DOTr, SETSCO to roll out modern PUVs

Wazzup Pilipinas!

In its relentless effort to provide quality, safe, environment friendly and affordable public transport, the Department of Transportation (DOTr), through the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB), gave green light to the Senate Employees Transport Service Cooperative (SETSCO) to roll out their new public utility jeepneys (PUJs), that are compliant under the PUV Modernization Program.

On Monday afternoon, 18 June 2018, 15 out of the total 35 modern PUJ units, which will ply the route of StarCity/CCP to PICC, GSIS/Senate to MOA to PITX and back, will initially be launched.

DOTr Undersecretary for Road Transport and Infrastructure Tim Orbos and LTRFB Chairman Martin Delgra III are expected to be joined by Senate President Vicente Sotto, Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri, Senators Aquilino Pimentel Jr. and Sherwin Gatchalian during the launch.

SETSCO is composed of 22 operators headed by its Chairperson Remedios Venturina, and is among the 3 pre-selected cooperatives to participate in the initial implementation of the PUVMP. 

The pre-selection was made by the Office of the Transport Cooperative (OTC), whose recommendation was based on the cooperative’s good standing, financial capability, and its established management structure.

SETSCO is by far the second cooperative to have been granted a franchise to operate due to its compliance to the PUVMP. It was able to obtain a loan from the Development Bank of the Philippines.

According to LTFRB Chairman Delgra, this goes to show that transport leaders are realizing the need for a better system.

"Kaya naman po talaga itong gawin. Nakasuporta po tayo sa mga kooperatiba basta't kumpleto ang mga dokumento, may maayos na ruta at kaisa natin sa pagsusulong ng PUVMP. Sila rin naman po ang makikinabang dito sa bandang huli,” said Chairman Delgra.

Aside from route rationalization, one of the key components of PUVMP is fleet modernization.

Usec. Orbos stressed the importance of safety and convenience with due consideration to Persons-with-Disabilities (PWDs) passengers. 

"Dapat po ang mga modernong public transport, hindi lang ligtas at kumportable. Ito ay dapat para sa lahat. Pag sinabing lahat, kasama po rito ang mga senior citizens o nakatatanda, gayundin ang mga PWDs,” Usec. Orbos said.

Meanwhile, despite opposition from some minority transport groups, Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade stands firm in his commitment to modernize the transport sector.

"We cannot delay nor deny the public of their right to convenient, affordable and roadworthy mass transport. Pinangako iyan ni Presidente Duterte kaya tungkulin ko na siguruhing iyong mga bulok na at hindi na dapat pang sakyan ay maialis na natin sa kalsada,” Secretary Tugade said.

Unfazed with threats of transport strikes, 

Tugade said "Magrally sila kung gusto nila. Sunugin nila effigy ko kung gusto nila. But I will insist on the PUV Modernization program. Hindi ko sinasagasaan mga driver at operator sa paghahanapbuhay nila. Ang pakiusap ko lang sa paghahanapbuhay nila, 'wag ka namang bumawi ng buhay ng iba."

Wazzup Pilipinas Awarded as World Class Philippine Company

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Congratulations, Wazzup Pilipinas for being awarded as a World Class Philippine Company at the Gabi ng Parangal of World Class Philippines Awards during the gala night held on June 16 at City of Dreams Manila grand ballroom.

Receiving the award is Wazzup Pilipinas founder Ross "Pambansang Blogger" Del Rosario, together with his wife, Wilma Del Rosario. Both are actively managing the site known as the Pambansang Blog ng Pilipinas - self-declared but living up to its name since it was founded way back 2013.

Wazzup Pilipinas is a multi-awarded online publication or more popularly known as a blog site but has expanded to even collaborate as a radio, TV and print media content provider, aside from the hosting experiences.

According to our founder, the award is dedicated to all the partners, sponsors, contributors, supporters, correspondents, and all other people who in one way or another have helped in making Wazzup Pilipinas truly world class.

This is specially recognizing as well the ever growing readers of the Wazzup Pilipinas site and social media network (Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, etc).

Wazzup Pilipinas will continue with its commitment to share only quality and really significant content beneficial to all our readers and viewers. The site aims to bring back the glory of blogging as it was originally intended - to share real life experiences as it happens, to help promote quality products, services and talents especially Philippine made, uplift tourism efforts within the country, and raise the bar of excellence for the Filipinos.

The awards night had the presence of distinguished celebrity and government personalities like MMDA Spokesperson Celine Pialago, Actress and businesswoman Ara Mina, Afficionado Owner Joel Cruz, and a lot of entrepreneurs, restaurateurs, andvother business owners that excel in both their business and management of it.

Several performers like dance troupes, a chorale, a puppeteer and ventriloquist, a celebrity singer, etc., also entertained the awardees while having their delightful dinner provided by the City of Dreams Manila.

The recognition as World Class Filipinos and Philippine Companies are indeed well deserved by the individuals and companies that continue to pursue world class excellence for themselves their products, services and people. Kudos to companies who invest on the mprovement of skills and intelligence of their team by providing continuous training proframs for career and personality development. We would like to commend the management who understand the need for rest and recreation for their team. Special mention to perks, privileges, bonuses, and other rewards to recognize extraordinary work performance, and even honesty or good moral character.

The most important part of a company is its people who play the vital role to sustain its excellence. To recognize them with even just a sincere Thank You is highly appreciated.


Photography by Bert Briones

#WazzupPilipinas #PambansangBlogger #WorldClassPhilippines #GabiNgParangal

Galleria Duemila's June Collection 2018

Wazzup Pilipinas!

June Collection

June 9– 30 2018

Galleria Duemila

210 Loring St. 1300 Pasay City

This June, we greet each cloud with warmth for they may bring rain that will quench the parched earth.

Galleria Duemila is proud to announce, “Finding Their Element”, an exhibit of the gallery’s wide-range of collection from paperworks to canvases to ceramic sculptures valued through the years. The paintings and sculptures on display mimic soaring like the wind, diving into the deep ocean, engulfing into the heart of the forest, discovering gems and lighting up pathways.

Works on display are by Alfredo Aquilizan, Jinggoy Buensuceso, Marc Gaba, Fitz Herrera, Gerry Leonardo, Luis da Cruz, Sacha Cotture, Tony Twigg, Sandy Litchfield, Roberto Robles, Maria Cruz, Nelfa Querubin, Hadrian Mendoza and Viviana Riccelli.

Alfredo Aquilizan is one of the top international artist that had over 50 solo shows in varying countries and periodically joins group exhibitions and cooperative art activities across nations. He works in various media, site-specific installations and collaborative works. He is currently a candidate for the doctorate degree of Visual Arts in Queensland College of Art Griffith University in Brisbane, Australia.

Jinggoy Buensuceso is an industrial designer and contemporary artist working with large-scale metal sculptures. His concrete choice of medium is complemented by his sculpted organic silhouettes. Buensuceso recently won the Designer of The Year Award in 2016 given by the Wallpaper Magazine in Thailand and is a three-time Mugna Awardee, the highest recognition given to designers.

Marc Gaba is a visual artist and poet that is deeply set on philosophical and theological concepts, arising from the imagined realities he is fascinated upon. He is a nominee for the Sovereign Asian Art Prize and the Ernst Young Exhibition, in 2010 and a winner for the Global Filipino Literary Award in 2012.

Fitz Herrera is a Manila-based abstractionist that composes his emotions and deep-set love for music into canvases. Utilizing a diverse-range of colors, he has created various textures in his works and has been actively exhibiting these across cities in the Philippines.

Gerry Leonardo is a fine-arts instructor that has been creating large projects involving sculptures in fiber glass.

Luis da Cruz, an architect by training, designs his one-of-a-kind sculptures through reusable objects in his bout of advocacy for sustainable design.

Sacha Cotture is a Swiss painter and an architect residing in Manila.

Tony Twigg is an Australian artist that is fascinated with the Filipino vernacular architecture. He alternates exhibiting in Singapore, Australia and the Philippines.

Sandy Litchfield is an American artist that explores watercolor as her medium and collaging as her process. Her work has been exhibited in various museums in the United States.

 An accomplished artist, Roberto M. A. Robles is both a painter and a sculptor that has been educated in the Philippines and Japan. His work has been exhibited in the Cultural Center of the Philippines, Vargas Museum, 17th Asian International Art Exhibition Daejeon Municipal Museum of Art, South Korea, Jiyu Group Exhibitions Tokyo Metropolitan Museum, Japan. He has also had a retrospective in Ateneo Art Gallery in 2011.

Maria Cruz is a conceptual artist with her technique delving more on formalism. A global artist, she traverses through different topics from color to language and to psychology. She has been exhibiting in Berlin, Australia and the Philippines.

Nelfa Querubin is a significant ceramist known for her elegantly colored stonewares. Currently based in Colorado in the United States, she has been actively joining exhibitions and competitions. Several books

have been written about her art.

Hadrian Mendoza is a top ceramics scholar in the country. He has a wide-range of experience

in kiln-building, pottery and ceramic making. He has joined several international conferences including the Southeast Asian Ceramics Festival. His main subjects are from the Filipino indigenous culture.

Viviana Riccelli has studied art extensively in Rome, Berlin, Venice and Cairo. She continuously explores the Philippines as part of her study on experiencing different cultures, forming her perception, and discovering her deep-set love for painting and drawing. She has been under the apprenticeship of famous American Abstract Expressionist movers such as Nicolas Carone and Beverly Pepper. She extends her knowledge through teaching for Verocchio Art School and Art Center in Umbria.

See the rest of the works on display until June 30, 2018 at 210 Loring St. 1300 Pasay City. For more information, you may contact us at 831-99-90 / 833-98-15 or email us at: art@galleriaduemila.com. Please follow us on our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at: @galleriaduemila for live updates.