Consortium offers to build PNR system

By Riza Lozada

A Brown Company Inc. (ABC), with its consortium partners, has entered into a cooperation agreement with MTD Philippines, a subsidiary of infrastructure conglomerate AlloyMTD of Malaysia, for the development of the Philippine National Railways (PNR) East-West Rail Project.

The project proposal was prepared by East-West Rail Transit Corporation (EWRTC), the Consortium formed by A Brown and Pri­vate Equity Investment and Development (PEID) Corp. with Systra Philippines (mem­ber of the Systra Group of France) providing the technical assistance.

It will be proposed to PNR to alleviate the worsening traf­fic conditions in Metro Manila.

Dr. Walter W. Brown, Chairman Emeritus of A Brown, expressed his thanks to the Malaysian and Philippine governments for the opportu­nity to help ease the traffic cri­sis in Metro Manila.

“We are grateful for the opportunity to be of service to the Filipino working class and commend the current admin­istration for responding quick­ly to a need that has been post­poned for too long,” he said. “We commit to complete the project before the end of the President’s term,” he add­ed.

“We see a lack of appreci­ation of the fact that due to the large volume of cars and the restricted number of roads, the bulk of our people are forced to travel two to three hours each way. So much time and effort is lost. The only way to solve it in the long-term is mass trans­port. We want to see the use of the most appropriate mode of transport to bring people with­out cars to their destinations within a reasonable time,” he said.

Roel Castro, the newly ap­pointed President of A Brown as of September 2016, said that the project aims to provide a “hassle-free service” for the commuters.

“For a number of reasons, we’re seeing a lot of problems in the existing trains right now,” he said.

“Mass transportation is among the important infra­structure projects that are need-based, and we see a great opportunity there. This is all part of A Brown’s platform for contributing to the country’s development via infrastructure projects. There’s power, water, and transportation,” he said.

A Brown is a key player in real estate and agribusiness in Southern Philippines with in­vestments in energy, mining, and infrastructure.

The company has estab­lished its expertise in project management through its sub­sidiaries in the power sector.

Palm Concepcion Pow­er Corp. (PCPC) is a 135MW coal-fired plant in Iloilo with a second unit in the pipeline.

Peakpower Energy Inc. (PEI) has two bunker-fired peaking power plants: Peak­power Soccsargen Inc. in Gen­eral Santos and Peakpower San Francisco in Agusan del Sur with a third plant in Bukidnon currently in the preparation stages.

These projects were es­tablished to supplement the shortfall in the electricity sup­ply of the region. Hydro Link Projects Corporation is devel­oping a hydropower plant in Surigao del Sur.

Also underway is the bulk water supply project of A Brown in Opol, Misamis Oriental in partnership with the local government to finally address the town’s need for its independent water supply sys­tem.

On the other hand, MTD Philippines, through Alloy­MTD Malaysia, is a leading Asian infrastructure conglom­erate operating in the glob­al market, actively present in Saudi Arabia, UAE, USA, UK, Australia, Indonesia, Singa­pore, Sri Lanka, India, Thai­land, Chile, China, and the Philippines.

The company has a vast experience in civil engineering and construction, manufactur­ing, infrastructure concessions, energy, port operations, real es­tate and property development, and operations and mainte­nance. Among its successful projects in the country is the rehabilitation and expansion of the South Luzon Expressway.

“The East-West rail proj­ect is something that Metro Manila needs urgently be­cause it involves moving peo­ple in big quantities. I think it’s a very important corri­dor because it connects to MRT7 and LRT1 and has a promising volume of riders,” said Engr. Isaac David, MTD Chairman.

“We want to participate in this effort towards solving the traffic congestion. MTD is confident with the Consor­tium’s track record and are excited to be partnering with them,” he added.