Historic Metro Manila Subway Breaks Ground

Wazzup Pilipinas!
The “pipe dream” is now a reality. The Metro Manila Subway, the Philippines’ first underground railway system, officially broke ground today, 27 February 2019, in Barangay Ugong, Valenzuela City.

The Metro Manila Subway is among the most ambitious and monumental infrastructure projects under the Duterte administration’s “Build, Build, Build” Program.

Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea led the groundbreaking ceremony, together with Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines Koji Haneda, and Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Arthur Tugade.

“When we announced that we are doing the Subway, many sectors did not believe. Sabi nila, ‘Subway station? Drawing lang ‘yan. Hindi totoo ‘yan.’ Sa mga nagduda, ang Subway Station po ay totoo. Sa mga naniniwala, pabaunan niyo po kami ng tiwala at dasal. Ito ang magbibigay sa ating mga Pilipino ng comfortable life,” Secretary Tugade said.

To signify the start of the project, Executive Secretary Medialdea, Ambassador Haneda, Secretary Tugade, members of the Cabinet, and local government officials led the unveiling of the scale model of the Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM), along with the ceremonial shoveling of the ground where the subway’s depot will stand.

Additionally, Executive Secretary Medialdea and Ambassador Haneda simulated the construction of the subway through the operation of a backhoe machine.

“We believe in a fast and sure approach and the efficient delivery of public service. Matagal nang deprived ang mga Pilipino sa ganitong mass transport system. We will deliver this to the Filipino people as fast as we can, as well as we can, and without any whiff of corruption,” Executive Secretary Medialdea said.


Social mitigation
To mitigate the social impact of the subway construction, the DOTr, in collaboration with the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC), National Housing Authority (NHA) and the City Government of Valenzuela, awarded certificates of entitlement to affected Informal Settler Families (ISFs) for their relocation to Disiplina Village II, Barangay Bignay also in Valenzuela City

Secretary Tugade presented the certificates to 20 out of 183 beneficiary families. The remaining 163 families are undergoing pre-qualification process.


Partial Operability by 2022

The country’s first-ever subway system is a massive undertaking, spanning 15 stations from Quirino Highway in Quezon City to NAIA Terminal 3 in Pasay and FTI in Taguig, all connected through a 36-kilometer rail line.

Set to run at 80 kilometers per hour, the Subway will cross seven local governments and pass through three of Metro Manila’s business districts in just 30 minutes.

Guided by Japan’s expertise in railways, the Metro Manila Subway will feature technological advancements and disaster-resilient strategies aimed to boost the Subway’s structural integrity amid regular occurrence of typhoons and earthquakes.

The Metro Manila Subway is set to commence partial operations by 2022 for its first three stations (Quirino Highway – Mindanao Avenue Station, Tandang Sora Station, and North Avenue Station), while the entire rail line will be fully operational by 2025.

The pioneering underground rail line is expected to serve 370,000 passengers daily in its first year of full operations, with a design capacity that can accommodate up to 1.5 million passengers per day.

Just last week, the DOTr signed the contract for the design and build of the Partial Operability Section with the Joint Venture of Shimizu Corporation, Fujita Corporation, Takenaka Civil Engineering Co., Ltd., and EEI Corporation.

The Partial Operability Section is comprised of the first three stations, the depot in Valenzuela, and structures for the Philippine Railway Institute (PRI) that will be the primary policy-making body for the Subway.

“Nang nakita namin ang kultura ng mga taga-Japan, sabi ko, magkakaroon din tayo ng Philippine Railway Institute, sapagkat ‘yung pagbuo ng PRI ay dapat may kaakibat na training, skills, talent, at culture of belonging and love for the job,” Secretary Tugade expressed.


Incredible Interconnectivity

DOTr Undersecretary for Railways Timothy John Batan, in his message, said that each subway station will feature an intermodal facility that will make transfers to and from road-based transport seamless and convenient.

Further, the Metro Manila Subway will be connected with other major rail lines such as the PNR Clark, PNR Calamba, and the Common Station to ensure interconnectivity, intermodality, and interoperability.


Build, Build, Build Partnership

The construction of the Metro Manila Subway is a collaborative effort with the Government of Japan through a PhP365-billion Official Development Assistance (ODA) loan from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

“We support the Philippines in shifting the ‘Build, Build, Build’ Program to higher gear. With cutting-edge technology, the Philippines can count on Japan’s extensive experience in railway operations. Together, there is no stopping Japan and the Philippines in achieving more,” Ambassador Haneda.

Also present in today’s groundbreaking ceremony were Budget and Management Secretary Benjamin Diokno, Public Works and Highways Secretary Mark Villar, National Economic and Development Authority Director-General and Socio-Economic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia, Senator JV Ejercito, JICA Philippines Chief Representative Yoshio Wada, Philippine National Railways (PNR) General Manager Junn Magno, Valenzuela City Mayor Rexlon Gatchalian, representatives of the Shimizu-Fujita-Takenaka-EEI Joint Venture, and other officials from the public and private sectors.

Jr. NBA Philippines 2019 Trains Over 3,000 Kids in Cavite Clinic

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Jr. NBA Philippines presented by Alaska staged its first open clinic for 2019 at the Sisters of Mary Boystown and Girlstown in Silang, Cavite on Feb. 23-24, teaching over three thousand boys and girls the fundamentals of basketball and Jr. NBA core values.

As part of the league’s efforts to promote inclusion, Jr. NBA Philippines provided opportunities for young girls of Sisters of Mary Girlstown from Grades 7-10 to participate in basketball drills and skills development exercises on Feb. 23, with a total of 2,248 female athletes experiencing world class basketball instruction from Jr. NBA Coaches Natalia Dos Santos and Jeffrey Cariaso with the Alaska coaches. On Feb. 24, the Jr. NBA Philippines program hosted 1,060 kids that learned the fundamentals of shooting, passing, dribbling, defending and conditioning, while Alaska and Gatorade facilitated nutrition and hydration talks respectively.

“Jr. NBA Philippines presented by Alaska distinguishes itself by reinforcing an active lifestyle and instilling positive values for kids while enjoying the game of basketball,” said Dos Santos. “Through the Jr. NBA program, we empower children from varying backgrounds and help them fulfill their potential as young players and future leaders of society.”

In addition to the open clinic, Jr. NBA Philippines will stage Regional Selection Camps in Lucena (March 9-10), Baguio (March 23-24), Dumaguete (March 30-31), Butuan (April 13-14), and Metro Manila (April 26-27) to advance the top 40 boys and 40 girls in the National Training Camp on May 17-19. As many as five boys and five girls from the National Training Camp will advance to the first Jr. NBA Global Championship Asia Pacific Qualifiers, a week-long selection camp in June featuring top youth players from Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.

As a culminating event, the top performing 10 boys and 10 girls willrepresent Asia Pacific in the second Jr. NBA Global Championship held Aug. 6-11 at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World near Orlando, Florida.

Jr. NBA Philippines 2019 is presented by Alaska, with AXA, Gatorade, Globe, Panasonic, Rexona, and Vivo as Official Partners. ABS-CBN S + A, Basketball TV and NBA Premium TV are the Official NBA Broadcasters of Jr. NBA Philippines.

Participants can now register for the Jr. NBA program online atwww.jrnba.asia/philippines, and followJr. NBA on Facebook and the NBA atwww.nba.com and on Facebook andTwitter. Fans can visitwww.alaskamilk.com to learn more about Alaska Milk Corporation, and follow Alaska Milk on Facebook for more information about Alaska Sports.

Healthcare Industry to Create the Most Amount of Sensitive Data by 2025

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The healthcare sector is headed toward a resurgence this year and with this growth, it is projected to generate massive amount of data. With an alarming spike in the sensitive information the sector carries, it is imperative that healthcare companies tighten security measures against possible cyberattacks.

“Healthcare companies in the Philippines will assume greater liabilities when it comes to handling their business information. As they continue to produce an increasing amount of sensitive information, they must proactively seek ways to safeguard these data very tightly and discern the need for enhanced security measures,” said ePLDT Group Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Nerisse Ramos.

According to a report by the International Data Corporation (IDC), the healthcare industry will surpass other sectors such as the media industry and the banking, financial services and insurance (BFSI) industry.

The study also showed that the amount of data created around the globe is seen to grow to 175 zettabytes by 2025, and a large portion of these data will be generated by the healthcare sector. While the increase may be attributed to the technological advancements in the industry, this also exposes healthcare companies to larger risks and dangers in the datasphere.

“Healthcare companies carry not just any info, but highly sensitive private information of individuals. And the more data healthcare companies produce, the more attractive they become in the eyes of cyber criminals,” added Ramos.

Hospitals and medical institutions remain as main targets of cyber criminals as they hold a staggering number of highly sensitive Personally Identifiable Information (PII). These include full names, addresses, insurance information, and social security numbers of patients and clients.

Private information as such, if lost, could easily be utilized by cyber criminals for cases of fraud or identity theft and result in substantial harm or damage to individuals.

“A breach in cybersecurity is disastrous for healthcare companies as it compromises highly valued personal information of patients and other pertinent business data. Healthcare organizations in the country must start investing in cyber defense because they bear huge accountability being the safe keepers of these information,” said Angel Redoble, First Vice President and Chief Information Security Officer of ePLDT Group, PLDT Group and SMART.

To protect healthcare organizations from the growing numbers of cybercrime, it is necessary for hospitals and other health institutions to deploy a holistic security system that will ensure the protection of their private business information from end to end.

As one of the leading digital enablers in the country, ePLDT’s class-on-its-own Cybersecurity portfolio is specifically built to address risks and issues in data security of healthcare companies.

ePLDT’s cyber security consulting can help healthcare companies establish appropriate security policies and techniques they can adopt for the protection of their IT assets and other pertinent business data against possible cyber attacks.

Once these security and techniques are in place, healthcare companies can deploy a multi-level protection against cyber threats with ePLDT’s multi-threat solution and advanced threat security offering for all endpoints of their businesses.

ePLDT also offers outsourcing of security operations where healthcare companies and businesses alike can get comprehensive monitoring, alerting, incident analysis and response, all utilizing an ever-evolving threat intelligence database.

“To become successful in this age of digital transformation, healthcare companies must be prepared to handle sensitive information with even more caution. As one of the biggest data drivers globally, healthcare companies are increasingly coveted targets of cyber attacks. Companies from this sector must equip themselves and learn how they can secure their data,” stated Jovy Hernandez, Senior Vice President & Head of PLDT and Smart Enterprise Groups.

ePLDT, the industry-leading enabler of digital business solutions in the Philippines, delivers best-in-class digital business solutions that are up to par with global standards. Apart from Cyber Security, ePLDT’s product and service rosters also include Cloud solutions, Data Center services, and Managed IT Services.

To know more about ePLDT and its services, visit www.epldt.com.