Marcos administration approves 2 ‘crucial’...

turn, San Miguel Holdings has the right to match the counter proposals. The second project that NEDA board approved outlines the guidelines and procedures for processing PPP proposals of LGUs that require ICC action under the Philippine BOT law.

Balisacan explained that the guidelines “provide a streamlined process for LGUs to pursue PPP projects.”

As it is, the Marcos Jr. administration has unveiled an infrastructure program composed of 194 “flagship projects” cumulatively worth P8.3 trillion.

Balisacan said that, as of reporting, 68 out of the 194 flagship projects are “currently ongoing”, while 25 have been approved for implementation. Meanwhile, 9 projects are awaiting government approval and the rest are “either in the process of project preparation or pre-project preparation.” (Philstar.com)

Hike in US visa fee takes e ect...

“We have to bring American citizens. We pay for them to be here. We have increases in salaries for our local staff. The increase in operating our facilities. The increase in shipping over visa foils. All these prices have gone up. The cost of service study that we have done on a global scale for regular visas brings it to about $185 per visa,” he said. Among their other considerations, according to McGovern, are the costs of building and maintaining their facilities, staffing their operations, and providing secure and reliable visa documents to the people.

But, he said, the “good news” is that the U.S. visa is now worth 10 years, which means it will last longer despite being costlier.

Application fee hikes will also be felt for those seeking certain petition-based non-immigrant visas for temporary workers, which will increase from $190 (P10,685) to $205 (P11,527).

For a treaty trader or investor visa applicant, meanwhile, the processing cost will rise from $205 (P11,527) to $315 (P17,713).

Asked if there are more application fee increases expected moving forward,

McGovern said, “I hope we don’t see any more hikes in the future.”

According to the U.S. Embassy, it processed around 188,038 non-immigrant visa applications between October 2021 and September 2022. McGovern also touted the drop in the waiting period for non-immigrant visa interview appointments — from almost two years to five months since October 2022.

“We’re trying to get that number even lower. We’re hoping to have it within two to three months by the end of 2023,” he said. 