DoE’s e-trike project for LGUs draws 20 potential bidders

THE DEPARTMENT of Energy (DoE) has drawn strong interest from potential suppliers for the first-quarter auction of 3,000 electric-powered tricycles, an official said.

“Local and international investors have expressed interest in the project,” Energy Undersecretary Donato D. Marcos said in a phone interview.

“There are 20 companies that are inclined to participate since we announced the planned bidding last year,” he added.

Mr. Marcos said the international firms are from Germany, the Czech Republic, China, Japan and Taiwan.

“The number is actually overwhelming and we hope the interest will convert into bids once we issue the documents,” he said.

Mr. Marcos said earlier this week that the agency is awaiting final clearance from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) before proceeding to issue bid documents.

The electric tricycle (e-trike) project -- a joint undertaking of the DoE and ADB -- aims to replace some 100,000 gasoline-powered tricycles by 2017.

The ADB provided financing of $300 million for the $504-million project. The government will fund $99 million, and the Clean Technology Fund, $105 million.

The bid is targeted for this quarter, while awarding will likely take place in the second quarter, said Mr. Marcos.

He earlier assured that the selection of e-trike manufacturers will follow a competitive bidding process.

“We are more strict with the requirements this time because we want really qualified bidders for the successful implementation of the project,” Mr. Marcos had said.

The winning bidder -- which will need to be endorsed to the ADB before awarding -- will be given three months to deliver the first 1,200 e-trikes and then the remaining 1,800 within six months.

This new round of auction will be the second time the government will attempt to move forward with the long-delayed e-trike project.

The first round held in August last year received offers from four foreign companies: Lirica Rising Sun & Shoyo-Terra Group (from Japan); Uzushio Electric Co. Ltd. (Japan); Eco One Co. (South Korea); and Teco Electric & Machinery Co. Ltd. (Taiwan).

However, the awarding did not materialize after the local government units (LGUs) that were supposed to take the e-trike units failed to meet a “stringent requirement” of the Land Bank of the Philippines (Landbank).

Energy Secretary Carlos Jericho L. Petilla said in November that an off-taker of the e-trike should have the “seal of good housekeeping” -- a certification given by the Department of Interior and Local Government to recognize good governance among LGUs.

In order to secure the “seal of good housekeeping,” an LGU is judged based a set of standards that include good planning, sound fiscal management, transparency and accountability.

As a result, the DoE decided to conduct another round of bids to include Landbank-accredited cooperatives as possible off-takers of the e-trikes.

source:  Businessworld

Nueva Vizcaya eyes ICRISAT ICT program; Smart, Globe to help farmers

HYDERABAD, India – Nueva Vizcaya Gov. Ruth Padilla is hoping to tap local telecoms giants Smart and Globe to help launch the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics’ (ICRISAT) ICT innovations for agriculture, specifically its Green SIM and Green Phablet for smallholder farmers.

According to recently retired ICRISAT director general Dr. William Dar, who just completed an unprecedented three-terms spanning 15 years as head of  the India-based ICRISAT, Gov. Padilla plans to enlist the cooperation of Smart and Globe to implement an ICT innovations for agriculture program specially created by ICRISAT’s IT expert Dr. Dileepkumar Guntuku.

Gov. Padilla had recently visited ICRISAT’s facilities in this southern Indian province to learn about the science-based work being done by ICRISAT which could be used and applied to help Nueva Vizcaya’s farmers.

Additionally, Dr. Dar said, Gov. Padilla also expressed keen interest in ICRISAT’s irrigation system called Bhoochetana that would help address farm water requirements especially during the dry summer months.

Dr. Guntuku and his team in ICRISAT have developed a Knowledge Sharing and Innovation (KSI) program that is aimed at transforming research results into data, information and education services that could be shared to smallholder farmers through the quickest and latest technology offered by cellphones and tablets with the growing availability of broadband services even in rural areas.

According to Dr. Guntuku, who is fondly tagged as ICRISAT’s own Bill Gates, the traditional means of disseminating agricultural data, information and assistance through agricultural extension workers has shown its limitations in reaching smallholders farmers located in a widespread area and in a timely manner.

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On the other hand, with the increasing  availability of cellphones and tablets and broadband services in rural and even remote areas, research data and information gathered by ICRISAT could now be more easily shared with farmers.

Through several platforms, Dr. Guntuku explained, ICRISAT could share open data and knowledge solutions as well as ICT-mediated extension systems and capacity building activities.

Farmers could access ICRISAT’s research and data primarily through KSIConnect-http://ksiconnect.icrisat.org/ – which highlight the most interesting projects, cutting edge research and fascinating success stories in the form of open information and education video resources, face-to-face virtual training and learning sessions and virtual expert-farmer interactions.

Talks by experts are also live streamed and recorded for offline viewing.

An AgEd Open Courseware platform offers a research infused curriculum providing lifelong learning opportunities to students, faculty members, extension agents and smallholder farmers.

Likewise KSI also offers farmers and other stakeholders its open access and open data repositories which hold numerous publication and records and enable access to open data to the global community.

The Green Phablet powered by the Green SIM is an ICT mediated extension system (with mobile and web apps, voice advisory services, participatory video extension methods) which brings out the best of affordable technologies, knowledge solution, availability of quality inputs, credit and insurance at the doorstep of smallholder farmers.

However, the Green SIM and Green Phablet, Dr. Guntuku emphasized, must be anchored on a public-private partnership that would involve private telcos, the government, NGOs, civil society organizations and the smallholder farmers.

Inang Lupa

With his retirement from ICRISAT as of Dec. 31, 2014, Dr. Dar is now hoping to bring his knowledge and 15 years of experience in ICRISAT to the Philippines and help transform the agriculture sector.

Losing no time at all, Dr. Dar has already set up a social advocacy group called Inang Lupa or Mother Earth, that would help draft an agriculture roadmap that could hopefully be implemented sometime in the future.

Joining forces with Dr. Dar in Inang Lupa are Vicente “Sonny” Domingo and  Dr. Zosimo Battad, with a council of advisers that include Tony Meloto and Dr. Santiago Obien.

Inang Lupa’s four pillars, Dr. Dar said, would be inclusive, resilient, science-based and market-oriented agriculture.

In drafting an agriculture roadmap, Dr. Dar stressed the need to ask the question if farmers are benefitting from the economic growth.

Additionally, he also sees the need to work with legislators in crafting or revising laws that would make agriculture truly inclusive.

A consultative process, likewise, Dr. Dar said, is also crucial to include the farmers’ inputs.

source:  Philippine Star

          

Makati City opens satellite payment centers for realty taxes in 31 barangays

Payment of realty taxes has been made easier for property owners in Makati starting this January because the city government will open satellite tax payment centers on scheduled dates in 31 barangays of the city, excluding two disputed barangays.

City treasurer Nelia Barlis said the centers, electronically linked to the Realty Tax Division at City Hall, will accept payments starting yesterday, Jan. 5, in the barangay halls of Urdaneta and Bel-Air, followed by other barangays on designated dates until Jan. 16.

“Each satellite payment center will be open from 9am to 4pm to serve real property taxpayers. We urge all concerned citizens to note the date when the service will be available at the nearest barangay hall for their convenience,” Barlis said.

The city official said previously, the service was available in 14 barangays only. “We expect our clients to be pleased with the increased accessibility of RPT payment centers. They can just go to their own barangay hall for the transaction instead of going to the next nearest barangay hall or all the way to city hall,” she said.

For District I, the operation of satellite tax payment centers is scheduled as follows: Jan. 5, Urdaneta and Bel-Air; Jan. 6, Bel-Air and Dasmariñas; Jan. 7, Dasmariñas and Magallanes; Jan. 8, Magallanes and San Lorenzo; and Jan. 9, San Lorenzo and Forbes Park. 

The following Monday, Jan. 12, realty taxpayers can avail themselves of the service at their respective barangay halls as follows: Jan. 12 (Pio del Pilar, Bangkal, San Isidro, Palanan and San Antonio); Jan. 13 (La Paz, Sta. Cruz, Singkamas, Tejeros, Kasilawan); Jan. 14 (Carmona, Olympia, Valenzuela, Poblacion, Guadalupe Viejo); Jan. 15 (Guadalupe Nuevo, Pinagkaisahan, Pitogo, Cembo, South Cembo); and Jan. 16 (West Rembo, East Rembo, Comembo, Pembo, Rizal).

Taxpayers only need to present their previous receipt when making the payment. Each transaction usually takes a maximum of four minutes, and an electronic receipt is issued immediately upon payment.

Makati offers a 10 percent discount on realty taxes paid on an annual basis, and five percent for quarterly payments made during the first 20 days of the quarter. However, annual realty tax payments made after March will be charged an eight percent penalty, while late quarterly payments will incur a penalty of two percent per month. 

RPT collection starts on the first working day of January until Jan. 20. The succeeding quarterly payments shall be made until April 20 (second quarter), July 20 (third quarter, and Oct. 20 (fourth quarter).

source:  The Daily Tribune

Village official seeks regulation of ‘Ilocos black gold’ harvest

A village official is seeking the regulation of gamet (called Nori in Japan) gathering in Burgos, Ilocos Norte, to ensure abundant harvest all year-round.

Village Chairman Joegie Jimenez of Poblacion, Burgos, Ilocos Norte, said residents here take pride in their high-valued gamet—a popular red seaweed which is abundant in the coastal waters of Burgos town during the months of November to March.

However, without proper regulation, this may become extinct in the future should gamet gatherers fail to safeguard their very own product which has been one of the residents’ sources of livelihood for years now.

Though the gathering of this wild seaweed is a high-risk occupation since it exposes gatherers to dangerous crags and rough waters, hundreds of families in this coastal town derived their livelihood from gathering and processing wild porphyria sold in the market at P350 to P500 per square foot.

Popularly known as “Ilocos black gold,” gamet originating from this municipality is a favorite pasalubong among Ilocano balikbayan where they buy in bulk orders from gamet gatherers themselves or to wholesale traders.

Over the years, it has been observed that more and more residents including those from neighboring towns are joining gamet gatherers in Burgos because of its lucrative income. It turned out, however, that the production of this high-priced local commodity is becoming less due to the gathering of gamet even if these are still small and not in full growth.

In view of this, Jimenez suggested that local officials must step up measure and enact an ordinance seeking to regulate gamet gathering until it is in full growth. In previous years, the same local ordinance was proposed at the Sangguniang Bayan through Jimenez but this was disapproved by majority of the town council.

Under the proposed ordinance, there shall be designated areas where gamet gatherers can gather for a certain period of time to allow the full growth of gamet until it is ready for harvest.

But according to some residents, gamet grows naturally in Burgos coastal waters and that they should not be prohibited to gather what they call as “God’s abundant blessings.”

PNA

source:  Business Mirror

P2-b modern city rises in Palayan

PALAYAN CITY, Nueva Ecija—Work was set to start next month on a P2 billion modern “city within a city” government center here, which officials described as the single biggest project of the province in years, Mayor Adrianne Mae Cuevas said on Friday.

She said the Palayan City Business Hub (PCBH) will be a one-stop shop government center and commercial area with modern buildings and a 7,500 square meters central plaza, which will serve a main activity center.

“The center is located on a 3.4 hectare site in Barangay Singalat donated by the city,” Cuevas said.

The PCBH will rise next to the provincial capitol and the Palayan City Hall. Offices of government agencies will be transferred here from Cabanatuan City to make it easy for people to transact business with the government.  

The project is a joint venture agreement between the provincial government and Alloy MTD, a Malaysian conglomerate. They will erect four multi-story buildings  with state-of-the-art facilities.

Cuevas said the provincial government has obtained the approval of the Energy Regulatory Commission to connect directly with the Luzon grid to ensure stable and sufficient power.

“The project will generate 13,000 jobs, including 10,000 call center agents in two  BPO (business processing outsourcing buildings,” she said.

Alloy MTD, which operates in 13 countries including the US and China has been credited with building world-class government centers patterened after Putrajaya, a planned city and federal administrative center 25 kms south of Kuala Lumpur.

Putrajaya, which features a network of open spaces and wide boulevards, was constructed in 1995 at a cost of $8.1 billion, the biggest project in Malaysia and one of the biggest in Southeast Asia.

Alloy MTD projects in the Philippines include construction of the P3.9 billion South Luzon Expressway and the P2.5 billion Calabarzon Regional Government Center.

source:  Manila Standard

Manila Water’s Toka Toka program seeks to revive NCR rivers

REVIVING the rivers that navigate the East Zone in the Metro Manila area will help enliven the waterways if the local government units (LGUs) within the concession will apply power in support of the program, an official of the Ayala-owned Manila Water said.

The cities and municipalities that the Pasig, Marikina and San Juan rivers cross can pass and enforce ordinances as their participation in Toka Toka Para sa Malinis na Ilog, said Fernando Busuego III, Manila Water Branding and Market Research head.

He cited as example the city government of Marikina that has inked an ordinance on the desludging of used water by households and business establishments.

“That’s how the LGUs can help us,” Busuego told the BusinessMirror. “With ordinances and information, we can work hand in hand.” The LGUs can come up with means to help raise public awareness on the advantage of the proper disposal of water from the bathroom, kitchen sink and laundry, he said.

“People may not know where the water goes after using it,” Busuego said. “It goes to the river and becomes one of the causes for its pollution.”

Septic tanks tend to overflow over time into the ground, drainage system and eventually, the river, he said.

About 58 percent of groundwater is contaminated with coliform bacteria that originate from feces, said Agos, the official magazine of Manila Water, in its April to June 2014 edition.

According to the publication, 31 percent of major diseases, including diarrhea, typhoid fever, cholera, amoebiasis, leptospirosis and hepatitis A, are caused by organisms that thrive in polluted water.

Treatment is required before waste water is drained to the rivers and waterways to control water pollution and in the end, revive them, Busuego said.

He pointed out the pollution of the rivers and waterways by used water is exacerbated by the solid waste wantonly dumped by communities. Due to social indifference to the environment, 13 sacks of garbage are thrown into the rivers and waterways in Metro Manila every minute, equivalent to 330,000 tons of solid waste a year, Busuego said.

Sixty percent of water pollution comes from domestic sources, he said.

LGUs can intensify their campaign on garbage segregation, encourage and facilitate households to desludge their septic tank every five to seven years and connect to the sewer line.

Through the sewer line, used water is transported to treatment plants before they end up into the rivers and waterways.

Since 2012, the Manila Water has built 38 sewage treatment plants, two septage treatment plants (SpTP) across the concession area, and desludged a total of 1,005,128 households, he said.

The two SpTPs have a combined treatment capacity of 1,400 cubic meters of human waste a day. The company also has a fleet of 78 desludging tankers deployed to siphon domestic septic tanks, Busuego said. The septage collected from household septic tanks are transported to the septage-treatment plants. But not a single group can achieve the goal of Toka Toka, he said.  LGUs should take its toka by coming up with means to help revive the rivers.

“No one can do it alone,” he said. “That’s why we call the program Toka Toka.”

LGUs can help educate the public on the importance and utility of water treatment in the rehabilitation of rivers, Busuego said.

They can also relocate informal settlers along riverbanks, who dump all sorts of waste into the water, to “agreeable sites,” he said. The communities, as their toka, should segregate their solid waste, desludge septic tanks every five to seven years, and connect to the sewer line, Busuego said.

The LGUs should also pave way for the construction of sewer lines in their jurisdiction, he said. The existing sewer line covers 23 percent of the East Zone. Manila Water is constructing to extend the line to cover more.

The success of Toka Toka lies in the understanding and participation of all stakeholders, including the government, private sector, and civil society, Busuego said.

“We have to be partners to save the environment,” he said. “It’s for the future generations because we cannot immediately see the benefits to our rivers.”

“We are laying the groundwork so that in the future our rivers will be alive again,” Busuego said. “It is possible over time. There were highly polluted rivers in other countries that were brought back to life.” A polluted river in the industrialized city of Brisbane, Australia was revived through government laws and ordinances and the participation of the communities and other stakeholders, he said.

source:  Business Mirror