BUSINESS NEWS
12
Cable cars eyed to
connect malls
Transportation Secretary Arthur
Tugade is pushing for a collaboration
with a businessman for the use of the
latter’s mall chain to develop a cable
car system that would help ease road
congestion in Metro Manila.
In a press conference, Tugade
said he is in talks with a businessman
for the development of a cable car
system connected through malls in
Parañaque, Las Piñas, and Alabang.
“I have a plan and I am talking
to someone – I have to be careful be-
cause I don’t want to tie his hands. He
is a businessman who owns malls,”
Tugade said.
Tugade said the businessman
was interested in his proposal and
talks between them are ongoing.
“I already talked to this business-
man. I told him that if we should have
a transport system, it should not be
on the ground, but above,” he said.
“Imagine if the transport system
is above, then traffic will move fast.
The problem there in Sucat will also
be addressed,” Tugade said.
Tugade said he is very keen on
pushing for the said proposal as it
could be easily implemented.
He said a cable car system could
be developed from one year to one
and half years.
“Especially if you have the malls
in place, we will just connect them.
Mall owner wins and our country- men win. It’s a win-win thing,” Tugade
said.
In November last year, the De-
partment of Transportation (DOTr),
with the help of the French govern-
ment, jumpstarted the feasibility
study for an urban cable car project
in Metro Manila.
The feasibility study, which will
last for 10 months, is funded by a
grant from the government of France
amounting to around 450,000 euros.
As the grantor, the French gov-
ernment is looking at an urban area
for the cable car project’s pilot imple-
mentation.
The feasibility study is for the
DOTr to identify possible areas in
Metro Manila for the implementation
of the project.
A cable car system is among the
projects being pushed by the DOTr as
an alternative transport option in the
country.
Tugade has also earlier proposed
for the establishment of a cable car
system to connect La Union to Bagu-
io City, and Caticlan to Boracay.
Tugade said a cable car system
would not be the ultimate solution but
is part of a basket of solutions seen
by the government to help address
worsening traffic congestion in Metro
Manila and other parts of the country.
(R. mercurio, PS)
Sixty percent of local enterprises
in the Philippines are “digitally dis-
traught,”’ according to the recent
report from International Data Corp.
(IDC) Philippines.
Digitally distraught enterprises
are less mature in their digital trans-
formation journey and are typically ei-
ther running digital as an impromptu
effort, running multiple parallel digital
strategies initiated by the lines of busi-
ness, or are operating with a short-
term perspective.
“These organizations are dis-
traught because it is difficult to ac-
complish a major transformation
when the strategy is not unified or
there are high expectations for pre- dictable returns on investment in the
short term,” IDC said.
IDC’s study also revealed that 37
percent of enterprises in the Philip-
pines are considered ‘digitally deter-
mined.’
These businesses have an in-
tegrated strategy where continuous
enterprise-wide digital innovation is
in place, transforming their respective
markets and reimagining the future
through innovative business models
and digitally enabled products and
services.
“Organizations in the Philippines
are progressing in their digital trans-
formation maturity where the percent-
age of enterprises in the Digitally De-
PHILIPPINE ASIAN NEWS TODAY April 1 - 15, 2019
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In a press conference, Tugade said he is in talks with a businessman
for the development of a cable car system connected through malls in
Parañaque, Las Piñas, and Alabang. (Miguel Gutierrez/AFP/PS)
6 in 10 firms ‘digitally distraught’
termined category is on par with the
rest of the Asia Pacific region,” said
Randy Roberts, IDC Philippines head
of operations.
“The transition from Distraught
to Determined is a difficult one as it
relies on the scaling of digital projects
within the company which requires in-
vestment and consistent execution,”
Roberts added.
IDC Philippines bared the strat-
egies needed to become a digitally
determined enterprise during the CIO
Summit 2019.
Philippine organizations require a
‘blueprint’ that consists of four key el-
ements: a unified enterprise strategy,
commitment to organizational and
cultural changes, a long-term invest-
ment plan based on the principle that
digital is inherently valuable to the
business, and a single digital platform
to scale technology innovations.
The IDC CIO Summit 2019
plans the necessary steps to progress
the digital strategy to deliver solutions
that disrupt markets and create new
revenue streams.
Some of the topics explored at
the summit include case studies on le-
veraging artificial intelligence for more
automation, customer centricity, mon-
etizing data, transitioning traditional
business into digital business, and the
needed changes to the culture and
skillsets in the workforce.(Malaya)
Airline’s fleet expansion constrained by congestion
Philippine Airlines is constrained
to further expand its fleet due to the
limited slots and congestion at the
country’s premier airport, Ninoy Aqui-
no International Airport.
This month, PAL is taking deliv-
ery of its sixth and last Airbus 350-
900. The fifth A350 was delivered last
February.
The carrier has option to acquire
six more aircraft under its contract
signed with Airbus three years ago.
Jaime Bautista, PAL president
and chief operating officer, said the
company has no immediate plans to
exercise its option to acquire six more
aircraft given the congestion at NAIA
and the difficulty in securing slots.
“We need to improve first our air-
port, and get additional slots before
we again embark on a major refleet-
ing program.” Bautista said.
Bautista had said PAL can con-
vert its order to the latest Airbus 350-
1000. NAIA is operating at maximum
capacity with 40 landing and take-off
per hour. It has also breached the 31
million ideal passenger capacity.
The two Airbus A350s are among
the six aircraft scheduled to be deliv-
ered this year.
The four other aircraft -- com-
posed of two Airbus 321neo and two
Bombardier Q400 -- are expected for
delivery in the second half of the year.
PAL’s capital expenditures this
year is significantly lower, to around
$650 million from last year’s $2 billion
which was spent mainly for aircraft
acquisition.
The capex will finance the pur-
chase of six aircraft this year. Last
year, 15 aircraft were delivered.
Bautista said PAL’s Airbus321
neo will be deployed in long-haul
flights of up to eight hours.
These are Brisbane and Sydney
in Australia, Sapporo in Japan and
Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea.
PAL’s fleet now features a young
and high-tech family of Airbus A50s,
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A321neos, A321 classics and A320s.
The acquisition of new aircraft
supports PAL’s strategy to increase its
flight frequencies in Japan from 84 to
92, and Manila to Bangkok from 21
to 25 and in Brisbane to five 5 and in
Sydney, 9.
PAL currently flies to 43 interna-
tional and 35 domestic destinations
using 97 aircraft, one of the youngest
fleets in the industry with an average
age of five years.
PAL is stepping up efforts to be-
come a five-star airline by expanding
its fleet and route network and con-
tinuously innovating its product and
services. ( Myla Iglesias, Malaya)