Maritime News and Discussions

[richard fischer]

to support my "thesis" there is a practiced idiem from real life : you are only as good as your last assignment. your next client will always have a look at what you have built before, and how it is accepted and integrates by the people utilizing it.

[amras]

RP'S 1ST HIGHWAY
Pasig River ferry project afloat again

First posted 05:20am (Mla time) Sept 25, 2005
By Joan Orendain
Inquirer News Service



Editor's Note: Published on page A1 of the September 25, 2005 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer


COMMUTERS to and from key points all over Metro Manila may have a new mode of air-conditioned public transportation next year-the Pasig River Ferry Service.

When fully operational, the ferry service will have at least 10 boats plying Manila's prime waterway to serve a daily minimum of 28,000 passengers, calling on 14 stations in Manila, Makati, Mandaluyong, Pasig and Marikina.

The stations will be located at Plaza Mexico in Intramuros, Escolta, Quezon Bridge, Nagtahan, Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP), Sta. Ana, Lambingan (all in Manila), Valenzuela (Makati), Hulo (Mandaluyong), Guadalupe (Makati), Bambang (Pasig), Riverbanks Mall, Marcos Bridge East Bank and Marikina Bridge East Bank (all in Marikina).

The Pasig River was the Philippines' first highway long before the Spaniards' arrival. A brief revival of the ferry system some years ago failed due to infrastructure deficiencies.

The project team and prospective bidders have agreed in consultative meetings to use twin-hulled catamarans, which they say will be more stable and provide a wider deck and greater comfort than a single-hulled boat.

The boats are estimated to cost from P8 to P10 million each, depending on their size. They will be locally manufactured of fiber-reinforced plastic, and will each carry from 50 to 100 passengers.

February opening

Project proponents say they are pushing hard for a soft opening of the ferry service mid-February next year, initially with five stations-Plaza Mexico, PUP, Lambingan, Hulo and Guadalupe-and a minimum of five ferry boats.

[A research into PDI archives shows that a previous attempt to launch a Metro ferry transport system failed because of complaints that the stench of the Pasig at the time clung to the clothes of passengers. A banca-type ferry system also did not work because the boats were too small and too low in the water so that passengers could smell the polluted water. - PDI Research].

The new ferry project is a tripartite effort of the Department of Transportation and Communications, the Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission (PRRC), and the Metro Manila Development Authority.

The integration of relevant government institutions resolves the usual obstacle of the private sector having to deal with a number of government agencies. The ferry service operator who wins the bid to operate it will only have to deal with one entity.

Public sector agencies and representatives from the private sector comprise the Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission, the project team that will oversee the ferry service.

The team is composed of Transportation Undersecretary Agustin R. Bengzon as chair, with MMDA Undersecretary Cesar Lacuna, PRRC Executive Director Bingle Gutierrez and private sector representative Chito Macapagal of Unilever General Manager for Corporate Development as members.

The technical working group assisting the project team has Philippine Coast Guard Commander Ronilo Hermes Bacolod as chair and Regina Reyes Rara as legal adviser.

Proponents are confident that the revival of the river ferry service will succeed, this time.

All-weather stations

"Ferry rates have been deregulated. PRRC is constructing the ferry stations and has improved the environment of the Pasig River, and the ferry operator will only have to deal with one group for its operation," according to Bengzon.

The provision of all-weather and air-conditioned ferry stations is intended to resolve a major infrastructure hurdle. The previous ferry service did not provide any stations at all.

With PRRC constructing the ferry stations, which are estimated to cost from P6 to P7 million each, the ferry service operator can focus its investment on building the ferry boats.

Funds for building the ferry stations are sourced from an Asian Development Bank loan earmarked for the rehabilitation of the Pasig. The stations will be rented out to whichever ferry service operator wins the bid.

The Plaza Mexico station will have "a heritage architecture" while other ferry stations will sport a modern design reflecting their locality and historical importance. They will also have ticket booths, comfort rooms and security features.

Adjusting to the tides

All landing platforms are floating pontoons that will adjust to changes in the tide levels for passenger safety and convenience.

Extensive consultations were conducted with prospective bidders for both the construction of the terminals and the operation of the ferry service.

"We wanted to provide a balance between regulation and development," Bengzon says. "We don't want to straightjacket the proponents, but at the same time, offer guidelines to ensure a safe and efficient operation."

The deregulated rates allowing the ferry service operator to price services based on the market situation will ensure the viability of the operation.

The Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) has designated the Pasig River to be a missionary route. As such, only one operator will be selected to run the ferry service for five years, free of competition.

Fighting pollution

Existing river crossings will be allowed to continue operating but Marina will cease approving new applications in the interest of safety.

The Pasig River's environmental issues are also being addressed by the PRRC together with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the MMDA through a program intended to prevent river pollution and improper disposal of waste.

The team is also relocating informal settlers on the river banks and building linear parks on the cleared areas.

"The implementation of the Pasig River Ferry Service is proceeding smoothly," according to Bengzon. "Bidding of five stations have been initiated, of which three have been awarded... It is expected that the winning bid for the operation of the service will be determined by the end of September."

[marites4]

i hope they resettle the illegal settlers and clean up the river then this would be great.

[sandrin]

I hear you. I hope there will be volunteers for the Pasig River clean-up drive like the one happened at Manila Bay. Not only that it will spread awareness on the rehabilitation project, but it will also create buzz on the initial operation of the ferry.

[Lili]

Originally Posted by marites4

i hope they resettle the illegal settlers

I think this is going to be a drawn out, bloody struggle. I think if they commission them to be operators or employees of government-regulated river taxis or gondola rides as well as riverside "karihans" or eateries (like the ones during the Spanish colonial times) and make their shelters more pleasing-looking to the eye, at the same time, provide proper plumbing that does not make the river a direct dumping receptable of their human wastes, then it solves the problem of uprooting them from where they have been living for ages and providing them with livelihood to improve their quality of lives. Then, they will become invested in preserving the cleanliness and beauty of the Pasig River.

[sandrin]

I think the illegal settlers need to be relocated because of flooding which can endanger their lives (such as destruction of property and health hazard on an annual basis) and make the flooding even worst. Most of them live along the floodway which is prone to flooding during rainy season as the name suggest. The floodway is the area next to the river that should be reserved or kept free of obstruction to allow floodwaters to move downstream.
Just last week, a newschannel featured the flooded homes of the illegal settlers at Pasig River and the reporter even warned them of the dangers waiting to happen. Hence, they should be relocated.

[marites4]

Poor pasig. She's been used and abused too long.

[daDJ]

Developing a water-based transpo system plying the Pasig River route is good news! I hope that once implemented, the transpo system is sustained.

[renell]

let us praise the lord for this project that will bless manilenos of something that we've been ranting about great stuff this

[ThisFire]

they could definitely use it for tourism purposes as well, i just hope they make use of that!

[bustero]

It'll take time to make it look great but that's ok, great cities don't happen overnight anyway. There really aren't that many settlers along the banks of the Pasig itself. But there are a lot of factories and many used to dump their waste in it. That's been stopped by now but waste effluent from drainage and the like is still there and most likely will be there for quite a while.

Anyway it's a good trip. I've taken in before , quite fast, it just really stinks sometimes and when it rains the passengers really disappear.

[sandrin]

Aussie-Pinoy group bags Pasig River ferry franchise
By Marianne V. Go
The Philippine Star 09/29/2005

The Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission (PRRC), the Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC) and the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) have awarded the franchise to operate the 17-kilometer Pasig River ferry service to Nautical Transport Services Corp., an Australian-Filipino joint venture.

In yesterday’s open bidding held at the MMDA offices in Makati, only three firms actually submitted bids for the Pasig River ferry service operation. Aside from Nautical Transport, the two other entities were MetroStar Ferry Corp. and the joint venture of PropMech and Mt. Samat.

Meanwhile, two other proponents – Montenegro Shipping and Ocean Bay Ferry Corp. – decided not to bid.

While Ocean Bay has entered into a technical agreement with MetroStar Ferry wherein Ocean Bay would provide technical expertise and support it opted not to submit a bid since it had earlier been negotiating with the previous Pasig River service operator, Star Ferry, to take over the ferry operation, its spokesman Lorenzo Gadon said.

However, before the negotiations could be concluded, Gadon said the MMDA, PRRC and DOTC decided to call for a new bidding.

In a highly transparent process, the bids of the three firms were opened and assessed first for their eligibility, then for their technical compliance, and lastly for the lowest fare quotation.

All three passed the eligibility process but MetroStar and Prop Mech/Mt. Samat failed to hurdle compliance stage.

MetroStar Ferry failed the technical and financial compliance requirements since it was not able to secure the necessary bank/financial support.

PropMech/Mt. Samat also failed in the technical compliance stage as it was not able to secure the necessary Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) certification.

Mt. Samat Ferry operates a ferry service from the Folk Arts complex to Corregidor, Bataan. It teamed up with PropMech which distributes Caterpillar brand machineries.

Only Nautical Transport Services, a joint venture between an Australian ferry service firm SydneySide Cruises and Filipino partners Eduardo Bondad, Atlanta Industrial and Penta Capital Investments, was able to reach the third stage with a fare quotation of P225 per kilometer, inclusive of terminal fee.

The prospective Pasig River operator would be given an exclusive contract to operate the ferry service for a period of five years to ensure its profitability.

The operator, likewise, would be free to set a "market-driven" fare.

The PRRC would provide support in the form of a terminal/station for which the operator would have to pay a still unspecified terminal fee.

The PRRC is spending between P7 million to P10 million for each of the 15 proposed terminals.

The PRRC is rehabilitating the Pasig River through private funds and a $75-million loan from the Asian Development Bank.

The PRRC foresees a ferry service that would involve 10 boats with a capacity of anywhere from 60 to 150 passengers and can provide at least 28,000 passenger trips or roundtrips.

[Lili]

I'm now getting excited about this. At least it was an Aussie Pinoy. (must have been reading our threads @Renell )

[dudz]

YES!!! but what does 'market-driven' fare means? i was thinking the P225/km fare would be shared by all the passengers? thanks

[tigidig14]

so what would be the stop over, u know im talking about like the lrt has carriedo & baclaran.

[Lili]

Originally Posted by dudz

YES!!! but what does 'market-driven' fare means? i was thinking the P225/km fare would be shared by all the passengers? thanks

Don't you think the market should dictate what the fare should be?

[bustero]

They showed the stops in the Inqyirer yesterday. Just google it.

I thin it's like 2.5 per km or something from the article. The fare is regulated like all public transport.

[rajiris]

yeah i forgot where i saw the ferry stations along pasig river..

i'm just wondering, some parts of the pasig river is really really shallow even in reainy seasons. what more in summer?

so there should be a lot of dredging? hmmm...my classmate is doing a thesis, the design of the ferry terminals there. she's going to place one major terminal at manila bay, another in laguna de bay, and an example of mini-terminals along the way.

[bustero]

The overhead span of the pasig is at least 11 (or is it 14) feet at the highest tide If I'm not mistaken. The draft is the same in the main channel, dredging is done on a regular basis.

[dudz]

Originally Posted by Lili

Don't you think the market should dictate what the fare should be?

well, what i meant was how does it work? that news article mentioned about a P225/km fare so i just thought that. nway, i've read from another newspaper that if benchmarked with aircon buses the fare should not exceed P2/km based on the current minimum rate of P10 for the first 5 kms. so as bustero mentioned the fare will be regulated just the same as other modes of public transport.