14 Dance Groups Named Agilakas Gumalaw Grand Finalists

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Hip hop, crumping, jazz, and punk, they all mean one thing---that is dance. Enchanted Kingdom is inviting you all for yet another upbeat and sweat-inducing event of the year, the AGILAKAS GUMALAW 2019 dance competition.

Watch this year’s 14 grand finalists fire up the dance floor and vie for the coveted title. Let’s all dance on air on June 23, 2019, 4PM at Spaceport grounds.

For inquiries, please call 584-3535 loc. 610 and look for Dianne or Irish.

DOTr Air Sector Primes Stricter Sanctions for Airport Slot Misuse

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Airline operators at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) are set to face more stringent sanctions for misuse of airport slots.

This comes on the heels of the Joint Memorandum Circular (JMC) No. 2019-01, signed by Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) General Manager Ed Monreal, Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) Director General Jim Sydiongco and Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) Executive Director Carmelo Arcilla, and noted by Department of Transportation (DOTr) Undersecretary for Aviation and Airports Manuel Antonio Tamayo.

JMC 2019-01 aims for the efficient utilization of airport slots to help decongest the NAIA.

Under the JMC, the definition of slot misuse has been expanded to cover the holding of slots that the airline does not intend to operate, as well as the holding of slots for an operation other than planned for the purpose of denying capacity to another aircraft operator.

Also constituting slot misuse are the requisition of new slots that the airline does not intend to operate, and the requisition of slots for an operation other than indicated with the intention of gaining improved priority.

Under the JMC, the Timeslot Committee (TC) reviews the slot coordinator’s findings of the slot monitoring performance of airlines. The slot coordinator is tasked to initiate any disciplinary action against an airline that intentionally misuses its allocated slots.

Stricter sanctions will be imposed to provide teeth in the implementation of efficient slot utilization.

An airline that operates services without the corresponding timeslots, on a regular basis, will not be entitled to historical precedence for either the actual times they operated or for the allocated times.

Further, an airline that continues to misuse or inefficiently use timeslots may be relegated to a lower priority in future slot allocations.

If an airline, despite being sanctioned, continues to misuse or inefficiently use timeslots, the TC shall have the authority to recall slot approval and/or suspend or cancel slot allocations of the erring airline.

DOTr Secretary Arthur Tugade commended MIAA, CAAP and CAB on the issuance of the JMC, noting it is high time for airlines to take responsibility.

“Landing on an airport is a privilege. To intentionally disregard the value of these airport slots is unethical, and an aggravation to the current state of congestion at NAIA. We have to recognize the domino effects of these slot misuses, which ultimately result in the massive inconvenience to our air passengers,” Secretary Tugade stressed.

Recent years saw a substantial increase in the number of passengers, flights, and airport slots per hour at the NAIA, resulting in a compounded state of congestion.

Before 2016, NAIA passenger traffic stood at 36.5 million. The figure swelled to 45 million, or an increase of 8.4 million passengers or 23.08%, by 2018.

During the same period, the number of flights also grew by over 14,000 (5.75%). Consequently, airport slots per hour increased by 22.2% from 36 to 44.

JMC 2019-01 is an expansion of the scope of efficient use of slots under JMC 2016-01 signed by the same agencies in July 2016 to ease airline congestion at the four terminals of NAIA.

MARINA Hosts PHILMARINE 2019; Signs MOU on Maritime Industry

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) has successfully hosted the PHILMARINE 2019: Continuous Quality and Productivity Improvement in the Shipbuilding and Ship Repair (SBSR) Sector on 18-20 June 2019.

Hundreds of private companies and government entities from the maritime, shipbuilding, offshore, oil and gas, naval defense, and their supporting industries participated in the three-day affair.

In the exhibit, private stakeholders showcased their innovative products and services. Government partners, on the other hand, exhibited defense equipment and the model ship of the hybrid trimaran project – an eco-friendly vessel that operates on wave energy, instead of fuel, among other significant presentations.

In the technical conference, MARINA - Shipyards Regulation Service (MARINA-SRS) provided updates on the Philippine shipbuilding and ship repair sector, emphasizing the establishment of a global maritime hub or the MIDP’s priority program #5 that aims to transform the country into a one-stop destination for all maritime concerns, including bunkering and transshipment.


PH – JAPAN signs MOU on maritime industry

A major highlight of the PHILMARINE 2019 was the signing of the memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the MARINA, through OIC – Administrator Vice Admiral Narciso A Vingson Jr, and the Japan Ship Equipment and Machinery Association (JSMEA), through Chairman Shonzo Yamada.

MARINA and JSMEA have committed to exchange information on shipping market and current technological developments in the maritime industry such as maritime trade, shipbuilding, and ship equipment in Philippines and Japan; as well as to conduct dialogues and capacity building in shipping trends among member companies of both parties through regular visits. Above all, the MOU will help establish a concrete ancillary industry for local shipping and shipbuilding in the Philippines.