Construction

The Philippines is poised to become a major global player in engineering expertise and services as industry leaders position Filipino engineers as a “global brand” in the fast-growing, highly competitive and technology-driven construction industry.

By Weng C. Ocfemia The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in Region 13 is presently implementing the improvement and widening of one of the most critical bridges in the development of Agusan del Sur and completed the upgrading of a circumferential road in Surigao del Norte.

The Gotianun-led conglomerate Filinvest Development Corp. grew its net profit in the first nine months by 21 percent year-on-year to P5.9 billion on the back of earnings from the banking and property businesses.

The Social Security System (SSS) is looking at investing in infrastructure as a source of additional revenue that will enable the fund to grant higher pensions and benefits for its growing membership and beneficiaries, citing that this is the start of an “economic revolution.”

The Public-Private Partnership Cen­ter (PPPC) has wel­comed the decision of the Securities and Ex­change Commission (SEC) to approve the supplemental listing and disclosure rules for private partners of PPP infrastructure projects. The pronouncement of the SEC allows companies engaged in PPP projects to tap the capital market in order to address the challenge of having alternative financing options for PPP …

The Philippine Board of In­vestments (BOI) is implement­ing a number of initiatives to further stabilize and fast track the socio-economic rehabili­tation and re-development in the areas devastated by super typhoon Yolanda back in 2013.

Senate Minority Leader Ralph Recto has called for the item­ization of Yolanda reconstruc­tion projects in next year’s proposed P37.2 billion Ca­lamity Fund “in order to com­plete all rehabilitation work by end of 2017.”

The Duterte administration will soon launch the big­gest infrastructure push in Philippine history to propel economic growth in the next five-and-a-half years.

The Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers (PICE) is working on a roadmap that will include engi­neering services as a new growth area for the country’s Informa­tion Technology and Business Process Management (IT-BPM) sector.

Interior and Local Govern­ment Secretary Ismael ‘Mike’ D. Sueno instructed local gov­ernment units (LGUs) to carry out proactive measures and implement temporary closure of roads, bridges, and oth­er critical thoroughfares not limited to rivers, streams and other bodies of water that are being used for public trans­port upon alert of impending disasters.