New 4-km Muntinlupa-Cavite Road to Cut Trip by 45 Minutes

Metro Manila commuters bound for Cavite province and vice versa can expect their trip to be shorter by an average of 45 minutes with the opening of the P2-billion Muntinlupa-Cavite Expressway (MCX) this Friday.

According to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), the road project—also known as Daang Hari-South Luzon Expressway Link Road—is a four-kilometer, four-lane toll road that connects Bacoor City in Cavite province to the South Luzon Expressway (SLEx).

It is expected to reduce travel time while decongesting traffic in the province and Las Piñas and Muntinlupa. It will also provide new access to the New Bilibid Prison property in Muntinlupa City which is intended to be redeveloped into a mixed commercial, residential and institutional estate, the DPWH added.

“We are optimistic that the completion of this toll road would improve Calabarzon’s  competitiveness as an investment destination,” Public Works Secretary Rogelio Singson said in a statement.

The MCX is the first Public-Private Partnership (PPP) road project under the Aquino administration and built in partnership with Ayala Corp.

Meanwhile, Ayala Corp. said on Tuesday that its subsidiary MCX Tollway Inc. signed a memorandum of agreement with South Luzon Tollway Corp. (SLTC) and Manila Toll Expressway Systems Inc. (Mates) on the integration of toll payment systems for the MCX and SLEx. MCX Tollway Inc. is the facility operator of the MCX.

“The MOA on interoperability and the addendum provide the framework that will govern the interface and integration of the technical operations and toll collection systems between MCX and SLEX, to ensure seamless travel access into MCX and SLEx for road users,” Ayala said.

Ayala won the MCX project in 2011 when it submitted an offer of P902 million against San Miguel Corp.’s P608 million bid. Ayala will operate the expressway for 30 years.–Tina G. Santos, Miguel

Read more: http://motioncars.inquirer.net/38381/new-4-km-muntinlupa-cavite-road-to-cut-trip-by-45-minutes#ixzz3gnAZXNIt 

4 More Robinsons Malls Set to Rise in Cavite, Cebu, Iloilo, and Davao This Year and in 2016

Leading real estate company, Robinsons Land Corporation (RLC), is set to open four new malls in Cavite, Cebu, Iloilo, and Davao Del Norte within the next two years.

At the launch held last month, Vice President of RLC’s Commercial Center Division Lulay Alano “The four newest malls of Robinsons Malls will soon rise in choice locations in the country. With these new Robinsons Malls, we’re bringing the modern urban malling lifestyle to these progressive localities. Known for its first-rate standards, our malls each serve as a one-stop-shop retail complex offering only the best deals and the finest options from shopping, dining, to recreation, and providing products and services that address every shopper’s needs. The new Robinsons Malls will ensure a satisfying, delightful, and enjoyable malling experience.”

Robinsons Place General Trias is scheduled to open in March 2016, Robinsons Place Jaro in February 2016, Robinsons Place Tagum in December 2015, and the biggest development outside Manila, Robinsons Galleria Cebu in September 2015.

Robinsons Malls general manager Arlene Magtibay noted, “These new additions to Robinsons Land Corporation’s network of 44 malls all over the country highlights the company’s confidence in the growth areas outside the National Capital Region. We believe that creating these retail hubs in the countryside will offer growth opportunities not only to retailers but also the local entrepreneurs.”

The four new additions to Robinsons Malls is also aligned with the company’s thrust to go to the provinces as well as their vision to estaliblish five new malls a year.

Magtibay said Robinsons Malls has always taken pride in the uniqueness and distinctiveness of each Robinsons mall in terms of its architectural design: “The Robinsons brand, if you take a look at the brand, serves the family and we’re not the typical box in terms of architectural design. We’re a little playful with the design of the mall. With regards to design, I can say that we’ve really levelled up already; we’ve gotten services of some international designers. I guess in terms of design, those are the things we can boast of.”

Using this concept, the local culture and heritage of the place where some of the malls are being developed, are reflected.

For instance, The four-floor complex of Robinsons Place Tagum in Barangay Magugpo, Davao Del Norte has a design that “draws attention to the provincial mood, local culture, and rich heritage of the town,” which is known for a number of festivities held throughout the year.

Original Article: www.interaksyon.com

LRT Cavite Extension to Cost P64 B

The government has pegged the cost of the extension of the Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT-1) system all the way to Dasmariñas City in Cavite at P64 billion.

The proposed Public Private Partnership (PPP) project dubbed as LRT-6 would further extend the LRT system by another 19 kilometers all the way to Dasmariñas from the proposed end in Niog in Bacoor, Cavite.

The mass transit system would pass along the Aguinaldo Highway and would have stations in Niog, Tirona, Imus, Daang Hari, Salitran, Congressional Avenue, and Governor’s Drive.

Cavite is experiencing a rapid growth, and many of its residents travel to Manila for work and education purposes.

“The project will improve passenger mobility and reduce the volume of vehicular traffic in the Cavite area by providing a higher capacity mass transit system. It also aims to spur economic development along the extension corridor,” the project briefer stated.

The project would be presented to the Cabinet-level National Economic and Development Authority Investment Coordination Committee (NEDA-ICC) for approval.

The DOTC is set to turn over the LRT-1 system to the Light Rail Manila Consortium in the next few months. LRMC bagged the P65-billion LRT-1 Cavite Extension project to Niog in Bacoor, Cavite after offering a premium payment of P9.35 billion.

MPIC’s Metro Pacific Light Rail Corp. controls 55 percent of the consortium followed by Ayala’s AC Infrastructure Holdings Corp. with 35 percent and the Philippine Investment Alliance for Infrastructure’s Macquarie Infrastructure Holdings (Philippines) Pte Ltd. with 10 percent.

The PPP project would extend the current system by 11.7 kilometers to Niog in Bacoor from Baclaran by 2019 to provide hundreds of thousands of expected riders with convenient and efficient transportation. The extension would consist of eight new train stations traversing the cities of Parañaque and Las Piñas up to Bacoor.

The DOTC is also pursuing the P9.7- billion extension of LRT-2 all the way to Masinag in Cainta, Rizal. It has awarded a P2.2-billion contract to DM Consunji Inc. for the construction of an elevated walkway or viaduct. The system currently runs from Recto Ave. in Manila to Santolan in Pasig.

The DOTC and the Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) is bidding out separate maintenance contracts for both LRT-1 and LRT-2.

Original Article: www.philstar.com

A Modernized Aguinaldo Museum in Cavite

Do you want to have a glimpse of how General Emilio Aguinaldo lived his life in the province of Cavite? No person can explain it more clearly than Mr. Angelo Aguinaldo, the Aguinaldo Museum’s curator. The Aguinaldo Museum had been a historical landmark of Cavite since then. Find out what part of his home his personal barber cut his hair, or how their swimming pool look like. Yes, they have one! 

A tour of the city won't be complete without dropping by the home of our first President. Wait 'til you check out the new, renovated and modernized museum in which Pres. Aquino III inaugurated just this March 2015.

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President Benigno Aquino III on Friday inaugurated a modernized museum in Cavite paying tribute to General Emilio Aguinaldo, the first Philippine president.

Aquino led wreath-laying and flag-raising ceremonies at the Aguinaldo Shrine in Kawit town, where Philippine independence from Spain was declared on June 12, 1898.

The President also toured the newly renovated Aguinaldo museum, which features artifacts, photographs and dioramas about Cavite province and the first Philippine president.

Aquino was seen keenly observing new features of the museum, including a holographic image of Aguinaldo and a modern re-enactment of the declaration of Philippine independence.

After his museum tour, Aquino immediately left. He was not scheduled to deliver any address during the event.

The President was joined during the tour by National Historical Commission of the Philippines chairperson Maria Serena Diokno, Armed Forces chief General Gregorio Pio Catapang, and Transportation and Communications Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya, who is a Aguinaldo’s descendant.

In an interview with state-run People’s Television, Angelo Aguinaldo, the museum’s curator, said he expects the renovation of the museum to attract more tourists.

“The museum will have a new narrative, from Aguinaldo’s origins to the war against the United States. We will also have an interactive exhibit. It will be more like a modernized museum talaga,” he said.

Original Article: www.gmanetwork.com 

Authentic Caviteño Dishes by Asiong's Carinderia

Here's a post from neillangit.com introducing you to some of the awesome and must-try dishes Asiong's Carinderia offer.

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According to an article in Bites on Today, Andrew Zimmern predicts that come 2014 Filipino food is the next big thing in America.  While we wait for this prediction to finally be realized let me inform all those who will have the chance to come across this blog that an authentic and heavenly set of Filipino cuisine does exist in Cavite City.

Last Wednesday I had the awesome opportunity to dine and try out a number of delightfully genuine Caviteño dishes served in Asiong’s Carinderia. Located at 719 P Paterno Street, Caridad, Cavite City, Asiong’s serves Filipino dishes that I have never seen nor tasted before.

I never claimed to be the last arbiter of Filipino food but the following notable Caviteño dishes can exclusively (I suppose) be found in Asiong’s:

• Pancit Pusit (vermicelli noodles cooked in squid ink and squid meat topped with crunchy chopped fresh kamias fruit),
• Asiong’s version of Kilawin (shredded fish meats with julienne cut green papaya and shredded cabbage soaked in strong vinegar sauce),
• Asiong’s version of Inihaw na Bangus Binusog (grilled stuffed boneless milkfish whose surprising stuffing includes salted eggs, chopped tomatoes, leeks and onions)
• Bagoong Na Itlog Ng Isda (fish roe in palm or olive oil which I suppose is Cavite’s answer to caviar cultivated in the Caspian Sea, which is best eaten when mixed into a bunch of hot cooked rice)
• Adobong Pula (a Filipino-style pork stew in reddish brown sauce – which I failed to ask what was placed to turn the sauce reddish)
• Tamarind Halaya (sioupy tamarind jam with milk, best eaten as a topping for vanilla ice cream),
• Leche Flan (a rich all egg yolk crème caramel, I think with fresh pandan extracts – a tropical plant’s leaves widely used in Southeast Asia as flavoring)
• All these divine dishes were washed down into my tummy by drinking a refreshing Asiong’s version of lemonade (a mixed juice containing fresh lemon and Filipino tropical fruit called kamias with organic extracts of moringa and lemon grass).

After dining and while my tastes buds were still clapping and shouting “Bravo!” I had the rare opportunity to talk to the owner Sonny Lua.  I asked him how he was able to concoct and formulate simple native ingredients into grand flavors of dishes.  He simply told me that the recipes actually came from his mom and grandmother.  He said that when he was still a child his “tambayan” (a usual place to hang and loiter around their house) was his grandmother’s kitchen.  He was never thought how to cook but by merely observing and trying to recall how he witnessed his mom and grandmother’s way of cooking he was able to reconstruct all these beautiful Filipino dishes.  He also professed that his grandmother was a great cook and frequently prepare these dishes for she was often invited to cook in various banquet functions (weddings, birthdays, fiesta celebrations, etc.) around Cavite City in the olden days.

Original Article: neillangit.com

Suntech iPark: Tax Perks for Cavite IT Park

MANILA – The Property Company of Friends Inc (Pro-Friends) has bagged tax perks for its pioneer campus-type information technology park.

In a statement, the property developer said it secured Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) accreditation for the Suntech iPark in Imus, Cavite.

The IT park is located in a 25-hectare commercial and business district called Downtown Lancaster at the Lancaster New City, one of Pro-Friends’ township projects.

“Being a part of PEZA, Suntech iPark is now among the highest ranks of IT Park developers not only in the Philippines, but more so in a global scale,” PEZA Director-General Lilia B. de Lima said.

Among the fiscal incentives that locators can enjoy when they invest in Suntech iPark  are 100 percent exemption from corporate income tax; 5 percent special tax on gross income and exemption from all national and local taxes, upon expiry of income tax holiday;  tax and duty free importation of equipment and parts; exemption from dues on import shipments of equipment; value-added tax (VAT) zero-rating of local purchases of goods and services, extending to land-based telecommunications, electrical power, water bills and building lease; and exemption from expanded withholding tax.

Pro-Friends envisions Suntech iPark as a location for business process outsourcing (BPO) and similar companies, allowing residents of Lancaster New City to work near their homes.

“These area you see will be developed and be a source of living for the residents,” said Pro-Friends president Jocelyn Guzman.  

Building A of Suntech iPark will be operational by July this year.

Original Article: www.interaksyon.com

Schools Your Child Can Enroll At If You Plan To Live in Cavite

Are you planning to live in Cavite? As we all know, school is one element every parent considers when he/she is looking for a place to live. Here’s a list of some schools you may want to check out if you are planning to buy a home in the province of Cavite. We included their website in case you wanted to contact and know more about these educational institutions.

St. Edward Integrated School

St. Edward Integrated School is located at the heart of Lancaster New City Cavite. The school is under the management of Quality Education Design Company, Inc. (QED), a group focused on complete, high-quality, low-cost community school systems. Because of its dynamic learner-centered and project-oriented curriculum, your child is able to learn skills and values that a fixed curriculum strategies will not be able to offer.

St Mark School of Cavite

St Mark School of Cavite is a private school established in Bacoor, Cavite in 1987. It offers basic education and vocational training programs. It already offers the K-12 Program under the Department of Education.

Cavite State University

Cavite State University is offering close to 100 curricular programs in the undergraduate and graduate levels. It has more than 25,000 students and 1,200 faculty and staff from all campuses.

De La Salle University

DLSU-Dasmariñas offers several programs through its seven colleges: Business Administration, Liberal Arts, Science, Engineering and Technology, International Hospitality Management and Tourism, Law Enforcement and Public Safety, and Education. Its population has marked more than twelve thousand and is expected to increase in the succeeding years.

Elizabeth Seton School, Imus

For over 35 years Elizabeth Seton School has been a bastion for quality education guided by a noble mission of contributing to the integral growth and development of our Filipino youth by cultivating them to be authentic Christians, responsible Filipino citizens and life-long learners in constant pursuit of excellence. 

Imus Pilot Elementary School

Imus Pilot Elementary School has been a living symbol of success and progress of education in Imus and its neighboring towns. The big number of its successful alumni attests to this great achievement of this school. Imus Pilot Elementary School continuously meet the challenges of the times, so that each of the pupils may be able to offer to his alma mater some tangible manifestations of the achievements. 

How would you want to live in a community where you don't need to go out and far just to send your kids to school? Lancaster New City Cavite offers this benefit. Since it is being developed as a township, schools will be built within the township and St. Edward Integrated School is just one of the many other schools they are planning to build within the community.