DAVAO CITY—The construction of the P420-million Davao Port expansion project to accommodate larger export-bound ships, is expected to be finished ahead of schedule, the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) here said.

The government-funded construction was already ahead by 8.2 percent from target as of March 25, although it posted a higher performance of 10.11 percent ahead of target 10 days earlier, when evaluated during the visit of presidential chief of staff Cerge Remonde.

Port district manager Abdussabor Sawadjaan has commended the pace of construction undertaken by the private firm SunWest Construction, which won the bid for the ongoing Phase II project to construct a 120-meter linear extension toward the northern part of the port’s berthing facility in early 2006.

The Phase I was completed in April 16 last year, which rehabilitated the 42.35 meter by 18 meter quay area, also at the northside, a PPA statement said.

Sawadjaan said the “positive slippage” would likely mean that the project would be finished by August this year, five months ahead of the target completion date.

Remonde, who heads the Properformance System Steering Committee (PPSSC), said its earlier evaluation of a 10.11-percentage positive slippage “translates to 73 days ahead of target date based on the project’s revised contract schedule.”

“On behalf of the PPSSC and the national government, I convey my congratulations and appreciation to the PPA and the hard work of its employees here in Southern Mindanao for a job well done in making sure infrastructure projects are implemented on time and even ahead of schedule,” he said during his tour of the facility.

The slippage in PPA projects, which gauge the status, whether positive or negative, of ongoing national government priority projects, is being evaluated by the Port District Office-Southern Mindanao (PPA PDO-SoMin) Locally-Funded Projects Monthly Physical and Financial Reports and prepared by its Engineering Services Division.

The expansion project would provide one more berth for larger export and import-oriented ocean-going vessels to the existing 980-linear meter Sasa Wharf.

Currently 75.84-percent completed, the project includes the construction of a 3,179-sq-m reinforced concrete wharf, a 13,180-sq-m backup area for storage and marshalling yard purposes, mooring and fendering system at the quayside, drainage facility, port lighting and rock works, according to the PPA.

The additional facility would help decongest port usage and berthing in the future for the Davao Port, with berthing occupancy rate (BOR) to be raised to 62 percent. This would be near the standard BOR of 70 percent as stipulated by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development.

According to the PPA, the Davao Port, otherwise known as the Sasa Wharf, “is best known as the premier export and import hub of the Mindanao Island and ranks fourth next to the larger ports in the National Capital Region such as the Manila International Container Terminal, South Harbor and North Harbor in terms of container-cargo traffic and container-volume performance.”

In 2007 the Sasa base port posted 3.2 million metric tons (MT) in total cargo throughput, an increase of 3.8 percent from the 2006 volume. Of the total cargo throughput, domestic cargoes reflected an upshot of 4.64 percent with 1.65 million MT, while foreign cargoes gained substantial increase of 7.55 percent with 1.5 million MT.

Sasa Wharf’s container traffic, gauged by the conventional and refrigerated reefer vans passing through the ports and measured in twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), surged by 15 percent with a total of 297,550 TEUs compared with 2006’s outcome.

The PPA said that infrastructure or engineering and civil works remained a priority in meeting international standards in port facilities and services.

FOOD exporters asked the Philippine government to allow the duty-free importation of equipment and inputs used in agricultural production for 10 years as one way of ensuring food security and spurring local and foreign investments in the farm sector.

A LEGISLATOR urged his colleagues to speed up passage of the National Land Use Act included in the five-point action plan of Speaker Prospero Nograles to address the rising cost and limited supply of rice and achieve genuine food security.

DAVAO CITY—The construction of the P420-million Davao Port expansion project to accommodate larger export-bound ships, is expected to be finished ahead of schedule, the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) here said.

ZAMBOANGA CITY—A Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) official disclosed that recent survey conducted by the DOLE’s Bureau of Labor and Employment Statistics (BLES) showed that managers, establishment, owners and top executives of private establishments in the country encountered recruitment difficulties as they searched for good experienced staff.

BUSINESSMAN William Gatchalian is partnering with a Macau-based company to put up a $500-million to $1-billion hotel and casino within the Bagong Nayong Pilipino Manila Bay Integrated City Project.

AFTER a successful stint in Davao City, management-training school Integrative Learning International (ILI) Phils. Inc. ramped up its expansion of its new business segment aimed at recruiting health workers to Brisbane, Australia.

ENVIRONMENT Secretary Lito Atienza will meet with executives of some of the world’s giant mining companies to encourage more mining investments in the Philippines during the Asia Mining Congress to be held this week in Singapore.

AN innovator of Filipino food service whose servings are wrapped in banana leaves, Binalot Fiesta Foods Inc. vows not to raise the prices of its food offerings until the end of 2008, despite the issues of rice shortage and hoarding in the country, in an effort to empathize with its customers who have become budget-conscious in their spending.