DOTC Announces 5 Prequalified Bidders for P 1.72-Billion AFCS PPP Project

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Five (5) out of the nine (9) consortia which sought to qualify for the P 1.72-Billion Automatic Fare Collection System (AFCS) Project have been shortlisted by the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) and the Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA), the Transport Department disclosed on Wednesday (May 8, 2013).

The 5 bidders which prequalified are: (1) AF Consortium, led by the Metro Pacific and Ayala groups; (2) Comworks Consortium, which includes Taiwan’s Kaohsiung Rapid Transit Corp.; (3) E-Trans Solutions Joint Venture, Inc. Consortium, which includes Eastwest Banking Corp.; (4) Megawide-Suyen-Eurolink Consortium, which will tap the experience of Singapore’s EZ-Link Pte. Ltd.; and (5) SM Consortium, led by several companies of the Sy family.

“We are pleased to announce that 5 interested groups have prequalified to bid for the AFCS Project, one of our first PPP (Public-Private Partnership) offerings. This means that we are getting closer to identifying who our private sector partner will be in bringing a modern commuting experience to the public,” said the DOTC.

DOTC Pursues 3-Year Program To Reduce Domestic Shipping Costs For Inclusive Growth

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) is beginning a three (3)-year program aimed at generating growth for the country’s agribusiness trade, directly benefitting workers in the agricultural and fisheries sectors across the country, in line with President Benigno S. Aquino III’s push for inclusive growth.

The DOTC announced on Wednesday (May 8, 2013) that it has signed a Cooperation Agreement with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) to pursue various policy and regulatory reforms in the Philippine shipping sector in order to improve our farmers’ market access and integration by reducing the cost of domestic shipping.

The project will involve a diagnostic review by the IFC to identify areas where pro-competitive practices will help meet these goals. The DOTC will work together with its frontline agencies, the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) and the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA), in reviewing the results of the study and implementing the recommendations of the IFC from 2013 to 2016.

Sun iMessenger: Chat With Your Loved Ones Via SMS!

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Gone are the days when you had to spend a fortune in phone bills or on mobile internet fees to keep in touch with friends and family around the world. There is now a single service that integrates all the popular web chat platforms and makes it a snap to send messages and chat on any phone model worldwide.

Launched in 2006 and now wildly popular, Sun iMessenger is a breakthrough service that makes it possible to communicate with anyone from anywhere in the world, as long as they’re a Sun mobile subscriber. To do this, SunIM uses the text messaging feature of a phone, translating mobile chat into text messages seamlessly, and giving regular cellular phone users access to a service that would usually only be available to people with smart phones.

The service also allows you to send messages using your laptop, smart phone, or computer. It integrates several platforms: Yahoo Messenger, Facebook chat, MSN, AIM, ICQ, and, just recently, Gmail chat, making all your accounts available to you on one sign-in page. It is, to date, the only platform to do so.