One of the keys to unlocking the economic potential of Quezon Province is the expansion of the Port of Lucena

Wazzup Pilipinas!?

One of the keys to unlocking the economic potential of Quezon Province is the expansion of the Port of Lucena with its additional pier to accommodate heavier Ro-Ro traffic, Transportation Secretary Art Tugade stressed today, 25 September 2021.
“Ito 'ho ay isang malaking susi sa kaunlaran sa probinsya ng Quezon, at kaunlaran dito sa Lucena,” Sec. Tugade said during the inauguration of Port of Lucena’s newly completed Port Operations Building (POB) and additional Pier 3.

With a high concentration of passengers and rolling cargoes bound for the provinces of Marinduque and Romblon, the new pier facility will decongest the port as it will open up additional space for vessels and ensure the efficient and faster turnaround of commercial vessels.

The port’s twin developments will also yield lower logistics costs and shipping fees.

The Port of Lucena handles about 6,000 ship calls annually or at least 50% of the consolidated ship calls handled by the port at 12,500 ship-calls.

In terms of Ro-Ro traffic, the annual average is pegged at 131,000 rolling cargoes, representing 50% of the overall annual Ro-Ro traffic for the entire PMO.

Sec. Tugade announced bigger developments for the port with the Southern Nautical Highway to soon become a reality with the project’s construction works starting in the next two weeks.

“That Southern Nautical Highway will soon be a reality. Pinondohan na ni PPA General Manager Jay Santiago ‘yan. ‘Yang Southern Nautical Highway na ‘yan ay magiging isang realidad. In fact, kung meron nang pondo, meron nang plano, mag-uumpisa na ‘ho ‘yung trabaho sa mga darating na linggo. Magkakatotoo, at ipapatotoo natin ‘yang Southern Nautical Highway,” said Tugade, adding that the funds for the port’s expansion have been allocated already, while the Notice to Proceed has also been released.

“Mag-uumpisa na ‘ho ‘yung konstruksyon sa expansion sa pier, sa darating na dalawang linggo,” he added.

Sec. Tugade also congratulated Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) General Manager Jay Santiago for yet another successful feat by completing the Port of Lucena’s development projects.

“Taos-puso ang pasasalamat ko kay GM Jay Santiago at sa buong lupon ng PPA. Sinasambit ko ang aking matinding pasasalamat. Ang nakita ko ‘ho ngayon ay ibang-iba sa nakita ko noon. Ngayon ‘ho, meron na pong pasilidad, merong opisina ang PMO, at maayos ang pagkagawa. To you, Jay Santiago, congratulations for a good performance in constructing the PMO,” Secretary Tugade said.

Quezon Province Governor Danilo Suarez, meanwhile, explained that Quezon’s neighboring provinces of Marinduque, Romblon and Masbate will also benefit from the improvement and expansion of the Lucena Port as it will trigger the development and economic progress of each provinces, while ensuring food security for CALABARZON and Metro Manila.

“Hindi lamang po kami ang makikinabang kundi ang Marinduque, Romblon, Masbate, at iba pa pong mga karatig lalawigan namin will be benefitting dito po sa port na ito. As I’ve said, this will be a catalyst for employment, better trade and commerce between our co-provinces, and at the same time, the most important is that it will reduce handling and transportation costs for vital food and security, lalo na ngayong may pandemic,” Governor Suarez said.

PLDT lauds ‘unbreakable spirit’ of PH enterprises amid challenging times

Wazzup Pilipinas!?

The COVID-19 pandemic has presented immense challenges to industries around the world. With mobility restrictions in place, business owners had to rethink their operations and adjust to navigate the uncertainties in the new normal.

Although some companies were able to adapt and seamlessly shift to the new norm, the process was not easy with many struggling with financial losses and temporary business closures.

A survey from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) released September last year reported that the Philippine economy experienced the worst impacts of the pandemic. The Philippines logged the highest number of business closures and layoffs among its peers in Southeast Asia.

Despite that, Jovy Hernandez, ePLDT President & CEO and SVP and Head of PLDT & Smart Enterprise and International Business Groups, said that resilience is one of the core values that helped businesses conquer the challenges of the pandemic. This ‘unbreakable spirit’ of enterprises allowed them to embrace uncertainties, accept adversities, and implement necessary measures to continue their operations.

“Enterprises have successfully adapted and were able to minimize their losses through digitalization. This shows that enterprises – whether small or large – have the unbreakable spirit to overcome challenges, and we honor them for that,” he said.

During the onset of the lockdowns and community quarantine in place, PLDT Enterprise has continued to collaborate with businesses across the region to address their specific pain points and challenges through tailor-fit solutions. Such partnerships have allowed organizations in different industries to sustain their operations and in turn, continue serving their own end customers aligned to their individual visions.

Hernandez added that PLDT Enterprise is committed to strengthening its connectivity and technology services to support businesses in accelerating their recovery and building their resiliency.

“We express our sincerest gratitude to all of our partners for their continued trust in us. And we at PLDT Enterprise underscore our unbreakable commitment in providing more innovative digital solutions suitable to the changing times that will further support the recovery and growth of businesses—so together, we can continue making a positive impact on the lives of more Filipinos,” he concluded.

PLDT Enterprise recently unveiled its Unbreakable Commitment campaign which highlights how its collaboration with different brands and organizations in the country has helped them thrive despite today’s circumstances—and in turn, contribute to the lives of Filipinos. This campaign also reinforces PLDT Enterprise’s unbreakable commitment in empowering the endeavors of organizations through technology. Watch the video here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uofuMK7E8NU



For more information, visit pldtenterprise.com. 

Advance Happy Birthday to the Pambansang Blogger ng Pilipinas

Wazzup Pilipinas!?

It's the birthday of Ross Del Rosario, the Pambansang Blogger, on October 6.

We would like to send our advance greetings before we all forget because we're too stressed with this seemingly unending pandemic especially here in the Philippines where our current government is doing a very bad response.

Indeed, in the middle of this pandemic, we learn about depressing news adding to the problems brought about by this  Corona virus aka Covid-19.

This issue regarding a dubious transaction involving government agencies led by Lloyd Christopher Lao of the Procurement Services of  Department of Budget and Management (PS-DBM) and Francisco Duque of the Department of Health (DOH), together with Michael Yang, a Chinese personality based in Davao with alleged previous involvement in drug trafficking and smuggling, and known as a friend and former economic adviser of outgoing president Duterte, and also executives of a company called Pharmally Pharmaceuticals Corporation led by Lincoln Ong.

A lot of developments led to many revealing discoveries leading to probable swindling activities. Something tells us there's going to be a lot more to be exposed, and a lot more still unearthed. What is very evident: Pharmally got favored by this government.

But enough of this issue for now since this post is dedicated to our Wazzup Pilipinas founder.

We are honored to be a part of this online publication as our founder is standing by with truth and integrity inspite of many attractive and generous offers to do otherwise.

He deserves the happiest birthday!