EPC Bidding Invitation- Cebu Bus Rapid Transit (BRT)

Proposed BRT running ways down middle of road with median stations

Bidding for Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system for Cebu has moved forward with the Department of Transportation and Communications (DoTC) seeking proposals on Friday for project design and construction supervision.

The agency said in an invitation published in newspapers that the Cebu BRT, which is eyed to operate by 2015 with an estimated capacity of 330,000 passengers, "is a transport system with around 176 buses that will run through the dedicated and exclusive bus-ways from Bulacao to Talamban in Cebu, with a link to Cebu's South Road Property."

Business districts, residential areas, shopping centers and noted tourist locations will mark the bus routes, according to the invitation, with "33 stations along the corridor and a bus will be made available at each station every 2-5 minutes."

The DoTC said international and local consultancy firms may submit proposals for the project, which will have two phases.

The engineering, structural, civil and mechanical design will form the first phase, while the second phase 2 will comprise the "supervision of the transit way and the supporting infrastructure during the construction."

The DoTC media relations department, meanwhile, said the contract to build "will be [auctioned off through] another bidding," while the BRT system will be operated by the agency and the local government of Cebu.

Interested groups should have the following qualifications, according to the announcement:

"Should have been in the construction design and supervision business for a minimum of 10 years prior to the issuance of this request for expression on interest,"

"Have completed at least two similar contracts in combination of phase 1 and phase 2 within the last five years"; and

"Must also comply with the World Bank's policy on conflict of interest" as the agency intends to apply for financing from the Washington-based lender to finance, in part, the cost of the system and consulting services.

DISASTER RESPONSE EQUIPMENT

In a separate notice also published on Friday, the DoTC is soliciting bids for ₱152 million worth of disaster response equipment for the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), in addition to the ₱521 million worth of equipment procurement for the same agency that it rolled out last month.

"This procurement will ensure that the national headquarters of PCG will have an additional 40 rubber boats and three M35 6x6 trucks while each of the 12 PGC district offices will also have one M35 6x6 truck," the bidding notice read, adding that the equipment "will be used to facilitate timely response to disaster situations."

The DoTC has pegged its budget for the 15 units M35 6x6 truck at ₱120 million. Pre-bid conference has been set for Sept. 6 while submission of bidding documents, which may be acquired at ₱20,000 apiece, will be on Sept. 18 at the PCG office in Port Area in Manila.

The agency, meanwhile, has allotted ₱32 million for the 40 units of rubber boats. Bidding has been set for Aug. 24 also in the port area, with bidding documents worth ₱30,000 apiece.

The DoTC last month invited bidders for the ₱521-million procurement of "300 units of aluminum, V-shaped hull boats, 81 units of rigid hull inflatable boats, 50 units of rubber boats, six units of jet skis, 2,586 units of common life vests, 1,724 units of flares, 862 units of VHF handheld marine radios, 862 units of life vests, and 431 units of megaphones."

Bidding was initially set for Aug. 8 but was cancelled due to the torrential rains that battered the capital early this month.

Business World Online

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Thousands to take PMA exam Sunday Aug 26, 2012 Walk-in Accepted

Thousands of aspiring military cadets will flock testing centers on Sunday (August 26, 2012) for this year's Philippine Military Academy (PMA) entrance exam, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said.

As of August 18, the PMA has already recorded 12,500 applicants who are expected to gather at the 37 testing centers nationwide, according to the AFP Public Affairs Office.

The PMA is also expecting 3,000 to 5,000 walk-in applicants during the examination day. Last year, a total of 15,873 aspiring soldiers took the test, wherein a total of 1,120 passed while a selected 123 rose as appointed cadets.

But the academy is also expecting the number of applicants to increase after the minimum height requirement for cadets was changed by the institution.

The minimum height requirement has been lowered to 5'0" both for male and female. Previously, aspiring male cadets should be at least 5'4" in height while female applicants should be at least 5'2."

"The widening of the pool of cadet candidates assures a deep-selection of those who possess the qualifications PMA is looking for in its cadets," PMA Superintendent Major General Nonato Peralta Jr. said.

He added that the academy's Non-Maltreatment Policy towards newly-accepted cadets would also motivate applicants to pursue their military aspirations.

"Also, with the staunch and resolute commitment of the Academy to eradicate hazing in the cadet corps, PMA is geared towards providing a more responsive and relevant training environment that is people-centered and observant of human rights," Peralta said.

Another factor that would encourage students to consider a career in the military is the AFP Modernization Program backed by the present administration, according to General Jessie Dellosa, AFP Chief of Staff.

"We hope that with the significant headways in our modernization and capability upgrade program, more youths who aspire to be in the military service particularly those who dream of becoming professional soldiers, pilots and sailors will be motivated to take the examination," Dellosa said.

In his latest State of the Nation Address, President Benigno Aquino III, who is also the AFP Commander-in-Chief, said that his two-year-old government has already poured a total of P28 billion into the AFP Modernization Program. The amount will soon match the P33 Billion set aside for the program in the past 15 years.

Aquino said that if the proposed AFP modernization bill is passed in Congress, the government will be able to allocate P75 billion for defense within the next five years.

The AFP said it is now acquiring equipment listed in its Medium Term Acquisition Plan covering the years from 2013 to 2017. The institution added that this year's successful applicants who will compose the PMA Class of 2017 would be the first beneficiaries of AFP's future defense acquisitions.

An aspiring PMA cadet must be a natural-born Filipino citizen, physically fit, single and has never been married.

The applicant should be at least a high school graduate and at least 17 years old but not a day older than 22 years on April 1, 2013. He or she should also have no administrative or criminal case.

Successful applicants will be received officially on August 1, 2013 at the PMA Campus in Fort Del Pilar, Baguio City. PMA graduates are guaranteed an officer in the Army, Air Force, or Navy.

"We hope that more Filipino youth will be motivated to face the greater responsibility of serving our country and better practice the principles of patriotism, nationalism and discipline that can be best learned from the military training," Dellosa said.

Sunstar 

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$1.8 Billion Philippines defense upgrade preparation for the next Battlefield -The West Philippine South China Sea

Tensions are rising again in Southeast Asia as competing claims over the resource rich West Philippines (South China) Sea push closer to boiling point.

In the latest series of provocations, China launched "combat-ready" patrols, offered disputed ocean blocs for sale and set up a garrison and new administration on Sansha. Vietnam countered with continued military overflights of the contested Spratly Islands despite warnings from Chinese officials.

With Philippine President Aquino announcing a $1.8 billion upgrade in defense forces the inevitable regional arms build-up has begun.

One would hope that countries in the region would take concerted action. That hope would be misplaced.

While the region shudders at the thought of open conflict affecting a major artery of Asian trade, no collective action has been able to resolve the situation. ASEAN couldn't even reach agreement on a routine joint public statement at the end of their annual gathering this year. Not that another non-binding piece of paper would have had any real influence. A 2002 Code of Conduct signed by ASEAN members and China to resolve the disputes peacefully continues to be ignored as countries vie for potentially lucrative natural resources.

An increasingly militarized land and sea grab continues despite calls for peaceful resolution. With the U.S. in full Asian tilt, the South China Sea dispute is shaping up to be the first major test of its Pacific re-engagement. What the U.S. Can or should do remains woefully undefined.

There is no longer any question that as the power vacuum expands, force, not the power of the pen defines boundaries. Beijing increasingly asserts its claims within a map of its own making while a troubling and influential undercurrent gathers momentum.

China now claims the entire South China Sea, brushing the shores of its neighbors and flying in the face of international norms. Call it the conventional "first-strike" option supported by influential Chinese think tanks and the popular state-controlled press—quick and decisive military engagement to convince Vietnam and the Philippines to back down. It worked in China's favor during a 1974 stand-off over the Paracel Islands.

Enter the U.S., seen by many as a natural hedge against excessive Chinese influence. The State Department issued a lukewarm statement on the South China Sea urging all parties to find a peaceful solution to the impasse. Senator McCain called China's moves "provocative."

Beyond routine drills and port calls with the Philippines, Vietnam and India the U.S. has taken a decidedly cautious approach. Peaceful resolution of territorial claims and a unified Southeast Asian response, not a military confrontation with China, remains a core U.S. foreign policy objective. That may be increasingly difficult to achieve as China presses its claims, recently "escorting" an Indian naval flotilla from its port call with Vietnam and hailing it with "welcome to Chinese waters."

US Military Position when China attack the Philippines

In June Philippine President Aquino sought reassurance that U.S. defense obligations would kick-in should they be attacked. The U.S. refused to take sides in the territorial dispute, a long standing policy, but reaffirmed its commitment to the bilateral Mutual Defense Treaty. At a minimum this entails immediate consultations should hostilities break out. It does not, however mean automatic military action.

Even interest from the rest of Southeast Asia for greater U.S. engagement remains tentative. Vietnam continues joint exercises with China, keen to maintain balance with its main trading partner to the north. Non-claimant states including Thailand, Singapore, Cambodia, Indonesia and Laos have shown no interest in "taking sides", though U.S. engagement is certainly welcome. For its part China has been quick to use trade retaliation including a sudden technical hold on Philippine fruit imports, banning million of Dollars Philippine Banana rotting in its gate-port of entry.

If history is any guide the unintended consequences of even a limited military skirmish may prove hard to control. The situation remains even more volatile with a leadership transition underway in Beijing as nationalistic and even jingoistic tendencies rise throughout the country. Appeasement also has its discontents. This is the fine line the U.S. must tread.

There are no signs that the cycle of provocation and push-back will end any time soon. It should be no surprise if boat ramming incidents between fishing vessels and cutters eventually turn more confrontational. Perhaps the greatest U.S. influence will be containing any escalation by its presence alone, helping to thwart the notion that China can launch a limited attack on its neighbors without consequences.

Despite China's preference the U.S. can and will remain a Pacific power, guarantor of the common interest, strengthening cooperation among parties, and routinely testing free access to international waters.

Southeast Asia should not overestimate this involvement and under-prepare itself thinking that their fishing fleets or contested boundaries will fall under U.S. protection. All countries in the region need to develop their own capabilities while engaging in greater regional military cooperation. The U.S. should be seen as the military of last resort, not first. At the same time China should not underestimate U.S. resolve to maintain the peace.

 

Brian P. Klein, Contributor

Brian P. Klein, Contributor is a writer and global strategist focusing on macroeconomic, geopolitical, and security issues. He has served as a U.S. diplomat in China and India.

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