With the government now finalizing the terms of reference for the Edsa Busway privatization, Megawide Construction Corp. —whose unsolicited proposal on the same project had earlier been rejected—isn’t throwing in the towel. It is preparing to participate in the upcoming public bidding for this bus carousel.
For the construction and engineering group led by Edgar Saavedra, Edsa Busway will complement its Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITx) as well as the recently bagged Cavite Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project.
The idea is to improve the bus lanes throughout this major highway, set up proper stations, and pull out all the stops to ease traffic bottlenecks on Edsa.
After exiting the Mactan-Cebu International Airport concession, Saavedra is gung-ho on other infrastructure-building opportunities, particularly the school buildings of the Department of Education and the Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino Housing (4PH) program, the flagship national housing project of the government.
These are the two other areas where Megawide could make a big impact, Saavedra said. —Doris Dumlao-Abadilla
NGCP says it again: China link not a security threat
Sounds like a broken record by now?
Nevertheless, an official of the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) has stressed anew: China’s link is not a national security threat.
Lawmakers have started bombarding NGCP again with rehashed accusations on its ownership issue, creating fears that China allegedly has access to the grid network.
However, NGCP spokesperson Cynthia Alabanza said that while a Chinese executive is the chair of the board, the majority vote still rules.
“Is the [chair] of the board more important? Is his vote heavier than the others? No,” she said.
Six Filipinos have secured seats on the NGCP board, while four are Chinese.
The role of the chair, she noted, was also “within the bounds of law because he’s just a presiding officer.”
Alabanza added that no Chinese national was involved in the company’s day-to-day operations.
China, while a major partner of the Philippines in the economic boom, has been deemed a “bully” amid its aggressive tactics against Filipino fisherfolk and military in the contested West Philippine Sea (WPS).
Does the NGCP understand the perennial angst of lawmakers?
“Filipino rin po ako. Nakakabahala rin po yung isyu sa WPS, kaya ko pong sabihin na wala pong ganoong threat sa loob ng NGCP (I am also a Filipino. WPS is worrisome but I can say that there’s no such threat at NGCP.) Alabanza said. —Lisbet Esmael
Atienza gets agri post
The son of former Manila Mayor Jose “Lito” Atienza Jr. and brother of television personality Kuya Kim, or Alejandro Atienza, has been appointed to lead an agency under the Department of Agriculture (DA).
The DA announced the appointment of Arnold Atienza as the executive director of the Philippine Fiber Industry Development Authority (PhilFIDA), succeeding Evelyn Cagasan.
“Under his leadership, we look forward to innovative solutions, stronger collaborations, and continued progress toward uplifting the Philippine natural fiber sector,” PhilFIDA said in a website post.
Before this, President Marcos appointed Atienza as an acting board member of the Food Terminal Inc.
Atienza served as undersecretary for Government Digital Broadcast Television and the Digitization of the Entertainment Industry Sector, Emerging Technology, Ease of Doing Business, Senior Citizens, Persons with Disability and Special Needs, of the Department of Information and Communications Technology.
Aside from being the Presidential Assistant on Youth and Sports, Atienza was also elected as councilor of Manila.
According to his LinkedIn profile, Atienza earned his Bachelor’s degree from De La Salle University and a master’s degree from the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila. He holds a postgraduate degree from the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy of the National University of Singapore. —Jordeene B. Lagare