Valenzuela mayor thanks PGMA for infra project
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Valenzuela City Mayor Sherwin Gatchalian today lauded President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo for her singular
achievement in infrastructure development, exemplified by the interconnection of North Luzon Expressway
(NLEX)-Circumferential Road 5 (C5) with Mindanao Avenue in Quezon City.
The mayor had occasion to talk to the President during the groundbreaking of the two-hectare Disiplina Village,
a housing project that can accommodate 900 families in Barangay Ugong.
He assisted her in awarding certificates of occupancy to beneficiaries whose houses and shanties on the
Tullahan River banks were swept away at the height of Typhoon Ondoy in September last year.
He said the opening of the NLEX-C5 interconnection, which entails the construction of an on-off ramp in
Barangay Ugong, a part of Valenzuela, will definitely open economic opportunities to his constituents.
The C5-Mindanao Avenue project, he told the President, will cut travel time between Valenzuela City and Metro
Manila. It will thus hasten development, resulting in the creation of jobs and livelihood opportunities.
The President also led the holding of the Common Tao Day in the area by distributing wheelchairs, certificates
of guarantee for dialysis treatment, and medical kits for the 32 barangays of the city.
Also on hand to welcome the President were the mayor’s brother, Rep. Rex Gatchalian, and their father, William
Gatchalian; Northern Police District (NPD) Director Sr. Supt. Samuel Pagdilao; and 1,500 city residents.
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PGMA hosts lunch for San Francisco Committee
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President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today hosted a luncheon at the Palace for the 103-man delegation of the San
Francisco–Manila Sister City Committee, which had been supporting the Philippines in arts, culture, education,
and infrastructure for the past 26 years.
Accompanied to the Palace by Consul General to San Francisco Marciano Paynor Jr., the delegation was
headed by Dennis Normandy, the Civil Service Commissioner of San Francisco City; Presidential adviser Lupita
Aquino-Kashiwahara; tycoon Lucio Tan; and members of the Concepcion family.
During the luncheon, the President thanked the committee for the support it has given the Philippines,
particularly in education and improving literacy, including:
Ø Donating $1 million in cash to assist in the rehabilitation of Intramuros;
Ø Giving a $500,000 grant to Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila for a professorial chair in the restoration of
arts and culture;
Ø Organizing an environmental briefing; and
Ø Signing a memorandum of agreement between a California and Philippine companies for the production,
manufacture of waste management systems.
“This sister city committee is not one of those that come in for political or socio-cultural exchanges alone; it also
has trade and environment projects,” Paynor said.
“The delegation could have been bigger if Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who wanted to be part of it, were not
bogged down at home by budgetary issues,” Paynor stressed.
One of the committee’s long standing program is the Books for the Barrios, which has provided 12 million
books nationwide. The committee has also created 26 centers of excellence in which they brought in educators
who trained trainors to teach local schools, including the Emilio Aguinaldo Elementary School.
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Bidding for $1.2B gas pipeline set for March
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Bidding for the $1.2-billion natural gas pipeline from Batangas to Manila (Batman 1) is set for next month at the
earliest.
Part of the Arroyo administration’s long-term Integrated Natural Gas Infrastructure Project, the 100-kilometer
pipeline will connect Malampaya’s existing Palawan-Batangas gas pipeline to Manila, thus bringing down the
cost of natural gas used by households and the transport sector.
The project is a joint venture among the Philippine National Oil Co. (PNOC), the Abu Dhabi-based conglomerate
Sultan International Holdings (SIH) and its local representative Abacus Consolidated Resources and Holdings,
and Italy-based SAIPEM Eni.
“We hope it will be bidded out before the middle of March this year so we can comply with all the legal
requirements,” said Batangas Rep. Hermilando Mandanas after a courtesy call he made on the President along
with representatives of the project proponents.
“We think the Philippines is a good destination for investment from international sources. We will go through the
terms of this transaction in great detail. As soon as we finish the negotiations, we will, establish the terms of the
investment,” said SIH senior representative Nicholas Clemens.
Because it is an unsolicited proposal, the joint venture’s bid will be subject to the so-called Swiss challenge
from other interested international groups. Already, PTT Public Co. Ltd. of Thailand, Marubeni Corp. of Japan,
Gazprom of Russia, and Petrochina Co. Ltd. of China have evinced interest.
The project, the 140-km Bataan-Manila (Batman 2) pipeline, is still at the feasibility stage.
Aside from constructing Batman 1, the PNOC joint venture entails the establishment of a liquefied natural gas
(LNG) reception terminal and a 600-800 megawatt (MW) power plant, which will run from the estimated 300MW
excess capacity of the Malampaya deep water gas-to-power project.
The Malampaya consortium, which is 10 percent owned by PNOC and 90 percent owned by Shell Phils.
Exploration BV and Chevron Texaco, provides natural gas to three power facilities with a combined capacity of
2,700 MW. These power plants, in turn, provide power to distributor/retailers such as Manila Electric Co.
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Social health insurance now covers 70M Filipinos
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More than 85 percent or 70 million of the country’s population are now covered by health insurance, thanks to
the expanded value added tax which is funding this very important social service.
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said the money sourced from EVAT finance health insurance coverage,
particularly of indigent families in far-flung communities.
In a speech delivered at the 15th anniversary of the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) and in the
observance of the National Health Insurance Month at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay
City, the President announced that normal child delivery is now covered by PhilHealth insurance.
This, she said, is aimed at encouraging more mothers to give birth at hospitals and ensure that every child born
is taken care off by medical practitioners.
The President said she has no regrets in implementing EVAT, no matter how unpopular it is.
“It is the right thing to do to serve the people. Just see all the people now with PhilHealth insurance funded by
our EVAT,” she said and thanked lawmakers for helping her pass that important bill.
“We have made progress in many areas but more needs to be done. We must continue hands-on governance
until we leave office. And I trust that you in PhilHealth will never lose sight of your target of universal coverage,”
she added.
Dr. Rey Aquino, PhilHealth president and chief executive officer, said the 85 percent Filipino population covered
by health insurance is a milestone in social health insurance.
To date, PhilHealth members are entitled to a wide range of benefits including allowances for hospital room
and board fees from P300 to P1,100 per day up to 45 days per year; drug and medicines from P2,700 to P40,
000 and allowances for X-ray and other laboratory examinations from P1,600 to P30,000 per single period of
confinement; use of operating room complex and even professional fees of attending physicians.
Over 1,600 hospitals are now accredited with PhilHealth while more than 20,000 doctors, dentists and midwives
are similarly accredited to provide services along quality standards.
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