Manileños will finally have a respite from the incessant flooding affecting the streets of Metro Manila every time heavy rains bombard the city during monsoon season The World Bank (WB) and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) will soon infuse the Philippine government with around P23 billion for the Metro Manila Flood Management Project. Bulk of this amount, or P20 billion, will be spent by the Department of Public Works and Highways to modernize 36 existing pumping stations of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), as well as build 20 additional stations across Manila, Pasay, Taguig, Makati, Malabon, Mandaluyong, San Juan, Pasig, Valenzuela, Quezon City, and Caloocan. The remaining P3 billion will be allocated to improve the MMDA’s “solid waste collection services, community mobilization and awareness campaigns, incentive-based waste collection, and to purchase more waste collection equipment.” “With this project, the government is taking an important step in the implementation of the Metro Manila Flood Management Master Plan designed to safely control floods in the national capital region and surrounding areas,” said Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Mark Villar, in a report by Rappler. The National Housing Authority (NHA) assures it will resettle displaced informal settlers to be affected by the flood control project as the government looks to clear the waterways of refuse and detritus that are often the cause of flooding whenever there’s heavy rains. The project is slated to start this year and is scheduled to be completed in 2024. Aside from building new Read More …
HASHTAG. (from left) JFC business channels director Mario Malalis, JFC VP for national business channels Manjie Yap, Globe Business SVP Peter Maquera, and Globe Business cluster sales head Robie Reyes display the ‘hashtag’ hand sign for the #87000 Jollibee express delivery partnership. Photo from Globe Business Craving Jollibee’s Chickenjoy but don’t want to consume your precious prepaid load with your order? We have good news: Jollibee Foods Corporation (JFC) has inked a deal with Globe Business that allows Globe customers to call 8-7000 for free with their mobile device. Since more people just have a mobile number nowadays and no landline, the partnership is a win-win for everyone, since the partnership means better and easier access to customers as well as a bigger reach for the food giant, as Globe currently has around 59 million customers nationwide. “With this new partnership with Globe Business, we will be able to bring the convenience of one nationwide delivery hotline to more customers. Globe Business is an excellent partner for us since they have a high level of expertise in ICT. Add to this a solid business background and reputation, and being an industry leader makes it a no-brainer partnership for Jollibee,” said Jollibee Vice President for National Business Channels Manjie Yap as he shares the brand’s thrust in choosing Globe Business as its service provider. “We are highly confident with their infrastructure, back-end and client support capabilities – so we’re sure that we have a reliable partner to bring this service to Read More …
Looking for a different kind of holiday destination? Well, put Taiwan in your bucket list as the island state has announced that it will soon allow visa-free entry for visitors from the Philippines as part of their “New Southbound Policy.” Taiwanese Premier Lai Ching-te only recently approved the visa-free plan for Filipinos, but concrete details such as the starting date for the privilege have yet to be announced. According to a report by Focus Taiwan, however, visa-free travel to the country will be possible either by October or November. Once finalized, Filipinos who visit Taiwan can stay on the island nation for up to 14 days, without a visa. Winston Chen, director-general of the Foreign Ministry’s Department of East Asian and Pacific Affairs said the visa-free policy aimed to promote people-to-people, tourism and commercial exchanges between Taiwan and the Philippines. Taiwan Economic and Cultural Office’s Dr. Gary Song-Huann Lin had also teased the visa-free plan as early as July this year, during the 2017 Taiwan Tourism Workshop held in Manila. Dr. Lin said that both Taiwan and the Philippines, despite being separated by a 2-hour flight, “tend to overlook each other,” underscoring the need to beef up relations, strengthen cultural exchange, and boost tourism in both countries. Taiwan already has visa-free arrangements with a number of other countries, which include Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand and Singapore. The post Taiwan Approves VISA Free Travel For Pinoys appeared first on Good News Pilipinas.