July 16 - 31 , 2016 PHILIPPINE ASIAN NEWS TODAY BUSINESS NEWS B3
P10-B cargo rail system gets go-ahead
Private proponents can start work on the P10-billion cargo rail system linking Manila ’ s ports to inland container facilities in Calamba , Laguna once they iron out three “ minor items ” which the government requested to be included in the project , MRail President and CEO Ferdinand G . Inacay told reporters yesterday .
MRail , a subsidiary of Manila Electric Co . ( Meralco ), has partnered with Enrique Razon Jr .’ s International Container Terminal Services , Inc . ( ICTSI ) for the cargo rail project .
The former is shelling out P2.7 billion for the initial phase to cover the cost of 8 locomotives , 120 flat wagons , construction of the depots and tracks inside the ports .
However , the company needs to sort out three additional items – “ not show-stoppers ,” he noted , including the repair of the Philippine National Railways ’ ( PNR ) railway tracks and bridges which are part of the 57-kilometer cargo rail system .
PNR owns the tracks and portions of the railway and the bridges need to be rehabilitated , the MRail President disclosed . However , he is confident that the issue will be addressed within one hundred days .
ICSTI operated the cargo trains transporting containers from the port of Manila to Laguna using PNR ’ s tracks from 1998 until it was discontinued in 2003 .
Heeding importers ’ and exporters ’ call for efficient movement of goods , MRail submitted the railway cargo system project in 2015 to the previous administration . Unfortunately , they were caught in the election ban .
Late last year , MRail , in principle , entered into a Track Usage Agreement ( TUA ) with PNR to restore the connectivity between the south in Calamba and Port of Manila .
The agreement outlines the payment of Track Access Fees ( TAF ), train schedules , and the use of the railways and operating facilities as well as the manner of their maintenance , rehabilitation and development .
The railway cargo project will entail rehabilitating the existing PNR tracks , restoring the Tutuban to the Port of Manila tracks that traverse through the center of C . M . Recto Avenue and the construction of the stabling yard in Calamba for the container trains .
It will take two years to implement the project inasmuch as it takes 24 months before the trains could be delivered . Hence , if proponents start in the first quarter of 2017 , the freight rail service can be operational by 2018 .
This will ease port congestion in Manila and speed up the flow of cargoes into a central trans-shipment hub connected from the port , closer to inland destinations .
The railway cargo project has a huge potential , with over 200,000 companies engaged in exports and imports along its route .
It can boost the country ’ s competitiveness as the ASEAN region integrates , creating a seamless port to industrial zones and industrial zones to port cargo movement .
Significantly , MRail is also looking at other unsolicited PPPs , such as the Mindanao Rail project which will cater to both cargo and passengers . ( E . Abadilla , mb )
Digital ads boosting ABS-CBN revenues
ABS-CBN Corp . is looking to grow its revenues from digital advertisements by 50 percent next year amid various initiatives launched to tap opportunities in the digital space .
“ We have to grow no less than 50 percent ( in revenues from digital advertisements ) for next year ,” ABS-CBN chief digital officer Donald Lim said during the media firm ’ s digital trade event yesterday .
The company ’ s revenues from digital advertisements are currently growing 30 percent per year , but account for less than one percent or P200 million of ABS-CBN ’ s total revenues .
In line with the aim of harnessing opportunities in digital marketing , ABS-CBN has rolled out the Digital Marketing Periodic Table of Elements to serve as a guide for advertisers in creating digital campaigns .
The chemistry-inspired Digital Marketing Periodic Table of Elements provides the digital tools all advertisers can use to come up with more powerful and effective campaigns .
“ Digital marketing is more than websites and social media . It is more than just creating ads for online . With the Digital Marketing Periodic Table of Elements , advertisers have a clearer and wider look of the available digital tools and how they can piece them together , create their own tailor-fit formulas for campaigns that strategically reach and effectively engage their target audiences ,” Lim said .
Apart from the Digital Marketing Periodic Table of Elements , ABS-CBN has earlier developed an array of platforms and services to enable the company to take advantage of opportunities in the digital space .
Among the platforms is the multi-channel network on YouTube called Chicken Pork Adobo which features Filipino content creators in the country and abroad .
ABS-CBN has also previously launched its own celebrity social media marketing agency called Stellar , which helps brands find the perfect endorsers and
WWW . PHILIPPINEASIANNEWSTODAY . COM
PNT Foreign Exchange $ 1.00 Cdn = P35.78 Php $ 1.00 US = P 47.17 € 1.00 EUR = P 51.87 ₤ 1.00 GBP = P 61.92 D1.00 BHD = P 125.02 R1.00 SAR = P 12.58 ¥ 1.00 JPY = P 0.45
puts a fair market value to social posts being made by the firm ’ s talents .
Other digital platforms made available by ABS-CBN are One Music PH , a music hub showcasing up and coming Filipino artists ; Kaleidoscope which is ABS-CBN ’ s programmatic solutions arm ; and the digital newsstand called NoInk .
ABS-CBN is also offering content online through its TFC . tv and iWant TV video-on-demand websites and on mobile via ABS- CBNmobile .
The company is primarily involved in TV and radio broadcasting as well as in the production of TV and radio programming for domestic and international audiences .
It likewise has business interests in merchandising and licensing ; mobile and online multimedia services ; glossy magazine publishing ; video and audio post production ; overseas telecommunication services ; money remittance ; cargo forwarding ; TV shopping services ; theme park development and management ; property management ; and food and restaurant services .
As of the first quarter , its net income reached P761 million , 34 percent higher than the P569 million it earned in the same period in 2015 .( L . Desiderio , PS )
Pres . Duterte endorses craftsmanship of Marikina footwear
The Marikina shoe industry got a shot in the arm after President Rodrigo Duterte endorsed the local products for its worldclass craftsmanship .
The President proudly showed off his new custom boots , a present from a shoemaker family in Marikina , before some Cabinet members in Malacañang on Wednesday .
“ May nagpadala nito — babae . Sabi niya ginawa ng tatay niya sa Marikina . [ A woman sent this pair of shoes . She said it was made by her father in Marikina ],” the President said in Filipino in a video clip provided by the Palace .
Duterte took off one shoe and showed his Cabinet men how well his new tan boots were well made by a local shoemaker .
He even pointed out Filipino shoemakers are so talented that foreigners buy these locally made shoes , put their brands , and resell them . “ Sa craftsmanship , number one ang Pilipino . [ When it comes to craftsmanship , the Filipinos are number one ],” he added .
Apart from making quality shoes , Duterte said Filipinos are creative furniture makers too . “ Even sa furniture , walang makakatalo sa Pilipino . [ Even in furniture , nobody can beat Filipinos ],” he added . ( G . Kabiling , mb )