projects

MANILA — The Marcos Jr. administration approved on Friday, June 2 what an economic official called “crucial” projects that would support the government in hitting its development targets.

At its meeting, the National Economic and Development (NEDA) board — which is chaired by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. — greenlighted the P23.4-billion TPLEX Extension project and the Investment Coordination Committee’s (ICC) guidelines for public-private projects of local government units.

NEDA Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said the projects would help the administration attain its goals, as outlined in the Philippine Development Plan 20232028.

The TPLEX Extension project is a 59.4-kilometer, 4 lane extension highway that, if completed, would connect the Ilocos Region, Central Luzon and Metro Manila. It is an unsolicited offer that would “stimulate economic activity, alleviate road congestion, provide better and safer road access,” Balisacan said.

Now that it has secured the NEDA board’s nod, the TPLEX Extension project would undergo a Swiss challenge, wherein rival bidders can challenge the project’s proponent, San Miguel Holdings Corp. In

by PIA LEE-BRAGO Philstar.com

MANILA — With four new Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) sites in strategic locations throughout the Philippine archipelago, the United States has achieved historic milestones in enhancing its force posture in the IndoPacific region alongside its allies. This was asserted on Thursday, June 1 by the U.S. Department of Defense, which listed its achievements aimed at making its presence in the region more mobile, distributed and resilient. Among these

by BEATRICE PINLAC Inquirer.net

historic achievements are the following:

• Forward deploying a U.S. Marine Littoral Regiment – the Marine Corps’ most advanced formation – to Japan by 2025, significantly enhancing combatcredible deterrence;

• Launching a series of new force postures initiatives with Australia, including increased rotations of U.S. bombers and fighters at Australian bases, alongside expanded maritime and ground forces cooperation;

• Expanding U.S. rotational access by designating four new EDCA sites

by CATHERINE S. VALENTE AND KRISTINA MARALIT ManilaTimes.net

MANILA — Securing a nonimmigrant visa to the United States for some categories will be more expensive starting June 17, said the U.S. Embassy in Manila.

Mark McGovern, Consul General of the U.S. Embassy in Manila, said Thursday that the application fee for visitor visas for temporary business or tourism and other non-petition based nonimmigrant visas, such as student and exchange visitor visas, will increase from $160 to $185.

The fee increase was initially to take effect May 30 but had since been deferred to June 17.

“The reality is there has been no increase in the visa fees since 2011. That was the last time an increase was done. And all of the fees that we do for the visas are based on a cost of service study,” McGovern said in a news conference at the U.S. Embassy. He noted, however, that the cost hike is not exclusive to the Philippines as it will likewise be implemented in U.S. embassies across the globe.

THE Philippine government on Friday, June 2, launched the eGov PH Super App, an integrated platform designed to make it easier for the public to do business with state agencies.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Information and Technology Secretary Ivan John Uy led the launching of the mobile application in a ceremony in Malacañang.

In his speech, the president lauded the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) for launching the app, saying it will provide the public with a hassle-free transaction and lessen corruption in government.

“This is what we are pushing for. This is what e-governance is about — to bring it all together, to make it simple and available and accessible,” Marcos said.

“I am very, very happy that we are going in this direction. There is another part of this that is extremely important, that is sometimes we do not talk about, and that is the lessening of corruption,” he said.

The president stressed the importance of digitalizing government services, saying it would be “useful, easy and convenient” for ordinary Filipinos.

He said maximizing the use of new technologies would also