Apr 082014
 
US Embassy closed April 9 for Araw ng Kagitingan

By Matikas SantosINQUIRER.net 2:31 pm | Tuesday, April 8th, 2014 US Embassy in Manila, Philippines. AP FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines – The United States (US) Embassy in the Philippines will be closed on Wednesday in observance of Araw ng Kagitingan (Day of Valor). “The US Embassy in Manila and its affiliated offices will be closed to the public on Wednesday, April 9, 2014, in observance of Araw ng Kagitingan, or Day of Valor, a Philippine holiday,” the Embassy said in a statement Tuesday. “The US joins the Philippines in honoring the sacrifices and heroism of Filipino and American soldiers who fought in World War II, particularly those who fought in Bataan, in defense of freedom and democracy,” it said. The Embassy and its affiliated offices will resume services on Thursday, April 10. RELATED STORIES: Free MRT, LRT rides for veterans this week US Embassy closed January 20 for Martin Luther King Jr. Day Follow Us Other Stories: Law expert: China’s actions may spur US-PH defense treaty Filipinos, other Asians top success index in US PH gov’t has other options to address sea dispute with China—Palace Obama, Aquino to tackle defense, China during state visit Recent Stories: Complete stories on our Digital Edition newsstand for tablets, netbooks and mobile phones; 14-issue free trial. About to step out? Get breaking alerts on your mobile.phone. Text ON INQ BREAKING to 4467, for Globe, Smart and Sun subscribers in the Philippines. Tags: Araw ng Kagitingan , Day of Valor , United States , US Read More …

Oct 232013
 
Conglomerates renew interest in LRT 1 expansion

MANILA, Philippines – The country’s top conglomerates have expressed renewed interest in participating in the country’s largest Public-Private Partnership (PPP) project to date following the government’s move to revise the concession deal. San Miguel Corp. (SMC), Metro Pacific Investments Corp. (MPIC), DMCI Holdings Inc. and Ayala Corp. are now looking to bid for the previously failed auction of the P60-billion Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT 1) Cavite extension project, executives said. “We will look at what the conditions are but the revised terms look good,” DMCI chief finance officer Herbert Consunji said in a phone interview. “Yes, we would,” MPIC chief finance officer David Nicol said in a text message when asked if the Pangilinan-led infrastructure conglomerate will join the LRT 1 bidding anew. SMC president and chief operating officer Ramon S. Ang said the diversified conglomerate is also interested in the LRT 1 project. Early this week, Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya said the agency revised the concession agreement for LRT 1. The changes addressed five major issues: real property tax, power rates, warranty on the structure, fare adjustments, and the negative bid. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 “We’re just waiting for government to reissue the new bid documents,” Noel Eli Kintanar, executive vice-president of the Ayala conglomerate’s AC Infrastructure Holdings Corp., said yesterday. “I think [the revision] addresses many of the issues that led the bidders not to put in a bid,” Kintanar said. In August, only MPIC submitted a bid without partner Read More …