Maniolas

MANILA, Philippines – The Aquino administration has rolled out the country’s first Public Private Partnership (PPP) project initiated by a local government unit (LGU) via the P400 million Tanauan City public market redevelopment project. The Tanauan City government, through Pre-qualification Bids and Awards Committee chairman Herminigildo Trinidad Jr., said foreign and local companies may bid for the PPP project under the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) Law. Trinidad said the winning bidder would finance the construction of a four-story commercial building with a floor area of 26,000 square meters, comprising of ground and second floor for commercial spaces as well as the third and fourth floor for parking and terminal. He added that the project also covers the construction of a wet and dry market building with a minimum floor area of 10,000 square meters. Interested companies have until April 13 to submit their letters of intent and prequalification documents. The LGU would adopt a two-stage bidding process, including the pre-qualification and shortlisting process, as well as the actual bid proposal submission and opening. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 It would conduct a pre-bid conference on April 27, paving the way for the submission of bids on June 4. The project was given the green light by the National Economic and Development Authority – Investment Coordination Committee (NEDA-ICC) last January. PPP Center executive director Cosette Canilao said the first LGU-PPP project would entice other LGUs in the country to pursue more infrastructure projects in partnership with the private sector. Read More …

MANILA, Philippines – Manila North Tollways Corp. (MNTC), the tollways arm of infrastructure giant Metro Pacific Investments Corp. (MPIC), has tapped Maybank Philippines Inc. to streamline check preparation and releasing transactions. Rodrigo Franco, president and chief executive officer of MNTC, said the check cutting service would make it more convenient for the company to settle its account with its supplies. MNTC operates the 87-kilometer North Luzon expressway (NLEX) and has recently bagged the concession for the 94-kilometer Subic-Clark-Tarlac expressway (SCTEX) from the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA). “The deal will enable MNTC to focus more on operating and maintaining the NLEX rather than doing the cutting and releasing of checks. It will also give more convenience to our suppliers due to Maybank’s accessible locations,” Franco said. For his part, Maybank president and chief executive officer Herminio Famatigan Jr. said MNTC could use selected Maybank branches or all branches nationwide to release check payments under the check cutting services agreement. “Through Maybank’s payment solution, the Check Cutting Service, MNTC will enjoy the convenience of outsourcing the preparation and releasing of their regular check payments to suppliers,” Famatigan said. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 Maybank’s check cutting service is an outsourcing solution for corporate customers that handle the preparation and nationwide disbursement of voluminous check payments to their suppliers and payees. The outsourcing solution automates clients the check and voucher preparation and enhances the client’s productivity while maintaining security, control and confidentiality of their financial transactions. This Read More …

COME September, finance ministers from Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) member-nations will be in Cebu for the three-day Finance Ministerial Meeting to firm up a road map that the Philippines is proposing to make the region more inclusive. Deputies from finance ministries and central banks of Apec nations met in Tagaytay recently to fine-tune the Cebu Action Plan, a plan to make Apec member-nations more financially integrated, transparent and resilient. The plan is anchored on four pillars: promoting financial integration, advocating financial transparency, enhancing financial resiliency, and supporting infrastructure development and financing. The plan will officially be launched during the Apec Finance Ministers’ Meeting in Cebu. This year, the Philippines is hosting the Apec Summit and the country has chosen inclusivity as an agenda to make economic growth instrumental in reducing poverty, a report posted on the Apec 2015 Philippines website stated. “Financial interconnectivity of Apec member-economies and their close linkages in the global financial markets make the region exposed to the risk of a global market liquidity dry-up and other market volatilities. As such, Apec economies must also build buffers to protect it from these financial market disturbances,” Philippine Treasurer Roberto Tan was quoted as saying during the opening remarks of the deputies’ meeting. According to the website, efforts to boost inclusivity and economic resiliency are ongoing across the region, but delegates agreed that more needs to be done. For the Philippines, regulations that improve accessibility of credit to micro, small and medium enterprises, and increases in allocations for Read More …

COCONUT OIL exports by the Philippines are expected to remain weak in 2015 due to the lingering impact of typhoons and a pest attack, while a slow pace of replanting means supply will take at least five years to recover.

MANILA, Philippines – The Center for Global Best Practices invites business owners, management decision makers, HR practitioners, lawyers and all those in outsourcing businesses to attend a one-day pioneering seminar entitled “Best Practices Guide to Valid Job Contracting and Subcontracting” scheduled on April 16, at Edsa Shangri-La Hotel, Mandaluyong City. For details and a complete list of seminars including Best Practices in Crafting HR Policies and Contracts, Best Practices In Crafting Your HR Code of Discipline, A Guide To Valid Dismissal, How To Structure and Compute for Wages and Salaries with the New Tax Exemption Limits, log on to www.cgbp.org or call (02) 842-7148/59 and 556-8968/69; Cebu lines (032) 512-3106 or 07; Baguio line (074) 423-5148; and Legazpi Line (052) 736-0148.