung nakita ko ung much better... it doesn't really feel like a dome... kase it's kinda similar sa sydney opera house... pero ung saten inspired by the spanish sailboats... ang ganda ng design... ung upper levels for exibhition/retail tapos sa baba ung pinaka-arena...

sorry di ako nakakuha ng pic

An extreme engineering like the Chunnel between England and France in the Philippine version would be to connect all the islands through tunnels and bridges in the country using maglev trains. Kaso lang baka in year 3000 pa yata mangyari to. :nuts:

^from what i know, they already thinking of doing that in cebu-bohol-negros :)

well hm.. the Cebu Superdome i dunno more like extreme architecture than engineering to me. or both:D it does look very unconventional so perhaps it will take extreme engineers to build it, if it does get built:)

^from what i know, they already thinking of doing that in cebu-bohol-negros :)

Thats a good start. How far is the nearest point between Cebu and Bohol. Based from what I see on the map, mukhang malayo ikumpara mo sa pinakamalapit na point between Cebu and Negros island.

may iba atang design for the cebu superdome... nakita ko on exhibit sa gallery ng UST... (i hope di siya thesis!) i should say that ung nakita ko ung much better... it doesn't really feel like a dome... kase it's kinda similar sa sydney opera house... pero ung saten inspired by the spanish sailboats... ang ganda ng design... ung upper levels for exibhition/retail tapos sa baba ung pinaka-arena...

sorry di ako nakakuha ng pic

yeah, it was "Magellan's sailboat". hehe. it was one of the many entries when the local gov't come up with the megadome design contest. that "sailboat" was the favorite but it's just too expensive for the country to have...so in the end, the "Spinning disc" was chosen. :D

pls post the photo here mbassy if u have the chance! ;) thankz! :D

although the gov't has the budget, Cebu megadome project is still on hold until further notice. u know, Politics! :bash:

^from what i know, they already thinking of doing that in cebu-bohol-negros :)

your right, Its already in the drawing board.... i hope they hurry up... :)

^from what i know, they already thinking of doing that in cebu-bohol-negros :)

Ito po ba yun?

http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2005/jan/03/yehey/prov/20050103pro6.html

Bago ang mga extreme engineering dapat magka-subway muna ang MEtro Manila para susyal.

I watched Pinoy Abroad in Malaysia last week and there was a Filipino architect who showed a rendering of Manila Tower. He is one of the designers of Petronas, Menara, and Putrajaya. Any of you heard of this before? I actually recorded it on DVD but I can't cap them because my DVD-ROM is not working.

"It all started when President Ramos visited Malaysia and he visited the Kuala Lumpur Tower.. And that was the year 1998 when he instructed the Centennial Comission to come up with a tower". -Manny Canlas

Sounds like it's not gonna be built, but it would've been a landmark.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a114/auen00/ssc/a83c7539.jpg
taken using cam

i thought the brit design petronas anyway nice to hear such thing

I watched Pinoy Abroad in Malaysia last week and there was a Filipino architect who showed a rendering of Manila Tower. He is one of the designers of Petronas, Menara, and Putrajaya. Any of you heard of this before? I actually recorded it on DVD but I can't cap them because my DVD-ROM is not working.

"It all started when President Ramos visited Malaysia and he visited the Kuala Lumpur Tower.. And that was the year 1998 when he instructed the Centennial Comission to come up with a tower". -Manny Canlas

Sounds like it's not gonna be built, but it would've been a landmark.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a114/auen00/ssc/a83c7539.jpg
taken using cam


wow sayang. maganda to ilagay sa likod ng rebulto ni rizal sa luneta o sa may ccp/metropolitan park. kakaiba parang space ship na cross.

It's actually like the KL Menara but it has 3 legs (luzon, visayas, mindanao) and instead of the airport-control-tower-looking top, there is a big glass ball (pearl of the orient). It was to face the bay so it would look like a pearl floating in the sky. It's so cool! :drool: I need to get a new DVD-ROM so I can cap renderings.

it has three legs very interesting

^^ Shades of the Seattle Space Needle perhaps?

I think that project is pretty dead for the moment specially since the excitement of the centenial is gone.

The original Burnham plan was supposed to have some sort of tower landmark in that place or at least it was one of the options he suggested.

kahit mataas na obelisk na lang to replace the rizal monument. Torre Rizal.

Best pic i can take.
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a114/auen00/ssc/02667b87.jpg
It looks tall. Too bad it will never be built.

I thought the Aranetas are proposing on building Manila Tower in the future? It is part of their rehabilitation plan of Araneta Center.

yeah.. that is what I know also.. that Manila Tower is part of the Cubao Redevelopment plan...

actually at the moment that this tower is not built... we already have an obelisk.. and that is the Quezon Memorial Monument...

I thought the Aranetas are proposing on building Manila Tower in the future? It is part of their rehabilitation plan of Araneta Center.

Heto po yung nakita kong rendering ng planned redevelopment of Araneta Center. I think the highest structure is the Manila Tower.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b206/pinoyskyline/aranetcenter.jpg

Here's a related article I found...

MANILA PROJECT’S ROUND 2: HEAVYWEIGHT EXPANSION

By Edmund Mander

The Araneta family, which built the stadium where Muhammad Ali beat Joe Frazier in 1975, is planning another “thrilla in Manila,” this time with a giant expansion of its retail-entertainment complex.

Covering 86 acres in the heart of Metro Manila, Araneta Center already is one of the largest retail entertainment mixed-use centers in the Philippines, with its 700,000-square-foot Ali Mall, another 650,000-square-foot shopping center next to an open-air farmers’ market, the 20,000-seat Araneta Coliseum and a 22-story office building.

But Phase 1 of the expansion alone will more than double the leasing area of Araneta Center, which lies on the south side of Quezon City, one of 17 cities and municipalities that make up metro Manila. Contractors are breaking ground on a giant new shopping center, office towers and a hotel.

Its combination of location — the complex will be served by two mass transit stations, a bus station and a convergence of major roads — and content will make Araneta Center the Philippines’ primary shopping destination, according to Robert Solomon, president of Robert Solomon & Associates, a veteran of the U.S. shopping center industry who has been involved in Araneta Center almost since its inception.

“We’ve got the north, the south, the east and the west converging on the center,” said Solomon, whose Tarzana, Calif.-based retail and property development consulting firm is one of several international companies working on the project. Others include the Los Angeles office of RTKL, a U.S. retail design company; U.S.-based retail consultants Jones Lang LaSalle; and Hong Kong-based property services company Colliers Jardine.

Araneta Center, the brainchild of Jose Amado A. Araneta, was groundbreaking back in the 1960s, and not just for the Philippines. The Coliseum, popularly known as “The Dome,” was the biggest in the world and a dramatic centerpiece of the mixed-use complex. Ali Mall, named after the famous boxer, was the first enclosed shopping center in The Philippines when it opened in the 1970s, and it was located catty-corner to a 265,000-square-foot entertainment center called Fiesta Carnival, making Araneta the first retail entertainment center in the world, according to Solomon.

“He had the No. 1 center in the industry,” Solomon said. “I don’t believe there was another shopping center in the world that had this level of retail and entertainment tied into one center.”

However, in more recent years, with the complex overshadowed by the development of other business districts, Araneta Center has lost some of its stature, and in places is run-down and poorly lit.

“It’s a little tired,” Solomon admitted.

But Araneta Center Inc., now under the leadership of Jose’s son Jorge, intends to regain the center’s former glory. And then some. In the next four years the company plans to complete a 3.5 million-square-foot mall, which will connect directly to the two mass transit railway terminals outside the center, and to build nearly 900,000 square feet of offices, a hotel and apartments.

The planned seven-level shopping center, called the Millennium Mall, is to be built around the recently renovated stadium, with 500,000 square feet of shopping on each floor. Besides offering a range of American and European stores new to the Philippines, it will house 366,000 square feet of entertainment tenants, including a full-size ice skating rink, a multiplex cinema and IMAX theater, a bowling alley and a children’s and family entertainment center as well as other attractions, said Solomon.

But the expansion of Araneta Center will not end there: Under a $1.25 billion 20-year master plan, the company intends to turn it into a virtual city within a city, with the development of about 4,000 housing units, additional office and retail space and a giant communications structure — the Manila Tower — that will rival Paris’s Eiffel Tower in height, he said. Offices will be wired with the latest in communications technology.
Phase 1 of the expansion of Manila’s Araneta
Center will more than double its leasing area.

The owners also are considering building an additional, 200,000-square-foot mall, which they want to call Manhattan Mall, with housing on top.

Araneta Center Inc., which built, owns and manages the center, is one of several companies in the Araneta Group. Others include Progressive Development Corp., which incubates new businesses; Philippine Pizza, which owns and operates 81 Pizza Hut restaurants across the country; and United Promotions, which runs leisure and entertainment facilities. But Araneta Center is the jewel in the family’s crown, and its renovation and expansion reflect the modernization of the Philippines as a whole, as the country opens its markets to the world.

The center is ideally located to draw traffic, sitting next to two of the city’s busiest avenues — Epifanio Delos Santos Avenue and Aurora Boulevard — and is surrounded by medium-to-high density housing, as well as several universities and colleges. There are 10 million residents in metro Manila, and up to 800,000 people visit the center on weekdays and a million a day on weekends.

The mass transit stations put it just a few minutes ride from other major business districts, including Makati, home of nearly all major Philippine corporations’ headquarters, some of which have been partly responsible for eclipsing Araneta Center in recent years.

The company also intends to broaden the center’s appeal with new tenants. Ali Mall is anchored and leased by local tenants, including the 840,000-square-foot Shoemart store built in 1979, Rustans supermarket and department store, a bookstore and many other moderate price-level stores. Millennium Mall, which will house about 750 retailers, will bring in stores from the United States, Europe and Japan, taking advantage of trade reform legislation passed last year that lifted a ban on overseas retail chains. There will be stores selling fashion, household merchandise, books, music, toys, sporting goods, hardware and computers, as well as more than 100 tenants offering food and beverages, including Starbucks, McDonald’s and Jollibee, a Philippines-based fast-food restaurant. The company is in talks with Wal-Mart, which is scouting around for its first location in the Philippines, and also is eyeing Carrefour, J.C. Penney and tenants like Old Navy, Solomon said.

“To me this is a great challenge, a great opportunity,” he said.

Araneta Center Inc. is off to a running start with the center’s revitalization, having already renovated Araneta Coliseum, one of the center’s original structures, which opened in 1960. Today it is a venue for a range of sports, entertainment and community activities, including family shows, religious gatherings — Pope John Paul II addressed an audience there — basketball tournaments and international cockfighting derbies.

Farmers Plaza, a mall attached to one of the transit stops, was built in 1969 and rebuilt in 1988. A five-level complex, it was expanded and renovated last year, and today offers 647,000 square feet of retail and a food court.

Next to it is the Farmers Market, with 700 stalls offering vegetables, meat and seafood. “People from all walks of life living in and around Manila shop here,” Solomon said, describing the Farmers Market as the cleanest fresh food market in the country.

A lot of work also will go into the center’s public spaces during Phase 1, making Araneta Center a lot more pleasant to walk around; currently, like much of the rest of Manila, it is choked by vehicles of all sorts, from Jeepneys — WWII style Jeeps converted into long-wheelbase taxis — to cars and buses. While architects are not about to challenge the motor vehicle’s tyranny at street level, they are going to lift pedestrians clear of the chaos below by constructing a vast walkway connecting the center’s various components, complete with trees and benches.

“You’ll be greeted by a pedestrian-friendly retail experience that has a series of garden spaces,” said John Tindall, associate vice president and project manager at RTKL for the Araneta Center contract. “We are trying to do something that’s pretty cutting edge.” Pedestrian walkways will connect directly to Farmers Plaza and Shoemart, he added. “The whole shopping center will essentially be lifted above the street,” said Sudhakar Thakurdesai, a former senior vice president at RTKL who worked on the project.

The pedestrian area and the mass transit connectors also will help neutralize the traditional disadvantages of a multilevel center by connecting with the mall’s third and fourth stories, Solomon said.

“They’ll be several ground levels,” he explained.

RTKL also is ascribing themes to the various levels, putting entertainment on the top two floors, for example, and dedicating two other levels to fashion, explained Darryl Yamamoto, RTKL’s lead designer on the project.

Phase 1 is expected to take about four years to complete. When it is done, the renovation’s impact will be felt well beyond the extensive boundaries of Araneta Center, those involved in the project say.

“Our vision was to create a gateway to Quezon City,” Thakurdesai said. “The location is unique, and when this is done I really think this is going to become a gateway and an icon.”

I watched Pinoy Abroad in Malaysia last week and there was a Filipino architect who showed a rendering of Manila Tower. He is one of the designers of Petronas, Menara, and Putrajaya. Any of you heard of this before? I actually recorded it on DVD but I can't cap them because my DVD-ROM is not working.

"It all started when President Ramos visited Malaysia and he visited the Kuala Lumpur Tower.. And that was the year 1998 when he instructed the Centennial Comission to come up with a tower". -Manny Canlas

Sounds like it's not gonna be built, but it would've been a landmark.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a114/auen00/ssc/a83c7539.jpg
taken using cam

I remember seeing this tower and that particular episode of Pinoy Abroad. sayang talaga ganda p nmn nung design. Tsaka based on what I saw parang sa reclaimed area siya.

I have noticed that we've been discussing government financed/backed infrastructure without a view of the whole picture. I think it's about time that we gather some links and papers explaining infrastructure in general and Philippine infastructure in particular.

To get a road map of the government's infrastructure plan from 2004-2010, we need to read Chapter 6: Infrastructure of the administration's Medium Term Development Plan (MTDP). It can be downloaded from the: NEDA web site (http://www.neda.gov.ph/). It's usually on the upper right side of the page.

The priorities for decongesting Metro Manila and therefore the main argument for building more rail projects are found in Section II.B. The picture below gives us a quick view of the administration's priorities in terms of land transportation in Central Luzon, Metro Manila, and Southern Luzon:
http://img489.imageshack.us/img489/2371/decongestionprojs0kx.th.jpg (http://img489.imageshack.us/my.php?image=decongestionprojs0kx.jpg)

Here are the funding status of the Metro Manila Decongestion Projects:
1. Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway - Fully funded through a PhP20 billion (less than 1% annual interest) loan from JBIC and PhP1 billion in government counterpart funding
2. Diosdado Macapagal International Airport - I believe this is already funded
3. North Luzon Expressway - Under the management of Manila North Tollways Corp. The upgrade is already complete. The extension of NLEX is planned.
4. MacArthur Highway - ???
5. Northrail - This US$600 million (2% annual interest) project is funded mainly through a loan from the Chinese government.
6. Metro Manila Skyway - ???
7. MRT/LRT Loop - Approved at the NEDA-ICC level. DOTC needs to implement it. No funding nor proponent yet.
8. Subic Port - fully funded
9. Alabang Viaduct (SLEX) - I read this was ongoing
10. SLEX (Calamba-Sto. Tomas) - No funding yet
11. STAR (Lipa-Batangase) - No funding yet

Cost of Projects:
1. SCTE - PhP21 billion
2. DMIA - PhP25 billion
3. NLEX - costs borne by tollway operator and eventually motorists using the tollway.
4. McArthur Highway - ???
5. Northrail - US$600 million or PhP33 billion
6. Skyway - ???
7. MRT/LRT Loop - PhP11.424 billion
8. Subic Port - PhP7.038 billion
(Numbers 9, 10, 11, and Southrail) Southern Luzon Projects - PhP21.837
billion

Total = 126.337 billion

Of the identified costs, only 17% will be allotted to projects in Southern Luzon while Central Luzon will get 74% of the capital expenditures on decongestion infrastructure.

Feel free to update on the status or costs of the projects.

Here are the funding status of the Metro Manila Decongestion Projects:
1. Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway - Fully funded through a PhP20 billion (less than 1% annual interest) loan from JBIC and PhP1 billion in government counterpart funding
2. Diosdado Macapagal International Airport - I believe this is already funded
3. North Luzon Expressway - Under the management of Manila North Tollways Corp. The upgrade is already complete. The extension of NLEX is planned.
4. MacArthur Highway - ???
5. Northrail - This US$600 million (2% annual interest) project is funded mainly through a loan from the Chinese government.
6. Metro Manila Skyway - ???
7. MRT/LRT Loop - Approved at the NEDA-ICC level. DOTC needs to implement it. No funding nor proponent yet.
8. Subic Port - fully funded
9. Alabang Viaduct (SLEX) - I read this was ongoing
10. SLEX (Calamba-Sto. Tomas) - No funding yet
11. STAR (Lipa-Batangase) - No funding yet

Cost of Projects:
1. SCTE - PhP21 billion
2. DMIA - PhP25 billion
3. NLEX - costs borne by tollway operator and eventually motorists using the tollway.
4. McArthur Highway - ???
5. Northrail - US$600 million or PhP33 billion
6. Skyway - ???
7. MRT/LRT Loop - PhP11.424 billion
8. Subic Port - PhP7.038 billion
(Numbers 9, 10, 11, and Southrail) Southern Luzon Projects - PhP21.837
billion

Total = 126.337 billion

Of the identified costs, only 17% will be allotted to projects in Southern Luzon while Central Luzon will get 74% of the capital expenditures on decongestion infrastructure.

Feel free to update on the status or costs of the projects.

excellent work jchip ! very well done. thank you for your consern.

no projects for visayas and mindanao??, all of these projects are centerd in the ncr and the nearby provinces, if the main reason is to decongest metro manila, they should implement bigger projects in the visayas and mindanao to spur economic activites and create jobs for the people. theres no doubt that the country's main economic and business activities are centered around metro mnl and nearby provinces and bec of this people are of attracted to its wealth and tried to find jobs, etc causing its population to swell and becoming more congested

^Amen.

We actually have that thing posted on another thread (the mtdp) and yes there are substantial infrastructure projects all over the country as well. Best to read the whole thing to get a holistic view.

Are their any plans of building any subways in the city???

^baka sa greenbelt meron na, pwede rin pakitanong magkano footlong

^^ :lol: hindi ka nayata maka-anatay ng noche buena.

^^^ Haha, very funny

The government has had a lot of problems with the Build Operate Transfer Law http://www.chanrobles.com/default7rules.htm . The BOT Law provided the legal basis for:
1. the entry of IPPs with guaranteed returns
2. rail projects such a MRT 3
3. NAIA Terminal 3

I think this law is essential reading for citizens who want to understand the issues surrounding the large infra projects being evaluated.

I believe that this law is flawed given the large number of projects that have become problematic for the government. There are already plans to change this law. However, it remains essential reading for those who want to know the "rules of the game" when the private sector builds the infrastructure.

The BOT law is actually quite a success. We only hear of the problem's but the Ramos administration could not have solved the power crisis without the BOT law, is a good example. There are numerous projects which are covered by this law but do not get any press (Casecnan Dam?) . Surely it can be improved but the Philippines is actually acknowledged to be a leader worldwide (as in our officials are keynote speakers in International conferences) in this Public/Private Partnership. The greatest problems stem from key flagship projects which have politics or major corruption involved, these make it very noticeable for it to be ignored and hence subject to much delay.

The BOT law is actually quite a success. We only hear of the problem's but the Ramos administration could not have solved the power crisis without the BOT law, is a good example. There are numerous projects which are covered by this law but do not get any press (Casecnan Dam?) . Surely it can be improved but the Philippines is actually acknowledged to be a leader worldwide (as in our officials are keynote speakers in International conferences) in this Public/Private Partnership. The greatest problems stem from key flagship projects which have politics or major corruption involved, these make it very noticeable for it to be ignored and hence subject to much delay.

What is your definition of success? Is going to international conferences to explain your experience enough? I myself have read World Bank publications on our BOT and IPP experiences written in 1994. Even then, this publication already cited the high cost for implementing the IPP program.

Power Sector

If I remember correctly, 70% of IPP contracts had to be renegotiated when Sec. Camacho became Sec. of Energy because of very onerous provisions to the government. The IPP contracts of NPC are responsible for making it the worst performing GOCC with debts running in the billions of dollars.

In fact, the very reason for another law, Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA), was to clean up the debts of NPC.

In the power industry alone, there are more problems than successes due to the BOT law. In fact, we are saddled with high electricity rates because we have not yet paid for the sins of building too many IPP plants under this BOT law. Look at your bills from Meralco and look for Universal Charge. Those are some of the things that we are paying up to now...

Transport Sector

The BOT law was also the method for the entry of two huge problematic infra projects: 1. MRT-3 and 2. NAIA-3.

The MRT-3 project is really onerous for the government and the taxpayers in extension because the government guarantees everything - the loans and the proponent's equity. In effect, it's a glorified loan but at a very onerous rate. It would have actually been better for the government to build this project on its own than its current terms.

NAIA-3 is a big white elephant right now brought to us by PIATCO. Everything's tied up in litigation that I can't see a time that we can open this terminal. I have read the ADB airport privatization paper which cites NAIA-3. In fact, it contains the provisions of the BOT Law there. That didn't help the government from getting sued in two international courts by Fraport and PIATCO.

Current Proposals to Change BOT Law

If the current BOT law were good enough then there wouldn't be any proposals to change it (If it ain't broke don't fix it). Fact of the matter is, there is a current move in Congress to amend this law a second time. Action for Economic Reforms (AER) is one of the groups batting for the change in the BOT Law.

I would argue then that despite our bureaucrats going to international infra meetings and getting ourselves published in multilateral lending agencies' publications, the BOT Law is fundamentally broken. There are more problematic projects than there are sucesses on the implementation side and financial side. It is a systemic problem. My view on it is that the framework (BOT Law) does not work for us.

Our BOT Law may not be the best, but just like any law, whether in the Philippines or in the U.S. or anywhere else, there could be areas within that Law that could easily be exploited either by creative people to maximize their gains or by corrupt people for their own personal aggrandizement. The projects mentioned, i.e. power, MRT 3 and NAIA 3 were implemented without thorough studies of the financial repercussions since they were done mostly through haste. Before the power projects, majority of the Philippines areas have been experiencing power failures. To remedy the situation, immediate resolution was done at the mercy of the power contractors. THEY SUCK IT TO US because we don’t have any choice. NAIA 3 as well as the PEA projects were implemented without much transparency during the negotiations. There were clouds of corruption behind the projects. The result of the negotiations were so atrocious on the part of the government. With regards to the newly-built MRT 3, I heard it is beset by frequent breakdowns. We may have contracted not with the best builder available in our haste to remedy the traffic situation at EDSA. In short, HASTE MAKE WASTE.

Interesting info :okay:

Property & Infrastructure

Concrete better construction material for highways

Whether it is paving a small side street or building a complex highway system, engineers have major considerations to keep in mind.

A rigid concrete pavement (left) spreads the load over a wide area, thus reducing the stress on the sub-base. This makes the pavement more durable and less susceptible to potholes. On the other hand, asphalt (right) is flexible and transfers heavy loads directly into the sub-base. Potholes form when the weakened sub-base is undermined by water. Although concrete is a slightly more expensive paving material than asphalt, it lasts longer and requires very little annual maintenance. Since concrete is more cost-effective, the Department of Public Works and Highways builds twice more concrete roads than asphalt roads in the Philippines.

Among the most pressing concerns are how they can make roads safer for drivers and stronger for heavy transport, which material to use to make the roads last longer and how to get the best value for money.

In the Philippines, the status of roads is a prime concern for traffic and safety planners. According to the Asian Development Bank, 75% of government expenditures on transport infrastructure go to the road system.

Still, motorists endure large potholes which often result in accidents and the traffic congestion for which Metro Manila’s streets have become world renowned.

One way to address the pothole problem is the selection of appropriate construction material. Many roads are built still using asphalt, which is brought hot to the site, poured into a paving machine and spread in 50- to 100-millimeter thick layers.

A greater number of roads are made of concrete, a hard and strong construction material made from a mixture of cement, gravel and sand. It is either mixed in ready-mix plants and delivered to the site by transit mixers, or batched at the construction site.

In a statement, the Cement Manufacturers Association of the Philippines (CeMAP) recommends the use of concrete due to its proven superiority over asphalt in road construction applications.

"A concrete road’s rigid structure allows it to spread the load over a wide area, reducing the stress on the sub-base beneath the road. Despite heavy loads passing over it, concrete resists the formation of potholes. Asphalt is flexible, making it more susceptible to wear and tear," CeMAP president Ernesto M. Ordoñez was quoted as saying.

"While the initial cost of concrete is slightly higher than asphalt’s, its durability translates to less repair and maintenance, rendering it a much wiser investment. In the end, the builder saves more by using concrete. On a national level, this means large savings for the government," he added.

A 1998 report prepared by United States-based, internationally recognized pavement engineering firm ERES Consultants, Inc. pointed out that based on their experience, concrete pavements can last up to 34 years, as compared to asphalt’s 17-year life-span.

Furthermore, asphalt roads require maintenance repairs every three to five years, with major rehabilitation becoming more frequent after the 17th year overlay. Concrete averages 12 years before needing only minor repairs on correctly constructed roads.

Other international studies also confirmed that concrete pavements effect significant savings in energy costs.

A study conducted by the National Research Council of Canada has found that heavy vehicles traveling on concrete roads save as much as 11% in fuel costs, as compared to those plying asphalt roads.

Concrete’s rigid surfaces, it added, create less deflection than asphalt, resulting in reduced fuel requirements in heavy vehicles.

And since concrete roads are less slippery than asphalt roads, there is more safety for motorists. For night driving, the better visibility of concrete over asphalt is another safety advantage.

Lighter in color, concrete reflects far more light than asphalt.

What is your definition of success? Is going to international conferences to explain your experience enough? I myself have read World Bank publications on our BOT and IPP experiences written in 1994. Even then, this publication already cited the high cost for implementing the IPP program.

Power Sector

If I remember correctly, 70% of IPP contracts had to be renegotiated when Sec. Camacho became Sec. of Energy because of very onerous provisions to the government. The IPP contracts of NPC are responsible for making it the worst performing GOCC with debts running in the billions of dollars.

In fact, the very reason for another law, Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA), was to clean up the debts of NPC.

In the power industry alone, there are more problems than successes due to the BOT law. In fact, we are saddled with high electricity rates because we have not yet paid for the sins of building too many IPP plants under this BOT law. Look at your bills from Meralco and look for Universal Charge. Those are some of the things that we are paying up to now...

Transport Sector

The BOT law was also the method for the entry of two huge problematic infra projects: 1. MRT-3 and 2. NAIA-3.

The MRT-3 project is really onerous for the government and the taxpayers in extension because the government guarantees everything - the loans and the proponent's equity. In effect, it's a glorified loan but at a very onerous rate. It would have actually been better for the government to build this project on its own than its current terms.

NAIA-3 is a big white elephant right now brought to us by PIATCO. Everything's tied up in litigation that I can't see a time that we can open this terminal. I have read the ADB airport privatization paper which cites NAIA-3. In fact, it contains the provisions of the BOT Law there. That didn't help the government from getting sued in two international courts by Fraport and PIATCO.

Current Proposals to Change BOT Law

If the current BOT law were good enough then there wouldn't be any proposals to change it (If it ain't broke don't fix it). Fact of the matter is, there is a current move in Congress to amend this law a second time. Action for Economic Reforms (AER) is one of the groups batting for the change in the BOT Law.

I would argue then that despite our bureaucrats going to international infra meetings and getting ourselves published in multilateral lending agencies' publications, the BOT Law is fundamentally broken. There are more problematic projects than there are sucesses on the implementation side and financial side. It is a systemic problem. My view on it is that the framework (BOT Law) does not work for us.

I would argue otherwise. What many people do not seem to remember is that paying a high electricty bill is better than sitting in the dark. The fact is that the Philippines went into recession in the early 90's due the Aquino Governements failure to get more power in the system. The BOT law fixed that albeit at an expensive price but it would not have been possible at all to have enough electricity in the grid without it.Critically many people also focus on the original ipp's which have a short lifespan (10 to 15years) most of which are actually gone (these are the ones they wanted to renegotiate). They seem to forget the bulk of the other projects. The lowest cost power producer in the country is a BOT project - Mirant Sual.

The EPIRA law is actually a much older law that they tried to pass in Ramos and Eraps time but was stonewalled by John Osmena to protect Cebu interest. It is not a response to NPC debt, it was realized by then in the early 90's that with the Philippines lack of funds we would need more international investment in power but due to the structure of the energy sector it would be difficult to do this without explicit guarantees by the government , hence a reform of the industry to a more market oriented structure was neccesary. It's unfortunate that this was overtaken by other oxogenous events like the Asian Financial Crisis and our own senate stonewalling.

Yes the ipp's needed to be renegotiated. And this was even before Camacho's time, Malixi already tried to do that as well. With the price of oil and the dollar going up unfortunately what was once acceptable in 92 is not acceptable in 1998 but again people tend to forget when we were literally sitting in the dark in 1991- 1992 that we would have paid for anything to have power.

For the record NPC did incur a lot of losses but this is also due to the fact that in 97 most of it's loans which are dollar denominated basically double versus it's local peso cash flow. As it's politically impossible ti double power rates overnight , it had to incur greater losses. But the reality is the greatest amount of losses incured in GMA's time when she reveresed the increased power rates to curry favor with the masses. This is the greatest part of the current debt not carried on GOP books but stranded in NPC's. In toto at least for power we would be literally sitting in the dark without the BOT law.

Your example of MRT3 is interesting. Even if we accept all the points you made that it's a more expensive proposition than having it built directly by the government. The fact is that the GOP did not have the money to build it itself. This is the essence of the BOT that certain projects that can be essentially off books to the GOP are built anyway because the country essentially uses other peoples money. Sure in this case and in the IPP's (during the power crisis only subsequent ones do not apply) it was more expensive BUT again the cost benefit of not having power or transportation versus having expensive power and transportation is something that is obvious to me. Also the BOT law was not the entry point for mrt3, the original proposal was made to the aquino administration before the BOT law was enacted.

NAIA3 is another interesting example. The fact is that it's a white elephant (well at this point it 's not the tax payers white elephant as technically we have not spent anything on it), is just as much a political problem than a process problem. The fact is that airport is there, the government is supposed to get rental from it but it is the Government which has chosen Not to have it operate because of it's reasons.

The fact that our bureacrats are recognized abroad as experts signal to me that most countries around the world and International organizations acknowledge that the Philippine Experience in BOT has been a big success. Even so I'm sure there are parts of it that can be improved. I've no idea who AER is but am sure there will always be people who want to make improvemants and changes in laws. That doesn't mean the BOT has not accomplished what it was designed to do which was give us power and give private sector a big hand in economic developmnt. And for every problematic project that is accomplished under the BOT law , there are MORE which are ultimately succesful.

"Although concrete is a slightly more expensive paving material than asphalt, it lasts longer and requires very little annual maintenance. Since concrete is more cost-effective, the Department of Public Works and Highways builds twice more concrete roads than asphalt roads in the Philippines."

More expensive materials means better chance of getting bigger kickbacks or rebates for unscrupulous officials at DPWH. Same principle as with tanks and howitzers of the armed forces.

I mentioned the new BOT Law IRR earlier, it has been published today in the Business Section of the Philippine Daily Inquirer. Too bad our office stopped the subscription of this paper so I can't have a look at it until I get home.

Are their any plans of building any subways in the city???

According to some people, building a subway in Manila would be dangerous....Anyway, if ever they build one, make sure that it would be very safe. We don't want to have an international headline like:

People drowned on Manila train.

That's a long tunnel-- so they need to make it out of see-thru material so you can at least see the dugong and schools of fishes and coral reefs so that it won't be boring.

wow, that's going to be amazing!

^from what i know, they already thinking of doing that in cebu-bohol-negros :)

There was once a proposal to connect Manila and Bataan through a bridge from Manila-Corrigidor-Bataan.

^^ that's long...

There was once a proposal to connect Manila and Bataan through a bridge from Manila-Corrigidor-Bataan.

That sould spoil Corrigedor's isolation from the rest of Luzon.

P30 B set for infra projects
By Paolo Romero The Philippine Star 04/05/2006

The government will pour up to P30 billion into infrastructure and education projects in the second quarter of the year, Malacañang officials said yesterday, belying opposition charges that the government is prioritizing spending for President Arroyo’s initiative to amend the Constitution.

Budget Secretary Rolando Andaya Jr. said the money has already been released to fund "pump-priming" programs aimed at revitalizing the economy.

"Not a single centavo was spent for the people’s initiative, but billions for the people’s welfare," he noted.

The funding includes P2.1 billion to address the public school classroom shortage, P1 billion for textbooks, P2.6 billion for irrigation systems, P1 billion for new airports, "among other activities that would erase backlogs in these sectors and spur local economies where these projects will be implemented."

Andaya said the "frontloading of a big bulk of infra funds" was resorted to so government agencies could take advantage of the "good weather window" brought by summer.

The early release of P6.4 billion for infrastructure and P5.3 billion for agriculture was ordered by Mrs. Arroyo "so these can be undertaken before the onset of the typhoon season."

"For example, even before classes had ended we released the amount for classroom construction so we can rush their completion in time for the opening of classes in early June," Andaya said.

This is in line with President Arroyo’s instructions to her Cabinet last month to launch a "second quarter storm" of capital investments beginning this month.

The funding releases follow last year’s program of expenditures, Andaya said. Under the Constitution, the 2005 national budget remains in effect until Congress passes the P1-trillion budget for 2006.

Other education expenditures include P500 million for scholarship vouchers to private high schools and P500 million for college scholarships.

The infrastructure menu includes the release of P500 million for the connection of the Metrorail 3 line to the Light Rail Transit’s line 1, or from West Avenue in Quezon City to Monumento in Caloocan; P500 million for water supply; and P500 million for flood control projects to mitigate the effects of La Niña.

"We are bringing electricity to hundreds of barangays and we are lighting streets, courtesy of the P500 million fund released for these," Andaya said.

Of the P3.1 billion released for housing, about P1.3 billion will be used to build communities for squatters that will be displaced by the government’s railway projects north and south of Metro Manila.

On the law and order front, the Philippine National Police will receive funding to hire 3,000 new officers and acquire 500 new patrol cars.

Andaya said the "pump-priming" programs "just represent the first installment" of the administration’s planned expenditures.

"We are hoping that our legislators pass the budget soon so we can also fund the new programs in it," he said.

Mrs. Arroyo wants the Constitution amended so the country can adopt a parliamentary system to replace the current US-style presidential form of government, which she says slows down the passage of legislation needed for the country’s economic recovery.

The constitutional amendment initiative is expected to cost from P1 billion to P3 billion.

However, Minority Leader Francis Escudero has said it would be "immoral" if not illegal for the administration to use taxpayer money for this purpose.

He pointed out that the Constitution provides that no government funding should be spent unless covered by an appropriation bill passed by Congress.

He disagreed with Palace officials’ view that the funds could come from savings or the so-called "contingent fund" in the government’s annual budget.

"How could there be savings when we are borrowing just to finance government operations? How could there be savings when we are in deficit, meaning we spend more than what we earn?" he asked. "As for the contingent fund, this is used in case of natural disasters or calamities, unless they are saying that Cha-cha is a disaster or calamity."

P1.1 trillion needed for infrastructure projects till 2010
Posted: 2:13 AM | Apr. 05, 2006

THE Philippines needs P1.1 trillion in fresh investments starting this year to 2010 to unclog infrastructure bottlenecks, the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) said.

Documents presented by Economic Planning Secretary Romulo Neri, director general of the NEDA, to the global donor community during the recent Philippine Development Forum contain this estimate of investments needed to build transportation, power, water, communications and social infrastructure in the next five years.

Neri identified sectors and geographical areas that should be given priority to attain the government's medium-term development plan and Malacañang's so-called 10-point agenda of development, which includes job generation and poverty alleviation. He also listed the possible sources of financing, including the extent of government intervention.

He said the thrust was to encourage the private sector to do projects "with positive financial and economic returns" while the government focused on "essential projects with high economic returns despite poor financial viability."

The government plans to focus on projects that will not burden it with contingent liabilities and encourage participation from local government units whenever feasible, he said.

The total investments needed, equivalent to about 2.87-3.14 percent of the gross domestic product, include projects in the medium-term plan, amounting to P540.21 billion, and projects outside it, worth P548.47 billion.

Over the five years, the national government's infrastructure spending is expected to take P171.56 billion of its budget and another P108.98 billion outside the budget, on top of its contribution to joint ventures with the private sector, the documents showed.

Projects planned for public-private joint ventures are expected to amount to nearly P500 billion.

Of the total investments required, the transportation sector is expected to get the biggest share at P567.56 billion, mostly for Metro Manila.

The power sector is estimated to require P295.05 billion, of which about P109.91 billion will go to projects in Luzon, P85.86 billion in Mindanao and P58.16 billion in the Visayas.

The requirements of the water sector are estimated at P186.82 billion, mostly for Metro Manila. Other social infrastructure projects will need P43.85 billion.

The basic thrusts of all the infrastructure projects envisioned are to bring the people into the "development mainstream," decongest Metro Manila, and provide safety nets especially in conflict-affected areas in Mindanao, according to the documents.

http://money.inq7.net/topstories/view_topstories.php?yyyy=2006&mon=04&dd=05&file=2

There was once a proposal to connect Manila and Bataan through a bridge from Manila-Corrigidor-Bataan.

I remember this one from the news years ago. Meron pa ngang subway/tunnel component ang project na to. Si Ernie Baron pa nga ata ang nagreport.

It's better to connect the Philippines in one highway, for sure kaya yun, kasi yung ibang bansa nagagawa nila... Pero not all islands in the phils, yung major isalnds lang naman that could connect luz-vi-min...

From extreme to non-extreme engineering

Cebu Megadome Design Contest 2003

crowd favorite "The Sailboat"
inspired by a spanish galleon during the time of Magellan
designed by Architect T I Vasquez
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y54/cebupics/megadome/cebu_megadome_entry01.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y54/cebupics/megadome/cebu_megadome_entry.jpg
unfortunately, it's way too expensive to build such.

winning entry "The Spinning Disc"
designed by Architect A Medalla
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y54/cebupics/megadome/small/Megadome01.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y54/cebupics/megadome/small/Megadome02.jpg

Cebu Province has approved P250M budget for the Megadome in 2004 but was caught in political storm. the provincial board opposition blocked the project. it was put on hold until President Gloria Arroyo recently announced ASEAN Summit to be held in Cebu. the architect needed to modify the design to make it ideal for conventions. the megadome was originally designed as a sports arena and entertainment venue (like the Araneta Coliseum). with less than a year before the summit, Cebu province gave up the winning design for the megadome due to time constraints and replaced with something fit for conventions.

the P370M Cebu International Convention Center is now under construction, expected to be completed by November, a month before the ASEAN Summit. and it doesnt look extreme no more. :(

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y54/cebupics/megadome/cicc_render.jpg
Designed by Architect Guanzon

Make of main material to be used: Structural steel
Glass and Alluminum metal cladding

Among the features of the CICC is the glass at the middle of the roof with a beam holding it, which looks like an inverted C.

Architect Guanzon said this will give the CICC an element distinct from other structures.

Underneath the glass roof is a big lobby that would look like it is “floating” because of a water effect that will surround it.

____________________________________________
I heard thru the grapevine that the original Megadome project will still be built but this time, it's gonna be in South Road Properties, the newest central business district of Cebu. Cebu City Mayor Tom Osmeña earlier offered a free lot on SRP for the Megadome. we'll see. :cool:

EXTREME ENGINEERING



I THINK THERES A BIG POSSIBILITY THAT WE CAN BUILD A BRIDGE FROM LUZON ISLAND TO PALAWAN ISLAND:) IT WOULD START FROM BATANGAS CONNECTED TO OCCIDENTAL MINDORO. A HIGHWAY THAT GOES ACROSS ORIENTAL MINDORO WHICH I THINK THEY SHOULD ALREADY BE. THEN FROM OCCIDENTAL MINDORO CONNECTING TO PALAWAN. :D, WHAT YOU GUYS THINK. TOO MUCH PROJECT, TOO COSTLY 'BA BUT THERES A BIG POSSIBILITY IN THE FUTURE

ANY IDEAS FOR OUR COUNTRY'S XTREME ENGINEERING

hey dude! so am not alone of day dreaming about constructing bridges across the RP...?

dude its possible, i thought about that too... and not only that, hopefully pinas will build:

1. tunnel crossing sulu sea connecting zamboanga and tawi-tawi upto malaysia as optional w/ railway system.
2. suspension bridge or tunnel crossing each other across laguna de bay connecting quezon, rizal, manila, quezon city, and laguna.
3. tunnel or suspension bridge connecting bataan and cavite.
4. tunnel connecting palawan and borneo.
5. construct an 'oriental expressway' all over southeast asia by using those proposed tunnels and bridges to connect philippines to malaysia and indonesia.

what a dream.

wow sayang. maganda to ilagay sa likod ng rebulto ni rizal sa luneta o sa may ccp/metropolitan park. kakaiba parang space ship na cross.
anyone here knows if how tall that tower would be?

hmm kelan kaya tayo gagawa ng landmark tower?

Cabinet okays P4-B Pinatubo infra project


The Cabinet-level Investment Coordination Committee has approved a P4.1-billion infrastructure project intended to address the debilitating effects of lahar deposits and flooding in Central Luzon.

Known as the Pinatubo Hazard Urgent Mitigation Project-Phase III (PHUMP III), the project involves dredging, excavation and channel works along the Porac-Gumain, Pasac, Dalan-Bapor and Guagua rivers.

It will likewise include the rehabilitation and construction of bridges and elevation of principal roads.

Of the total amount, roughly P3.1 billion or 74.9 percent of project cost will be financed by the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) under the 27th Yen Loan Package while the balance of P1 billion will be sourced locally.

The amount covers the civil works, land acquisition cost, administration cost, engineering services and contingencies. The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) will implement the project for a period of five years. Construction is expected to begin within 2007-2011.

PHUMP III aims to reduce flooding levels to 0.60-0.90 meter from 1.5-1.8 meters during floods that occur every 20 years, and to 0.1-0.2 meter from 0.3-0.4 meter during floods that occur every two years.

Likewise, flooding time should be reduced to 10 days from 45 days, and to two to three days from 10 days during the 20-year and two-year flood events, respectively.

Upon completion, the project is expected to save billions of pesos in direct damages to property and livelihood in Central Luzon.

Japanese consulting firm Nippon Koei Ltd. Inc. prepared the feasibility study in coordination with the DPWH. Technical studies were also conducted by the University of the Philippines — National Institute of Geological Sciences and the National Disaster Coordinating Council in coordination with the Philippine Institute for Volcanology and Seismology.

During the Philippine Development Forum (PDF) held in Tagaytay City recently, Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Romulo L. Neri urged Philippine development partners to support the country’s core infrastructure projects aimed at opening up agricultural areas and upgrading transportation systems.


--By Ted P. Torres
The Philippine Star 04/06/2006
http://www.philstar.com/philstar/NEWS200604060704.htm

From extreme to non-extreme engineering

Cebu Megadome Design Contest 2003

crowd favorite "The Sailboat"
inspired by a spanish galleon during the time of Magellan
designed by Architect T I Vasquez
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y54/cebupics/megadome/cebu_megadome_entry01.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y54/cebupics/megadome/cebu_megadome_entry.jpg
unfortunately, it's way too expensive to build such.

:eek2: sayang! this would have been an iconic building for cebu.

^^ That was the supposed Cebu international Convention center. They are building CICC but with a different architecture.

^^ I prefer the sailboat desigin too. The winning design is good also but I think it is a bit forgettable IMO.

sayang naman ung sailboat design... it reflects cebu... sayang... but i still hope the design they will do will not be crappy... :)

I watched Pinoy Abroad in Malaysia last week and there was a Filipino architect who showed a rendering of Manila Tower. He is one of the designers of Petronas, Menara, and Putrajaya. Any of you heard of this before? I actually recorded it on DVD but I can't cap them because my DVD-ROM is not working.

"It all started when President Ramos visited Malaysia and he visited the Kuala Lumpur Tower.. And that was the year 1998 when he instructed the Centennial Comission to come up with a tower". -Manny Canlas

Sounds like it's not gonna be built, but it would've been a landmark.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a114/auen00/ssc/a83c7539.jpg
taken using cam

is this the same as the proposed centennial tower (for the 1998 celebs) to be erected in in the Luneta area specifically in the agripina circle?
then many opposed that location and pasay or paranque volunteered to "host" that tower

November 2005
House Bill No. 4857, entitled:

“AN ACT PROVIDING FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF AN UNDERSEA TUNNEL FROM CEBU CITY TO LAPU LAPU CITY, PROVINCE OF CEBU, AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR”

By Representative Del Mar

TO THE COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC WORKS AND HIGHWAYS AND THE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS

Link (http://www.congress.gov.ph/legis/print_journal.php?congress=13&id=117)

now that's extreme! sige, go tayo dyan

...According to my "source" and let us all cross our fingers, read on.

A new state-of-the-art and a world class huge Manila International Airport is being planned and will be built at Manila Bay as an island airport, roughly 20 kilometers or so near Bacoor and southwest of the Bay City. The reclamation plan of the said future island-airport will be capable of handling 45-50 million passengers a year and composed of 4 terminals. The airport also will be accessed by 2 subway systems possibly by the existing LRT from Cavite, and a new full-subway system that was long been suggested and studied 10 yrs ago, and a bridge.

However the future of NAIA is still being discussed what will it become, and one option is to transform it into a new world class city comparable to Global City in Taguig, and probably it will become the new Manila downtown, visioned with future freeways by using the existing runways that need to be developed.

What can you say people? :runaway: :cheers:

Its an ideal vision probably to take place 20 -50 years from now .

too ambitious, it just a waste of billions of dollars...and the environmental impact on Manila Bay would be too great. This proposal is just as ridiculous as the airport proposal in the middle of Laguna de Bay that we got a few years ago. Remember the renderings for that? :ohno:

Northrail and a Clark International airport is an excellent prospect already...even then, there are many problems that slows its progress.

I have to agree with Ryan. We have Clark already and that is really more feasible.

Also, even if this is a concrete plan, imagine the frustration we here in SSC would suffer once again. I mean they already having such a hard time with NAIA 3, a comparatively smaller project. I'm sure that a lot of SSC forumers will be tearing their hair out with the scandals and problems that will likely beset this huge endeavor. Sorry to sound pessimistic guys. But I would love to be proven wrong. :)

it's nice to hear that they have plan something to improve the premier gateway to the country. the space to build the airport is unlimited and no building to worry that would obstruct the airplanes.

but i have to agree with the above posts, we have to open first the very contovertial NAIA3 to see if we need a new terminal or airport soon, thru the number of passengers that uses the terminal. we still have to utilize the calrk airport which is still very under develop and have to encourage airlines to use this terminal. and another thing is, is metro manila or luzon to crowded enough that we need to build the airport in the middle of the sea?

There is such a proposal to build an airport in the middle of laguna lake ?
Is that on a reclaimed land too or in Talim island ?

Vision such as this ( world class int'l airport in an island to be reclaimed in mid of Manila bay ) if truly materialize will make RP at par with others, but indeed , reality check on our part as in the case of of NAIA 3 where every nook of negativity is present.

^^ It was originally supposed to be on Talim Island Lhexi. It was going to be flattened and a double decker expressway was going to connect it to the mainland. That was an alternative to the NAIA T3.

^^ :? Does anyone still have the rendering of that? It was posted a year or so ago.

so what happened to clark airport are they gonna let it go or its another vision like this one too

about the subway, i mailed a person from the philippine government about the congestion in Streets of Manila, and they replied to me, 5 months later, they are planning to built a subway system in MM. is this true? is there a thread?

too good to be true...

it's a good plan, but it won't happen in my lifetime...

too good to be true...

why?

A reclaimation island airport? Four terminals? Transform NAIA into a new business district?

That's way way too expensive and impracticel for this third world country. Perhaps we can give this idea another look in about 50 years or so. Seriously.

about the subway, i mailed a person from the philippine government about the congestion in Streets of Manila, and they replied to me, 5 months later, they are planning to built a subway system in MM. is this true? is there a thread?

line 5 is planned to be a subway.

even if we could afford a project like that, i would still be against it. Clark already has the basic infrastructure (runways, etc) so why not use it? Its much more practical. And as i said earlier, the environmental impact will be huge.

You don't want a subway in MM? Like inside MM not clark but inside MM?

^ I want subways... but not the airport on Manila Bay;)

just plain waste of money in building a new airport...clark is there...why not improve it. it has all the land...

Yeah, Clark is the practical choice. And GMA said it herself, she wants Clark to be the country's premier gateway. Building an aiport near Manila will not decongest the metropolis.

just plain waste of money in building a new airport...clark is there...why not improve it. it has all the land...

yeah... and they can build a global city in that land instead of NAIA. besides, they neigboring cities, Angeles and Mabalacat are already improving their roads, making them wider, such as McArthur.

yeah.. I don't think that island airport will be realized as new developments that are more feasible has already arised.... I guess.. by the time they would want to proceed with that.. NAIA3 could have opened already (hoping)... and the Clark Airport has become a good airport that will serve as an alter route for Manila...

Off topic , but since it was mentioned earlier :
Hopefully , a private corporation with coordination to the goverment will push through with the Talim island development but not as an international airport but instead tourist destination where a huge ecological park will rise and complement it with nature -inspired theme parks and hotel /resort facilities . Go on with the double decker bridge that will connect the coastal towns of Laguna / Rizal to Metro Manila much faster and going along with its development are the demolition of unscrupulous fishcage illegally operating and the improvement and desiltation of Laguna Lake to restore it to its former depth and cleanliness . If it will became a tourist haven that we will be proud of , we will definitely help in maintaining the lakes beauty and grandeur . For sure every coastal towns and cities will support in its maintenance , that for me is the more feasible vision of sorts.

i have to agree with most replies. nice plan to read on paper... but why spend more money when we already have been spending on other similar projects. kind of redundant expenses for me. :) open t3 and finish clark! :)

just plain waste of money in building a new airport...clark is there...why not improve it. it has all the land...

Yuh, they should just use Clark as Metro Manila's primary international airport. It would help decentralize our economy... But if that happens, some of Manila's hotels would have to shut down eventually.

While at it, they should move the government capital to a new and central location. They ought to build from the ground up. Ideally, they should build it with an airport and away from crowded and congested cities so that it will not be vulnerable to riots as it keeps on happening over and over again. It should be accessible to all (but for a price of an air ticket) so that overcrowding and rioting can be avoided.

I'd say that they should just build a high-speed train and a good highway to link the airport in Clark to Metro Manila, just like in Hongkong.

I'd say that they should just build a high-speed train and a good highway to link the airport in Clark to Metro Manila, just like in Hongkong.

That would be more cost effective and that would free up the old airport area for redevelopment.

please, no more airports in metro manila, have mercy on the environment... and no airport near laguna de bay.

Hanggang pangarap na lamang sa ngayon...

I think more trains would be better.

Thinking about it, maybe we should concentrate on building trains going to airports (like in Hongkong, Singapore and Malaysia)

Have you seen Centrair Airport in Nagoya, Japan. That's one of the latest airports in that country and it's rail service is super-efficient (meron pa syang PSDs).

Hope we can have those in the near future.

a country/government not capable of opening a terminal for 4 years untill it starts collapsing is not taken seriosly any further. keep dreaming......

^^ Country eh....... .. . .

Heads up.

This plan is still in studying phase, and i can see it will take another 10 to 15 yrs before they would be able to finalize the plan and secure the funding and another 5 yrs to implement this before the actual construction. On top of this, the construction will take for another almost 12 yrs all in all! Therefore that only means we still have like 30 more years to enjoy & use the NAIA.

Happy now people?

Well again its according to my "sources". For those who would like this idea, let's cross our fingers...

Meanwhile, I heard that the laguna de bay airport plan was scrapped due to environmental issues, but rather a replacement plan for cross expressway-bridges connection for the provinces of Manila, Laguna, Rizal, and Quezon, is being planned as well, and using Talim island as its main interchange structure and foundation. Same people has been studying these ambitious plan as well as the island airport & the new downtown Manila. Approximately, they said, about $ 21 billion dollars (subject to change depending on currency) will be needed with a multiple joint-venture with foreign investors to make this plan possible and boost our infrastructure projects/tourisms in the Philippines, this will include 3 major plans:

1. Laguna de Bay expressway-crossbridges/freeways including 2 interchanges in Talim Island and the old NAIA runways, $ 5 billion.
2. Manila International Island Airport, $ 6 billion.
3. New Downtown Manila, $ 10 billion.

The numbers you see are only projections and can be wrong, since no formal/official blue print yet is available, but the budget is close to $ 20-25 billion in case they have to overlap and make changes in their plans.

About the Downtown, the some of the transformation projects or plans as we say, will include:

1. Terminal 1 = new premier hospital in RP (future Phil. Gen. Hospital)
2. Terminal 2 = shopping mall.
3. Terminal 3 = multi-purpose grand central station for various transportations.

Various proposals inside the future of NAIA:

1. New freeway interchange with north, south, east and west bounds. The north/south freeway will be connected and merge with north/south super highway, and a plan to extend the unfinished northbound skyway upto further north to merge with north expressway crossing the cities of manila, caloocan, malabon and upto tarlac.

East freeway will be connected to the future cross-bridges at laguna de bay southeast towards the future Talim Interchange and all the way to the province of Quezon.

While westbound freeway will be looping southwest around manila bay through the cities of manila, cavite, upto bataan, that include the construction of a suspension bridge (separate plans proposed by other investors/government 3 yrs ago) crossing manila bay from the tip of cavite to bataan province.

2. New various museums and educational centers: Science Center, Phil. Historical Museum, and a new RP Botanical Garden.

3. Embassy Place District, building of new homes for our foreign diplomats matching with their own national custom & traditional designed backyards, such as a Japanese Garden for the Jap
embassy.

Finally, myself is proposing an international standard multi-purpose race track by using part of the runways in NAIA, most preferrably the one in front of Terminal 3, for Formula 1, 2, & 3., Motorsport/Bike race track, and for the modified cars. This idea is to attrack and encourage our foreign and local bikers, formula & modcar drivers, to host these said tournaments for tourism purposes and boost our dollar revenues.

I just hope all the best for RP. :cheers:

Heads up.

a country/government not capable of opening a terminal for 4 years untill it starts collapsing is not taken seriosly any further. keep dreaming......

they are having some serious political dispute about the terminal 3 and its use for the future, which many thinks by the end of 2025, it will be obsolete even the combination of macapagal airport, although in fairness, everything really depends in tourism arrivals within 30 yrs. Because a lot of our politicians wanted to make our country to be a major tourist destination/hub to boost our economy, and beat up our asian neighbors in 30 yrs. Which i can see tons of hotel constructions across the nation specially in MM in the near future.

:eek2:

I don't know if this will offend any of you guys but my vision of the Philippines is that, in 20 years, majority of the filipinos migrated or will be migrating in other countries and there would be more foreigners moving in the Philippines, running the country, that is if these foreigners started invading the Philippine politics. The Philippines would enter a new era of colonization and civilization. I can see the Koreans and the Chinese working hand in hand in building the Philippines from ground up.

Scary thought doesn't it? I was just basing it somehow in the current situation and I see that there are alot of filipinos are disappointed with how the situation are in the Philippines while more foreigners are enjoying the Philippines. I'm not an expert on economics and sociology so it's basically just my own personal opinion.

^^ but you are going off topic. This thread is about new infrastructure visions for the future.

$21 billion project? The C6 project, which I think is much cheaper, is still in limbo. In addition, there are no long bridges involved here. This is not a vision. This is a dream.

^^ but you are going off topic. This thread is about new infrastructure visions for the future.


Oh yeah, I just noticed that. Sorry.

isn't that suspension bridge at the mouth of Manila Bay to connect Bataan and Cavite already had been shelved?

I don't know if this will offend any of you guys but my vision of the Philippines is that, in 20 years, majority of the filipinos migrated or will be migrating in other countries and there would be more foreigners moving in the Philippines, running the country, that is if these foreigners started invading the Philippine politics. The Philippines would enter a new era of colonization and civilization. I can see the Koreans and the Chinese working hand in hand in building the Philippines from ground up.

Scary thought doesn't it? I was just basing it somehow in the current situation and I see that there are alot of filipinos are disappointed with how the situation are in the Philippines while more foreigners are enjoying the Philippines. I'm not an expert on economics and sociology so it's basically just my own personal opinion.

off topic or not. you could be just right if this beautiful country does not get it´s brains together....

If You Are Tasked to Build a New Phillippine City.......

How Should this New City going to be Built, ideally....??

What's an Ideal City for YOU????

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Pour in your thoughts and imaginations guys!

This Thread seeks to answer the question of HOW to .....

and

NOT, WHERE....
NOT, WHOSE city....
and definitely NOT, WHAT city.....


Okeys???

City builders out there????

...I would set fire to manila then get started :D

first, determine what is the population that you are going to contain in your city...build from the bottoms up, burrow deep underground for the sewerage, fiber optics, electric lines, etc...build wide roads, and plant plenty of trees, designate industrial, commercial and residential areas, and strictly follow zoning rules...then build airports, and harbors...most of all, your city must planners must take into consideration the calamities which your area is prone to such as earthquakes, typhoons, etc. and make plans taking into consideration these elements...

I would decline the offer because I hate building with a limited budget... Philippine government asking you to build a city for them? oh come on!!!!!

you're very realistic otakaw...we are just dreaming here...hehehe.

isn't that suspension bridge at the mouth of Manila Bay to connect Bataan and Cavite already had been shelved?

As far as i concern, just temporarily til we secure the funding of that said project.


$21 billion project? The C6 project, which I think is much cheaper, is still in limbo. In addition, there are no long bridges involved here. This is not a vision. This is a dream.

Its both dream and a vision.

Anyway, thats because none of those C-series projects have involved any of the restructuring, realignment of roads, relocation of will-be affected residents, rehabilitation, rezoning, and with total urban renewal in all affected areas around it. Unlike in this vision, they were all looking for the involvement and participation of local and international real estate agencies/companies to make everything possible.

BTW, I just remember that early or mid-1990's, the government had granted the AFP with $ 16 billion for its 15 yr modernisation plan. The question is, if they can grant the AFP with that such amount, and to think it was supposed to be coming from the government's pocket, why would it be impossible for this "new vision" projects to proceed when it actually were looking for multiple joint ventures with foreign investors?

Will the government contribute some million or billion dollars for this? Maybe yes or maybe no. Either way it will still be beneficial to all of us and all taxpayers will not gonna be worried that much... We'll see though, nobody knows whats gonna happen, and i dont have the crystal ball.

Cross the fingers.

:cheers:

off topic or not. you could be just right if this beautiful country does not get it´s brains together....

I dont think that a total foreign take-over will ever happen in anytime or in any filipino lives. :eek2:

Rather, what i can see is a tourism boom in RP, that is if we all set our brains together.

Ritche;

speaking of fiber optics.....there's this newly built city in Malaysia that incorporates fiber optics in its urban infrastructure

the administrative garden city, the intelligent city of Putrajaya in Malaysia

I don't know if this will offend any of you guys but my vision of the Philippines is that, in 20 years, majority of the filipinos migrated or will be migrating in other countries and there would be more foreigners moving in the Philippines, running the country, that is if these foreigners started invading the Philippine politics. The Philippines would enter a new era of colonization and civilization. I can see the Koreans and the Chinese working hand in hand in building the Philippines from ground up.

Scary thought doesn't it? I was just basing it somehow in the current situation and I see that there are alot of filipinos are disappointed with how the situation are in the Philippines while more foreigners are enjoying the Philippines. I'm not an expert on economics and sociology so it's basically just my own personal opinion.
i see your point, but i won't agree with it. besides, there is a civilization in this country already, most people just refuse to see it. and our country's problems are analogous to a person's own problems... we solve it ourselves.