IN BRIEF

Expressways asked to test contactless toll collection

THE Toll Regulatory Board asked expressway operators to conduct dry-run of the contactless toll collection program on selected toll plazas for two months starting Sept. 1, 2023.

The dry run is in line with the agency’s support and compliance with the resolution passed by the Committee on Transportation of the House of Representatives calling for the re-implementation of the contactless program.

“The dry-run is a necessary procedure to ascertain the readiness of the tollway concessionaires and operators for the smooth and efficient re-implementation of the contactless program,” TRB said.

The Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. operates the North Luzon Expressway, Subic ClarkTarlac Expressway, the Manila-Cavite Expressway, Cavite Laguna Expressway and C5 Link Segment. San Miguel Corp. holds the concession for the South Luzon Expressway, Skyway, NAIA Expressway, Star Tollway and the Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway.

The Department of Transportation issued Department Order No. 2020-12 dated Aug. 13, 2020 requiring cashless or contactless transactions for all vehicles traveling on toll expressways. Darwin G. Amojelar

Globe Telecom raises P51.9b after closing tower sale deals

GLOBE Telecom Inc. said Wednesday it raised P51.9 billion so far after closing tower sale deals with Frontier Tower Associates Philippines Inc. and MIESCOR Infrastructure Development Corp.

The telecom unit of the Ayala Group said it closed 54 percent of the tower deal, transferring ownership of 4,039 of 7,506 towers for P51.9 billion. It said it closed on Aug. 16 the sale of 113 towers to Frontier Towers for P1.4 billion.

Globe received around P26.6 billion from Frontier Towers to date, as the latter gained ownership and management rights to 2,094 of the 3,529 acquired towers.

The amount reflects the value of the tower assets which include 77-percent ground-based towers and 23-percent rooftop towers.

Globe closed another 100 towers for P1.2 billion, bringing the total to around P13.4 billion from MIDC. Darwin G. Amojelar ate president, said in a media briefing Tuesday evening he submitted an unsolicited proposal to the Department of Transportation to build seven more stations that will extend LRT 1 to Governor’s Drive.

Villar said he was in talks with Light Railway Manila Corp., the operator of LRT 1, to connect his proposed railway to the existing line.

LRMC is extending LRT 1 by 11 kilometers with eight stations from Baclaran in Paranaque City to Bacoor, Cavite.

The operational segment of the line runs from Roosevelt Ave. in Quezon City to Baclaran with 20 stations.

Villar said he was also willing to

By Darwin G. Amojelar

GMA Network Inc. reported lower earnings, while rival ABS-CBN Corp. saw its net loss widen in the first half in the absence of election-related advertising this year.

GMA Network said net income amounted to P1.18 billion from January to June, down from P4.1 billion it earned in the same period last year. It said second-quarter profit also fell to P580.5 million from P1.8 billion.

Consolidated revenues went down by 29 percent to P8.45 billion from P11.94 billion last year. Advertising revenues went down 31 percent to P7.75 billion, while consumer sales grew 11 percent to P512.82 million.

take over the final three stations under LRMC’s proposed LRT 1 extension project in case the latter decided not to pursue the project over right-of-way problems.

LRMC, a joint venture of Metro Pacific Investments Corp., Ayala Corp. and Macquarie Infrastructure Holdings (Philippines) Pte. Ltd., is constructing the first segment of the LRT 1 extension project with five stops from Redemptorist Station in Baclaran to Dr. Santos Station in Sucat, Parañaque City. Construction of the next phases covering three stations from Las Piñas to Niog, Bacoor has yet to start because of ROW issues.

Pse Index Closing

Villar owns vast land bank in Las Piñas and Cavite under his 3,500-hectare Villar City. This would enable him to construct the succeeding phases of the project via Molino Road, instead of Aguinaldo Highway.

Villar said both parties would benefit from the unsolicited proposal as this would increase the ridership of LRT Line 1.

He said he is open to having a joint venture partner for the proposed railway project.

Villar also proposed to extend his newly-acquired Muntinlupa-Cavite Expressway to connect to Cavite-Laguna Expressway project of MPIC.

PORT CALLS. Mindanao Container Terminal, International Container Terminal Services Inc.’s container handling facility in Cagayan de Oro City, welcomes the return of Wan Hai Lines’ Mindanao-Hong Kong-Taiwan service. The service resumed calls to MCT on Aug. 3, marked by the arrival of the vessel Wan Hai 231. Presenting a token to Solart Shipping Agencies Corp. general manager Beth Toledo ( fth from left) are (from left) MCT commercial manager Paul John Dagoc, commercial specialist Sharmine Cuizon, general manager Aurelio Garcia, terminal manager Atty. Gemma Gloria. Solart is the shipping agent of Wan Hai Lines Philippines Inc.

which amounted to P3 billion last year and the scaled-down ad spending of major fast-moving consumer goods clients due to weak household spending brought about by higher inflation.

Consolidated operating costs including cost of sales amounted to P6.9 billion, ahead by a low single-digit rate of 4 percent compared to last year.

It said of the total expenses, production costs amounted to P3.6 billion, up 5 percent from last year’s P3.4 billion, while general and administrative expenses amounted to P3.1 billion, up 1 percent compared to last year.

DOT sees 2024 visitor arrivals rising to 7.7m

By Othel V. Campos

THE Department of Tourism expects at least 7.7 million foreign tourists to visit the Philippines in 2024, higher than the 2023 target of 4.8 million.

Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco said the agency was committed to aggressively pursuing the targets, “if not in excess of that number, in our earnest desire to return to pre-pandemic levels sooner than what is predicted.” also bigger than P249.8 million last year.

“Arming the Department of Tourism with the additional budget would help us greatly in the flagship programs that have been identified by the Marcos administration that seeks not only to benefit our key destinations, but our emerging destinations as well,” she said during the congressional budget hearing Tuesday.

ABS-CBN said after adjusting for non-recurring and one-time gains last year amounting to P 1.191 billion from political ads, asset sale and one-time expenses, net loss actually decreased by P 426 million or 16.1 percent compared to last year.

ABS-CBN said the 16.1 percent improvement was brought about by better ad sales and lower cost.

Speaking before the House Committee of Appropriations, Frasco reported on the promising recovery rate of the Philippine tourism industry under the Marcos administration.

She said international visitor arrivals from January to July reached 3.42 million, representing a 66.33-percent recovery rate compared to the same period in 2019, and surpassed the 2022 average growth rate of 54 percent in Asia Pacific based on the World Tourism Barometer of the UN World Tourism Organization.

Repower’s

six-month profit up 255% to P95.7m

REPOWER Energy Development Corp. said Wednesday first-half net income grew 255 percent to P95.7 million from P27.3 million in the same period last year.

REDC said in a statement net income in the second quarter also surged 293 percent to P42.9 million from P11.1 million. First-quarter earnings increased 229 percent to P52.8 million from P16.2 million.

REDC attributed the strong growth in quarterly earnings to the consistent performance of run-of-the-river hydropower plants.

REDC, a subsidiary of Pure Energy Holdings Corp., also recorded top-line growth. Firstquarter revenues grew 81 percent year-on-year to P121 million from P66.7 million, while second-quarter revenues rose 49 percent to P105.3 million from P70.9 million.

First-half revenues increased 65 percent to P226.3 million from P137.6 million a year ago. Alena Mae S. Flores

The Gozon-led network blamed the decline in revenues to the absence of political advocacies and advertisements,

By Alena Mae S. Flores

THE Department of Energy expects the completion of 11,248 megawatts of natural gas power plants by 2030. Seven liquefied natural gas terminals will support the requirements of these power generating companies, according to the DOE report.

Data showed that three companies with committed combined capacity of 3,500 MW would be completed by 2027. These include Excellent Energy Re-

Meanwhile, ABS-CBN said net loss reached P2.2 billion in the first six months, up by 52.2 percent from P1.4billion net loss it logged in the same period last year.

ABS-CBN said it registered a net loss of P1.01 billion in the second quarter, sources Inc.’s 1,312.5-MW Batangas combined cycle power plant with completion date of September 2024. EERI, a subsidiary of San Miguel Energy Holdings Corp., is putting up three units with 437.5-MW capacity each. It is studying another 437.5 MW expansion. The other companies are Batangas Clean Energy’s 1,100-MW natural gas fired power plant which is expected to be finished by January 2027 and Energy World Corp.’s 650-MW natural gas plant in Quezon.

Consolidated revenues reached P8.8 billion, down by 7.2 percent from P9.4 billion last year. Regular advertising amounted to P2.9 billion, down 9.1 percent, while consumer sales fell 6.3 percent to P5.8 billion.

ABS-CBN said total costs and expenses amounted to P10.6 billion, down by 7 percent from P11.4 billion last year.

Other indicative power plants with 7,748 MW are expected to be completed from 2026 to 2030. Indicative power plants have yet to achieve financial close.

These include Vires Energy’s 450MW natural gas plant in Batangas by May 2026; Quezon Power Philippines Ltd.’s 1,200-MW combined cycle plant in Mauban, Quezon by 2026; and Orion Pacific Prime Energy Inc.’s 1,200-MW combined cycle natural gas plant in Tag- kawayan, Quezon by December 2026, Other indicative projects are Therma Subic Inc.’s 1,310-MW Pagbilao 4 and 5 natural gas plant in Pagbilao, Quezon by November 2028; GN Power Ltd. Co.’s 1,200-MW combined cycle power plant in Mariveles, Bataan by December 2028; First Gen EcoPower Solutions Inc.’s 1,260MW Santa Maria natural gas plant; and Global Luzon Energy Development Corp.’s 1,128-MW combined cycle power plant by 2030.

The number comprised 71 percent of the DOT’s baseline target for 2023 at 4.8 million foreign visitor arrivals. The Philippines also raised P368 billion in revenues from international visitors in the first semester of 2023.

The DOT expects to receive a P2.99billion budget for fiscal year 2024, or 20 percent lower than the current budget of P3.7 billion.

Former Gilas coach Toroman hired as Benilde cage consultant

By Peter Atencio

RAJKO Toroman is back after last handling the Gilas Pilipinas national men’s basketball team for three years, more than a decade ago.

This time, the 68-year-old Serbian will serve as consultant for the College of St. Benilde Blazers in the coming 99th season of the National Collegiate Athletic Association men’s basketball tournament.

His return comes a year after he resigned from his job as the national coach of Indonesia, following the end of its 2022 FIBA Asia Cup campaign.

From 2009 to 2011, Toroman was the head coach of the Philippine men’s national basketball team.