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PAL plans to resume some flights

Philippine Airlines (PAL) plans to partly operate international routes next month, the flag carrier said ahead of the government decision to extend the quarantine period as the pandemic lingers.

As for the domestic flights, it said it was readying plans to resume at some point within the period from April 15 to May 31.

PAL issued its advisory before the government’s announcement on Tuesday extending the enhanced community quarantine in Luzon until April 30.

In response to the new directive, budget carrier AirAsia said on Tuesday that it was canceling all its domestic and international Z2 flights until April 30.

PAL said its plans were “highly subject to change, depending on a number of crucial factors related to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak.”

“These factors include the duration of current Philippine community quarantines, the status of relevant travel bans and restrictions imposed by various governments and their effect on passenger demand, and above all on the public health and safety situation in each of the cities and countries that PAL serves,” it added.

The flag carrier said it would still consider operating ad hoc special flights for stranded passengers and cargo flights.

PAL said it was planning to operate from May 1 to 31 a reduced number of weekly flights on its routes to Japan, the United States, Canada, Guam, Australia, the United Kingdom, Singapore, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, mainland China, Hong Kong, Taipei, Macau, Saudi Arabia, and Korea.

“However, we shall not be operating any flights to and from the following international destinations for the month of May: Auckland, New York JFK, Dubai, Doha, Perth, Melbourne, Port Moresby, and Sapporo. All flights on these routes have been cancelled for the month of May,” it added.

AirAsia said its customers with bookings made on or before March 22, 2020 with a departure date until May 31, 2020 are given a range of extended flexibility options for future travel.

Passengers can choose to change to a new travel date before Oct. 31, 2020 on the same route for an unlimited number of times without any additional charges subject to seat availability. Another option is retaining the value of their flight booking in their Big Member account for future travel, which can be redeemed within 365 calendar days from the issuance date. — Arjay L. Balinbin

More companies offer aid in fighting COVID-19

Several companies continued pouring assistance to health workers and communities that are affected by efforts to contain the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Eagle Cement Corp. in a statement on Tuesday said it had donated food packs to communities in Bulacan as support for residents affected by the Luzon-wide lockdown.

The cement manufacturer gave out thousands of food packs with rice and canned goods to 20 barangays in San Ildefonso and Dona Remedios Trinidad.

“Our company is committed to give assistance to families in our community who are affected by the (enhanced community quarantine), especially daily-wage earners, senior citizens, and persons with disabilities,” Eagle Cement President and Chief Executive Officer John Paul L. Ang said in the statement.

“Being able to help the communities where we operate and thrive has always been at the heart of Eagle Cement. Through this effort, we hope to help augment the food supply and slightly ease the current economic situation of the citizens in Bulacan,” he added.

Century Pacific Food, Inc. (CPFI) is also committing to give 1 million food packs to various communities across the country that are affected by the lockdown.

In a statement, the listed canned food manufacturer said it was teaming up with the national government and local government units to distribute assorted packs of viands and fortified milk nationwide.

“At this time when COVID-19 threatens our health and our lives, we will make every effort to help those greatly affected by this pandemic, to make sure our consumers have enough CPFI products to see them through this crisis, and give security to our employees who work hard to make all of these happen,” CPFI Chief Operating Officer Gregory Francis H. Banzon said in the statement.

CPFI is behind food brands such as Century Tuna, Argentina, 555, Swift, Birch Tree, Angel, Blue Bay, Wow, Fresca Tuna, Lucky 7, Shanghai Luncheon Meat, Home Pride, Hunt’s and Coco Mama.  

Hotel management startup RedDoorz is also giving free accommodation to health workers and first responders through a partnership with the Department of Tourism and the Manila City government.

The company said in a statement Tuesday that it was starting the initiative in three hotels located in Manila near the University of Santo Tomas, Quiapo Church and Quirino Station. It said these were handpicked to accommodate workers in nearby hospitals of Gat Andres Tondo, Tondo, Justice Jose Abad Santos, Sampaloc, Manila and Sta. Ana. 

“Through our partnerships with key sectors, we are positive that we will be able to overcome this challenge if we stand together,” RedDoorz Founder and Chief Executive Officer Amit Saberwal said in the statement.

San Miguel Corp. (SMC)’s infrastructure unit is also donating supplies and food to the police and armed forces stationed in checkpoints at its expressways. It said in a statement the donations include portalets, motorcycles, tents, passenger vehicles, generator sets, tower lights, traffic cones and barriers.

“Apart from our medical practitioners, our law enforcement and security forces are providing an invaluable service and are also sacrificing a lot to make sure that we are all safe. That is why since day one, we have extended all the support we can give to them,” SMC President and Chief Operating Officer Ramon S. Ang said in the statement.

The Luzon-wide quarantine has been extended until the end of April from its original schedule of lifting by April 13. COVID-19 cases in the Philippines continued to rise as of Monday’s tally: 3,660 cases, 163 deaths and 73 recoveries, based on the Department of Health’s records. — Denise A. Valdez

Maynilad repairs continue during quarantine

West zone water concessionaire Maynilad Water Services Inc. continued its repair operations despite the enhanced community quarantine set by the government in Luzon.

In a release on Monday, Maynilad said that it has sustained its pipe repairs and other network maintenance activities to ensure stable water supply to its customers.

During the quarantine period, the water provider has repaired 244 old and leaky pipes in different places within the west zone area.

The water concessionaire added that steady water supply is important because good hygiene and sanitation are required to combat the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

Maynilad employees engaged in repair activities are required to practice typical health precautionary measures such as social distancing to protect themselves from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The water company recently announced that it added 30 days to its payment deadlines for monthly bills, on top of the 60-day grace period that it usually gives its customers. It also suspended water disconnections for overdue accounts and its meter reading and billing activities.

Maynilad also declared the implementation of average monthly billing to its customers, instead of charging for the actual amount of water used.  

Since 2008, Maynilad has already repaired over 370,000 leaks under its non-revenue water (NRW) management program.

Metro Pacific Investments Corp., which has majority stake in Maynilad, is one of three Philippine units of Hong Kong-based First Pacific Co. Ltd., the others being Philex Mining Corp. and PLDT Inc. Hastings Holdings, Inc., a unit of PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund subsidiary MediaQuest Holdings, Inc., has interest in BusinessWorld through the Philippine Star Group, which it controls. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave

P&G to manufacture face masks 

The Philippine unit of Procter & Gamble (P&G) on Tuesday announced it will be producing face masks in its Cabuyao, Laguna manufacturing plant to help medical staff in the frontline of fighting the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.  

This came following the order from the Inter-agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases which requires citizens to wear face masks when going out of their houses.

The face masks, however, will not be for sale, the consumer goods company said. It will be donating them to the Department of Health, as well as to their employees. 

“We will be investing in additional equipment for the plant to manufacture face masks for donations which will be routed through the DoH and used to help protect our employees as they work to produce critically important cleaning, health and hygiene products for the nation,” P&G Philippines President and General Manager Raffy Fajardo said in a statement.

Recently, P&G Philippines has spent P100 million-worth of product donations, employee assistance and aid to partner businesses affected by the pandemic. — Adam J. Ang

Shari’ah-compliant firms increase

The number of listed securities at the local bourse that are compliant with Islamic principles of finance grew to 52 in the period ending March 2020 from 48 in the last review.

The Philippine Stock Exchange, Inc. (PSE) released the list of Shari’ah-compliant firms on Tuesday to account for six new names and remove two securities.

The new ones are Axelum Resources Corp.; IPM Holdings, Inc.; ISM Communications Corp.; Italpinas Development Corp.; Pacifica Holdings, Inc.; and Zeus Holdings, Inc.

The securities that were removed are both from ATN Holdings, Inc. 

The PSE said it tapped IdealRatings, Inc. to screen listed companies for their compliance with the Accounting and Auditing Organization for Islamic Finance Institutions. 

The bourse operator does a quarterly evaluation of companies that follow the Islamic standards of finance with the goal of opening the market to Muslim investors.

To be Shari’ah-compliant, a company must have less than 5% of its income derived from businesses in conventional interest-based lending, financial institutions, pork, alcohol, intoxicants, tobacco, arms and weapons, gambling, casinos, derivatives, adult entertainment, music and human stem-cell research.

Its cash or interest-bearing deposits or investments must also not reach more than 30% of its market capitalization, its interest-bearing debt must not go beyond 30% of its market capitalization, and its accounts receivables must be limited to 67% of its market capitalization. — Denise A. Valdez

Prudence urged in use of emergency funds in case pandemic lingers

ECONOMIC managers warned of the need for prudence in the use of emergency funds to stretch them out for the long haul because the pandemic’s continuing effects on the economy cannot be foreseen.

Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III said the Philippines’ solid fiscal position does not mean that its financial capacity is “inexhaustible” and called for “prudent” management of the emergency funds during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak.  

“The President’s fiscal policies since the start of his administration… vastly improv(ed) our revenue flows. (We have also been) very judicious with expenditures and investments, (placing) us in a good position to meet the financial challenge posed by COVID-19,” Mr. Dominguez told reporters in a Viber message on Tuesday. 

“We must realize, however, that we do not know how long this contagion will last and that our funds are not inexhaustible. We must therefore prudently marshal our resources and prepare for all eventualities,” he added.

President Rodrigo R. Duterte said in a televised speech late Monday that the P270 billion in budget realignments authorized for dealing with the emergency might not be enough.

Mr. Duterte said the government has been tapping its resources and ordered the Finance department to source additional funds before government reserves are depleted.

“The economy is not moving, standstill, so wala tayong kita. Ang ginagamit natin ito na ‘yung nireserba natin na pera (We don’t have income; what we are using is our reserves),” he said. 

“I would like to be honest… P270 billion for two months as they are estimated, hindi talaga tatagal ‘yan (it will not last),” he added.

Finance Assistant Secretary Maria Teresa S. Habitan said the Finance and the Budget departments are still evaluating how much will be needed to roll out all programs under Republic Act. No. 11469 or the Bayanihan to Heal As One Act, and which budgets will be realigned. 

Ms. Habitan said economic managers cannot provide specific figures on the funding needed as the estimates are still “moving numbers” but they assured that the P200 billion for cash aid to low-income families is already in place. 

“What we are doing is costing the Section 4 provision of the Bayanihan Act and working with DBM to find how much is required by the Bayanihan Act to be implemented properly,” she said via phone yesterday. 

She said assessments are focusing on the scope and volume of the economic package that will be provided to aid micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) affected by the lockdown, which may include credit guarantees.

Despite the setbacks and budget limitations, Mr. Dominguez said the administration is still keen on maintaining its flagship Build, Build, Build program “which will help our economy recover quickly” after the pandemic.

UnionBank of the Philippines, Inc. Chief Economist Ruben Carlo O. Asuncion said the government could spend as much as P1.1 trillion on relief and recovery if it allows the budget deficit to hit 7% of GDP (gross domestic product).

“Economic managers (have said that) that the economy can carry about a budget deficit of up to 7% of GDP. So using GDP 2018 at $331 billion (P16.7 trillion at $1 to P50.65), the government can spend up to PhP1.1 trillion to potentially address the negative effects of COVID-19 on the economy and society,” Mr. Asuncion said via e-mail.

In separate interviews with ABS-CBN News Channel (ANC) earlier, central bank Governor Benjamin E. Diokno said the government can manage a 5-6% deficit equivalent to 5-6% of GDP this year while former economic planning secretary Cielito F. Habito said the economy can briefly handle a deficit of as much as 7% of GDP. 

“What we need now to do is meet the emergency needs because we also have possible social upheaval if we don’t meet the needs of our people who are suffering the most on this lockdown and coronavirus itself. A 7% deficit GDP ratio would be acceptable (but) we don’t want to stay at that level for too long,” Mr. Habito said.  

Mr. Dominguez has said the government is planning to tap multilateral lenders for up to $2 billion worth of financial support to fund the government’s programs against COVID-19. 

So far, the Asian Development Bank has provided an $8-million grant and pledged another funding package worth at least $1.6 billion for the Philippines, while the World Bank committed to extend a $100-million loan. — Beatrice M. Laforga

Retailers seen largely complying with price freeze

RETAILERS have been broadly complying with price freeze orders imposed during the enhanced community quarantine, President Rodrigo R. Duterte said in his second weekly report to Congress on the national emergency late Monday.

Some 97% of 5,192 firms monitored by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) complied with the price freeze, the President said. The DTI conducted 1,289 monitoring activities between March 28 and April 1.

The DTI and agriculture and health departments released on March 18 joint memorandum circular 2020-01 imposing the price freeze on basic necessities and prime commodities after the declaration of the state of public health emergency on March 8 and state of calamity on March 16.

Violators may face up to P2 million in fines or up to 15 years’ imprisonment.

The DTI processed 427 online complaints and endorsed 250 complaints to various agencies such as the health department. The DTI issued 140 letters of inquiry, four notices of violation to retailers, and one formal charge.

The DTI’s fair trade enforcement bureau has made 64 arrests over 544 campaigns against hoarding and profiteering.

The DTI in collaboration with the Philippine National Police and the National Bureau of Investigation also arrested 96 individuals for consumer, food, drug, price, and cybercrime laws in 110 joint operations.

According to the President’s report, the Department of Interior and Local Government also reported 594 arrests for hoarding, profiteering, and manipulation of prices of basic commodities, while the agriculture department is monitoring and enforcing suggested retail prices of basic agricultural commodities in Metro Manila.

“(The monitoring) helped regulate the prices of pork, chicken, sugar, milkfish, tilapia, round scad, garlic, and onion,” it said. — Jenina P. Ibañez

NEA backs appeal to ‘indefinitely’ extend power coops’ payments

The National Electrification Administration (NEA) supported the appeal of rural electric cooperatives (ECs) to “indefinitely” extend the deadline of their payments to generation and transmission firms.

In a press release on late Monday, the agency tasked to power rural communities, asked the Department of Energy (DoE) and Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) to grant the appeal of power cooperatives to extend their payments “until such time that the operations of the ECs have normalized and stabilized.”

Even if NEA allowed the ECs to source for short-term loans from financial institutions to cushion themselves from the impact of falling power demand during the enhanced community quarantine in Luzon, it noted that power cooperatives were having difficulties in paying their bills, as their collections from customers were also suspended, following the orders from the DoE and the ERC.

These bills cover the Feb. 26-March 25 period, which is due on April 25.

“The ECs will have difficulty in settling power bills covering this cycle due to limited collection from March 15 to April 14,” NEA Administrator Edgardo R. Masongsong said in a statement.

The agency also endorsed the electric cooperatives’ appeal to the DoE and the ERC to invoke a force majeure event provision in their power supply agreements.

“With this billing adjustment, the surge in the generation cost component, which will be passed on to consumers will be mitigated,” Mr. Masongsong said.

Still, NEA told the ECs to remit their collections to their power suppliers, the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines, Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp., and the Independent Electricity Market Operator of the Philippines.

Recently, NEA released P1.3 billion of its unused funds to help in the government’s fight against the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

The redirection of funds was in line with Republic Act No. 11469, or the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act, which authorizes President Rodrigo R. Duterte to redirect cash, funds, and investments from government-owned and -controlled corporations and national government agencies.

Electric cooperatives, too, have extended their help in the COVID-19 relief efforts with the “Pantawid Liwanag” program of Philippine Rural Electric Cooperatives Association, Inc., which aims to subsidize the electricity needs of poor families affected by the impact of the pandemic.

Moreover, NEA has extended the loan amortization payments of 121 ECs following the declaration of a state of public health emergency in the country due to COVID-19. 

ASEAN+3 research office sees PHL GDP growth at 4.5% in 2020

THE ASEAN+3 Macroeconomic Research Office (AMRO) expects the Philippine economy’s growth to slow to 4.5% in 2020 before rising to beyond 6% next year as it recovers from the fallout of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

AMRO’s new 2020 gross domestic product (GDP) growth projection for the Philippines follows the 6.2% estimated in March and 6.4% in January.

AMRO said the economy could surge to 6.7% in 2021, topping its 6.6% estimate for the year issued in March.

The estimates for 2020 and 2021 were the midpoints of ranges of 4-5% and 6.4-7% respectively, depending on various scenarios.

“In the short term, the main risks facing the economy stem from external sources. Notwithstanding the recent easing in the US-China trade tensions, global policy uncertainties remain elevated while business sentiment remains depressed and continues to weigh on investment spending. These uncertainties could exacerbate the current slowdown in the world economy and increase global market volatilities,” according to AMRO’s ASEAN+3 Regional Economic Outlook (AREO 2020).

AMRO also expects government expenditure to be a growth driver this year after demonstrating its capacity to do so in the fourth quarter of 2019, under the ”catch up” spending plan to compensate for the delayed 2019 budget.

The April projections were a supplement to the AREO 2020 report which contains the March projections. The two were released simultaneously on Tuesday.

“The AREO 2020 is based on information available as of March 16, 2020. It was prepared prior to the publication of much of members’ macroeconomic data for February 2020, when the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic was starting to manifest,” it said.

During its virtual conference yesterday, AMRO Chief Economist Hoe Ee Khor’s presentation indicated that the impact on the Philippines could be as much as 4.3 percentage points of GDP under a severe global recession scenario and a 2.5 percentage-point reduction under a milder base-case scenario for the global recession.

AMRO projected that the ASEAN+3 economies, which include the members of the regional bloc plus China, Japan and South Korea, could slow to 0.6-2.7%, lower than the 4.2% projection issued in AREO 2020. This is expected to bounce back to 5.5% next year, against the 5% estimate issued in March.

For the ASEAN countries, AMRO’s April projection is for 1.1% GDP growth this year, ranging between -0.1 and 1.8%. It had estimated growth of 4.4% in AREO 2020. The latest projection for 2021 is 5.2%.

Mr. Khor said the ASEAN+3 will likely post a 4.8% contraction in the first quarter before recovering to growth of 1.2% in the second quarter, 4% in the third quarter and 5.3% in the fourth quarter of 2020.

The quarterly breakdown for the ASEAN countries is 1.9% growth in the first quarter, a 0.6% contraction in the second, and growth of 0.4% and 2.6% in the third and fourth quarters, respectively.

The report said the COVID-19 outbreak has resulted in “significant spillovers” across various countries both in the region and worldwide through slumps in travel and tourism; a decline in Chinese imports; as well as the broader spread of the disease itself.

“In addition, the pervading uncertainty and fear have demolished business and consumer confidence, and increased risk aversion in financial and commodities markets to unprecedented levels,” it said.

Moving forward, Mr. Khor said “the fundamentals in the region are still there, and I think these are strong enough to support growth in the region going forward; growth might not be as strong but certainly, we are much more self-sufficient and we are also very tech-savvy. I’m relatively optimistic that the region will come out of this pandemic relatively fine,” Mr. Khor said.

According to AREO 2020, lower oil prices could mitigate the impact on economies.

Global oil prices continue to drop due to subdued demand with most movements around the world restricted by government-imposed lockdowns and travel bans. — Beatrice M. Laforga

Farm input suppliers report problems with LGU checkpoints in Ilocos Norte, Davao Region

AGRICULTURAL suppliers said their cargoes and personnel have been blocked at checkpoints in Ilocos Norte and parts of the Davao region due to rules on movement set by Local Government Units (LGU) which do not comply with the guidelines set by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF).

The Philippine Seed Industry Association (PSIA) reiterated that its products are critical for ensuring sustained food production during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak and enhanced community quarantine.

In an e-mail interview with BusinessWorld, PSIA President Mary Ann P. Sayoc said seed must be permitted for transport without restriction to allow farmers to continue planting and producing food for the public.

“We need to grow our own food and not depend on imports from other countries especially during a crisis like this,” Ms. Sayoc said.

The PSIA has received reports of agricultural cargoes being blocked at checkpoints put up by various LGUs. Ms. Sayoc said Ilocos Norte has imposed quarantine measures on field personnel of seed companies.

She added that a PSIA member company reported that some LGUs in Mindanao such as Mawab and Laak, Davao de Oro and Tagum City, Davao del Norte blocked the passage of its trucks, even though they had food lane passes.

According to Ms. Sayoc, those vehicles carrying farm inputs such as rice, corn, and vegetable seed were told to return their cargoes to their points of origin.

The Department of Agriculture (DA) permits the continued operation of agriculture and seed companies and issues passes for their cargoes to bypass checkpoints and use special “food lanes,” in order to ensure the unhampered supply of food even to locked-down communities.

The DA also issues food passes to accredited vehicles carrying basic food commodities and opened food lanes for their unimpeded movement past quarantine checkpoints.

“Though some improvements were observed, all members still experience difficulties in the movement of seeds and their personnel,” Ms. Sayoc said.

PSIA said the seed supply is sufficient for demand, adding that the challenge is making seed accessible to farmers.
“We will continue to coordinate with the DA and touch base with LGUs to emphasize the importance of unhampered movement of seed and agribusiness personnel,” Ms. Sayoc said.

PSIA is also planning to partner with DA to make vegetable seed available to Metro Manila households under the Urban Agriculture project. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave

ERC orders lower revenue for NGCP, effectively cutting transmission charges

TRANSMISSION tariffs are set to be lowered after the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) released late Monday an order to the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) to adjust its interim Maximum Annual Revenue (iMAR) level for 2020.

The ERC ordered as an interim measure that the privately-owned company cap iMAR at P47.05 billion this year, which would bring down transmission charges by P0.0413 to P0.4701 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) from P0.5114/kWh in 2019.

“This brings a favorable rate impact on the consumers as this will mean a lower Transmission Charge for this year,” ERC Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer Agnes Vicenta S. Torres-Devanadera said in a statement.

ERC noted that the iMAR is lower than the P58.8 billion in revenue proposed by NGCP. The company, which operates the state-owned grid, last adjusted its Maximum Annual Revenue in 2016.

The ERC weighed two factors in its decision: unplanned capital expenditure identified as 100% completed, considering that these assets are in operation in the transmission system; and Energy Projects of National Significance (EPNS) considered priority projects by the Department of Energy (DoE).

“The lowering of the transmission rate is again, one of the efforts of the Commission to provide relief to all the electricity consumers, especially those that are economically disadvantaged who lost their jobs and earnings due to the implementation of the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ),” Ms. Devanadera said.

Recently, the agency allowed the National Transmission Corp. to draw funds from the Feed-in-Tariff Differential (FD) component of the Feed-in-Tariff Allowance (FiT-All) to augment deficiencies in the Cost Recovery Revenue (CRR) sub-account in order to continue funding renewables producers.

Meanwhile, the Department of Energy on Tuesday signed a new circular ordering the use of all available and unremitted funds under Energy Regulation (ER) 1-94 to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, in compliance with Republic Act. No. 11469 or the Bayanihan To Heal As One Law.

ER 1-94 sets aside for power plant host communities a one centavo per kilowatt-hour take from total electricity sales.

The new order would allow local government units to use the funds to buy medical equipment, provide special risk allowances to health workers, and facilitate mass testing, among other COVID-19 response projects allowed by the DoE. — Adam J. Ang

Two train sets meant for PNR use delivered from Indonesia

The two new Diesel Multiple Unit (DMU) trains supplied by Indonesian rolling stock manufacturer PT Industri Kereta Api (INKA) will be deployed upon the resumption of the PNR’s operations, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) said in a statement Tuesday.

The new train sets, the department said, arrived at the Port of Manila on March 28.

“DMU trains have additional security features such as obstacle door detectors to prevent passengers from getting caught in between doors and a tropicalized air-conditioning system designed to ideally function in the country’s climate. The trains also have polycarbonate glass windows which are stronger against damages, especially in the wake of stone-throwing incidents along the PNR line,” it said.

In February, two other train sets were delivered from Indonesia. The DoTr said the trains have been serving passengers since their arrival.

“This latest addition of train sets forms part of the PNR’s 2018 train procurement that aims to transform and improve the services of the country’s rail network. Each train set has a capacity of 1,000 passengers per trip, and will serve the PNR’s Metro Line from Tutuban to Alabang,” the department said.

The PNR has added five more stations after Calamba City. The new stations are Pansol, Masili, Los Baños, College in Los Baños, and the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI). A new set of trains from Japan was also added.

“The PNR purchased a total of 37 railcars expected to be delivered in the country by batches,” the DoTr said.

“Once all procured new train sets are operational, the PNR targets to serve a total of 140,000 passengers per day — at least double the current capacity of 48,000 to 60,000 passengers daily,” it added. — Arjay L. Balinbin

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