Construction of South East Metro Manila Expressway Project to Start In April 2018

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Traveling from Quezon City to Taguig in just 35 minutes will soon become a reality with the construction of the Southeast Metro Manila Expressway (SEMME) finally underway.

Earlier today, the Department of Transportation - Toll Regulatory Board (DOTr-TRB), in partnership with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), led the groundbreaking and time capsule laying for the first phase of the SEMME or the C-6 Expressway Project. Construction is targeted to start in April 2018, however, Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade instructed concessionaire San Miguel Corp. to start the construction sooner.

“We hope to start construction in April 2018, but Secretary Tugade wants us to start earlier. What we can say is that we will do our best to make this possible at the soonest possible time,” SMC Engineer Norberto Conti said during the briefing of the SEMME project.

The transport chief regarded the C-6 Expressway project as a project that was made possible with the full cooperation and support of concerned national and local government agencies and the private sector.

“Ngayon, nagpupulong tayo para maisakatuparan ang pangarap ng taumbayan na mapasimulan itong C-6 expressway project. Ang mensahe natin ngayong umaga — nagawa ang proyektong ito dahil united at buo ang gabinete ng Pangulo,” Tugade said.

The SEMME project is a 34.024-kilometer, six-lane, combined elevated and at-grade expressway with two directional traffic flow. It will start in the south with a connection to the existing Skyway Stage 1 in FTI, Taguig City, and would terminate in Batasan Complex in Quezon City. It will eventually connect to the North Luzon Expressway via Balagtas.

Aside from decongesting roads in Manila and Quezon City, particularly major road networks such as EDSA, C-5, Ortigas Avenue, and its extension, SEMME shall likewise provide commuters and motorists fast and direct access by South and Southeast, as well as Metro Manila inter-city travelers, to major international and domestic airports.

Once completed, travel time from Bicutan, Taguig to Batasan, Quezon City will be reduced to only 35 minutes.

Phase 1 of the project is targeted to be completed in 2020.

Department of Public Works and Highway (DPWH) Secretary Mark Villar, meanwhile, said the Build,Build,Build team “will work 24/7 to make the project possible.”

“Abangan ninyo po ang sunod-sunod na ground-breaking ceremonies this year. These are infrastructure projects that will lead to the accomplishment of the Build, Build, Build vision, soon,” Villar said.

For her part, Taguig City Mayor Lani Cayetano lauded the efforts of the Build,Build,Build team in making the long-awaited C-6 project a reality.

“It appears our hope and aspirations are now a tangible reality. I am excited for our fellow Filipinos who will soon take advantage of this expressway project that will surely boost connectivity and mobility here in Metro Manila,” the Taguig local chief executive said.

The groundbreaking ceremony was also attended by Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) President and CEO Vince Dizon, and Antipolo City Mayor Jun Ynares.

Embracing Both the Positive and Negative Aspects of Life

Wazzup Pilipinas!

So when people say they just want positive vibes and avoid toxic news, it's like saying they prefer to live a one-sided life only.

When we avoid the negativities, we shut ourselves from experiencing the real world, and miss the opportunity to offer solutions to the issues.

Yeah, maybe we just don't want to add more to our own problems, but the world and its problems should also be our concern.

This world we call Earth, or let us say we limit it to our own country, requires the cooperation of every resident to survive. We are always in the brink of a disaster if we continue to ignore our social responsibility.

This is why we believe that it is important to get ourselves involved by also knowing the faults, irregularities, shortcomings and other unsatisfactory traits, so we could properly come up with the right solution. But please do understand that we could only share our findings once we've fully confirmed them as true.

We need to be inquisitive enough to ask all the necessary questions, but also be able to offer our recommendations, and be man enough to apologize if we made a mistake.

Sometimes people just need to know that others are watching their every move so they would work diligently, and not abuse their perks and privileges.

But not to the extent of being paranoid or panicky, that we lose our sense of enjoying life as we deem fit and necessary. Itbis true that we could not save the world on our own, but we could at least try to share our part in nation-building.

All would probably be alright if each one of us have at least one advocacy focused on certain aspects of bringing back the glory of nature, deconstructing our badly-designed civilization, making efforts to eat and promote healthier food, educating the misinformed or less knowledgeable, or any other form of sustainable activities to reshape our world into its better form.

#WazzupPilipinas #PambansangBlogger

Non-profit Group Maps Out Activities for 2018; Kick Offs ‘Bayanihan’ Year with Youth Forum

Wazzup Pilipinas!

To sustain its thrust in youth development and nation-building through volunteerism, non-profit group I am Making A Difference, Inc. (I am M.A.D.), is mapping out a solid slate of activities for 2018.

I am M.A.D., a national finalist in the on-going 15th Search for the Ten Accomplished Youth Organizations (TAYO) Awards, in partnership with the Philippine National Volunteer Service Coordinating Agency (PNVSCA) and One Meralco Foundation, Inc., will kick off the bayanihan year by hosting for the second time its national youth forum event dubbed “M.A.D. Talks: Nagmahal. Nasaktan. Nagvolunteer. REPEAT!” to be held on Jan. 13, Saturday, 1 to 5 PM at the Meralco Mini-Theater, Pasig City.

Christian Marx Rivero, co-founder and Chairman of I am Making A Difference, Inc. said the forum will gather over 150 youth participants all over the country, including student leaders, educators, young professionals and other members of the volunteering community who will get a chance to connect, listen, and learn from the inspirational stories of resource speakers and successful volunteers.

As the ‘Grand Feast of Volunteers’ and a celebration of the Filipino culture of bayanihan, M.A.D. Talks seeks to promote participation, development and unity among the youth sector and to encourage people to become more proactive members of their communities and make volunteerism as a way of life.



The millennial-driven group will also be launching its new website, as well as ‘Call for Volunteers,’ a multimedia promotional material designed to further spread the gospel of active volunteerism and selflessness through the collective passion and nationwide advocacy to mobilize local youth of I am M.A.D..

Rivero also added that these youth leaders can further hone their leadership potentials by joining their M.A.D. Camps, a series of 15 outreach activities to be held in different parts of the country this 2018. These M.A.D. Camp areas will likewise be announced during the forum through a ‘MADgical’ segment featuring the Impossibros, a new generation of young and hip Filipino magicians that promises to bring a new spin to classic and powerful magic.

For interested parties, visit I am M.A.D. FB page: facebook.com/IamMakingADifference, contact Oyam Mendoza at 0915-782-2626 or email to iammadph@gmail.com.