Philippine National Infrastructure and Urban Planning

[bustero]

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!

[renell]

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

[renell]

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

[Lili]

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.

[Sou-jiro]

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)

[amigo32]

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.

[kiretoce]

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

[chymera00]

WOWOWOWOWOWOOW!!! I hope these projects get realized

[Wisarut]

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

[bagel]

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?

[bustero]

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.

[pau_p1]

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

[kennethologist]

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.

[pau_p1]

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...

[amigo32]

Manila Bulletin
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.

[bustero]

Walang hiya polish trains.

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

[chymera00]

[richard fischer]

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.....

[chymera00]

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

[richard fischer]

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