17 Years in the Making: Full Airline Operations at NAIA T3 by July 31

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Seventeen (17) years after the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) awarded the concession agreement for the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 project, the modern passenger terminal building (PTB) will finally be ready for full airline operations this coming July 31st.

“We are extremely pleased to confirm that full airline operations will begin at NAIA Terminal 3 next week. Our gateway airport will now be able to welcome 3.5 million more passengers with modern facilities every year, and Terminal 1 will now be considerably decongested to improve passenger convenience,” DOTC Secretary Jun Abaya stated.

“The Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) has informed us that Delta Airlines will have its first flight out of Terminal 3 on August 1st, while KLM Royal Dutch Airlines will move within the first week of August. Singapore Airlines, Emirates, and Cathay Pacific will follow suit by the end of next month. These five carriers have the highest volume of international flights coming in and out of NAIA, so we look forward to giving them a new home,” Abaya added.

This project was awarded in 1997, for supposed completion in 2002. Legal issues related to its bidding process mired the project, however, delaying its opening until 2008, and even then it was only 52% operational. Faced with this situation, then-DOTC Secretary Mar Roxas initiated talks with Terminal 3’s original contractor, Takenaka Corporation of Japan, to complete its facilities regardless of the ongoing cases.

Lipa City: A City for All Seasons

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The city named after a tree called “Dendrocnide meyeniana”, which is now commonly known as the lipa tree, is one of the emerging thoughtfully-planned commercial and industrial cities in the Southern Tagalog region. Recently, Lipa’s nickname as the “City of All Seasons” came about because of the locale’s cool weather, environmental consciousness, and because of the city’s 3-time mayor, now governor of Batangas province. Lipa City’s important and influential status dates back to the Spanish colonial era due to a flourishing coffee industry. This made Lipa the richest municipality in the Philippines. On October 21, 1887, the Queen Regent Maria Christina, who was acting in behalf of King Alfonso XIII, elevated it into a city. It was given the name Villa de Lipa. It was returned into a municipality in 1895, only to be once again declared a city on June 20, 1947 under the young Republic of the Philippines.

Now, Lipa City is a fast emerging key city in the province, becoming a major institutional/administrative center, medical center, commercial center, financial center, agro-industrial center and residential center.

Recently, the influx of business process outsourcing (BPO) firms, such as call centers, has contributed much to the growth of the local economy. BPO sites are scattered throughout the city, which ranked 6th out of 10 in the Top 10 next wave cities of 2010 named by the Commission of Information and Communication Technology (ICCT). This earned Lipa another nickname as the “Next Wave City.”

As a residential location, Lipa has much to offer to young urbanites and executives, starting and expanding families, leisure farmers, horticultural hobbyists, retirees and balikbayans.

Traveling to Lipa City is Now a Breeze

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Traveling to the city known as the “Little Rome of the Philippines” is now easier and faster with the road improvements in the Southern Tagalog region. The SLEX extension or the Toll Road 3 connects the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) to the Southern Tagalog Arterial Road Tollway (STAR Tollway), cutting down travel time by bypassing the usually congested Maharlika Highway. Motorists can now reach Lipa City exit in a matter of minutes from SLEX.

As a bastion of the Catholic faith, Lipa City is home to several Catholic churches, convents, seminaries, catholic schools, and retreat houses. Lipa hosts an annual national Marian Pilgrimage at Our Lady, Mediatrix of All Grace Parish Church, which has become a year-round destination for Catholics and other pilgrims. The Archdiocese of Lipa, whose seat is at the landmark San Sebastian Cathedral, serves the faithful in the province of Batangas.

Lipa is one area that still offers spacious residential farm lots for young urbanites and executives, starting and expanding families, leisure farmers, horticultural hobbyists, retirees and balikbayans. Tierra Maria Estates, located at the heart of Lipa City, offers affordable lots, and a unique opportunity to build a dream home close to nature. With only 320 lots, Tierra Maria Estates, with residential estate farm lots that range from 750 to 1200 sq. meters, is designed to be a neighborhood with a serene environment that is very well within the reach of everyday comforts.