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16 January, 2018, Manila, Philippines—Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT-1 ) operator Light Rail Manila Corporation (LRMC) and Maynilad Water Services Inc. (Maynilad) inaugurated yesterday five additional drinking fountains to bring the total to ten units across ten LRT-1 stations.

Now, more passengers have access to potable water at the Doroteo Jose, Tayuman, R. Papa, United Nations, 5th Avenue, Baclaran, Monumento, Roosevelt, Carriedo, and Balintawak Stations.

“We are very excited to partner with Maynilad for the GinhaWASH program and hopeful to explore more locations for more drinking fountains for our passengers,” said LRMC President and CEO Juan F. Alfonso. “We look forward to more partnerships with Maynilad in the future, for a better biyaheng everyday experience for our riding public.”

LRMC and Maynilad both aim to increase access to water, sanitation, and hygiene as part of the station improvements of LRMC for LRT-1. Since taking over last 2015, the private operator has undertaken a P500-million Station Improvement Program which is targeted for completion end-2018.

10 January, 2018, MANILA – LRT-1 operator Light Rail Manila Corporation (LRMC) today disclosed a record ridership for the annual Feast of the Black Nazarene on January 9, Tuesday.

LRMC reported a 14% increase in throughput from 494,323 passengers on the same day last year, to 565,928 this year. This figure is also higher by 26% over the total ridership of 448,328 in 2016.

LRMC President and Chief Executive Officer Juan F. Alfonso emphasized that despite the record ridership, passenger comfort was not compromised. “The teamwork and customer focus of LRMC team members allowed us to anticipate the surge in passengers and still deliver efficient service,” Alfonso said. “There was zero incident for that day with 96 light rail vehicles (LRVs) comprising 30 trains on the line.”

LRMC also extended the operating hours of LRT-1 last January 9 to accommodate the pilgrims of the Black Nazarene until 11:00 p.m.

Earlier, the private operator reported the completion of rail replacement of the 29-kilometer tracks traversing Roosevelt Station in Quezon City and Baclaran Station in Pasay City. It has also increased the number of daily trips from 498 to 554, with reduced headway, or interval between trains, from five minutes to 3.5 minutes.

In less than two years since assuming management of LRT-1, LRMC has improved efficiencies resulting in increased number of trains and trips, reduced passenger waiting time, improved safety and cleanliness of the stations, increased ridership, extended operating hours, increased customer satisfaction and the achievement of ISO certifications for quality management and environmental management, all unprecedented milestones in the 32-year history of Manila’s oldest light rail system.

Light Rail Manila Corporation (LRMC) today announced that LRT-1 commuters will get free rides on peak hours of January 1, 2018.

From 7:00-9:00 AM and 5:00-7:00 PM on New Year’s Day beepTM stored value card (SVC) holders can use their existing SVC to avail free ride without charge to their purse load, while single journey ticket (SJT) holders shall be issued cards with zero fare amount.

SVC users can proceed directly to the entry gates of origin station and tap-in to enter. Passengers can enter even if current load is zero, as no purse load amount is required in SVCs during the free ride period.

Meanwhile, SJT users can approach any teller’s booth where they will be issued SJT cards.

There will be no SJT issuances over the ticket vending machines (TVM) during the peak hour free ride periods. TVMs in full-service mode during free ride periods will be able to process regular SVC initial purchase and top-up transactions only and will not be considered free and shall be paid by the passenger.

22 December 2017, Manila, Philippines – Following the release of new coins by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), LRT-1 operator Light Rail Manila Corporation (LRMC) clarified that its Ticket Vending Machines (TVMs) have yet to be reconfigured for the new designs and advised the public to double check their five peso coins to avoid inconveniences, especially during the holiday rush.

Passengers may opt to purchase Single Journey Ticket (SJT), Stored Value Card (SVC) or Top-Up SVC through station tellers. They may also exchange their new coins with old ones through the station tellers, LRMC said.

AF Payments Inc. (AFPI), the concessionaire of Automated Fare Collection System (AFCS) and supplier of the TVMs, has started working on the required calibration of the firmware of its TVMs to process the new five peso coins. The procedure will be conducted in Germany and will take approximately three months before the updated firmware can be deployed in the TVMs.

The five peso coins, which are now in circulation, are expected to be compatible with the existing TVMs by March 2018.

13 December 2017, MANILA, Philiipines – Light Rail Manila Corporation (LRMC) continues to work on improving the safety of passengers on the Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT-1) with its Php20-million shift to light-emitting diode (LED) systems on all 20 stations.

“More than the benefits of lower energy cost and the elimination of mercury-containing fluorescent lights, the LED lighting marks a big improvement in illumination quality and thus enhances safety for our passengers,” Chief Operating Officer Rodolfo Chansuyco said.

“So far, we have completed the installation of LEDs at six stations: Doroteo Jose, Abad Santos, R. Papa, Gil Puyat, Pedro Gil and UN Avenue stations,” he added. “The installation will be completed in all stations by end-2018.”

“The lighting system replacement shift is in line with our Biyaheng Better Everyday commitment to the LRT-1 passengers—a step towards a safer and better riding experience for the commuters. This is also our way of ensuring that LRT-1 stations run under environment-friendly operations, with the significant reduction in toxic elements emissions,” Chansuyco explained.

Meanwhile, LRT-1’s 106 light rail vehicles (LRVs) will also be retrofitted with the LED system starting 2018.

LRT-1 is the first and only railway system in the Philippines to have achieved the ISO certifications Quality Management Systems (ISO 9001:2015) and Environmental Management Systems (ISO 14001:2015), following a two-year companywide program to improve operational efficiencies in Manila’s oldest light rail system.

LRMC welcomes the appointment of Mr. Juan F. Alfonso as President and CEO effective 01 December 2017, replacing Mr. Rogelio L. Singson who will step up as Board Director of the LRT-1 operator.

Mr. Alfonso has more than 25 years of working experience in different industries in the Philippines as well as in the United States. Prior to joining LRMC, Mr. Alfonso served as the Chief Operating Officer of the Aseagas Corporation, an Aboitiz Power subsidiary. He also served as the Senior Vice President of the Corporate Services of AP Renewables, Inc., of Aboitiz Power where he was responsible for Accounting, Finance, Legal, HR, and Strategy.

Mr. Alfonso holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Management from the Ateneo de Manila University and a Masters in Business Administration (Cum Laude) from F.W. Olin Graduate School of Business at Babson College in Wellesley, Massachusetts. He also attended the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School in Boston, Massachusetts. Mr. Alfonso is married with three children.

The Company expressed profound gratitude for the dedication and hard work of Mr. Singson under whose leadership LRMC passed the certifications to ISO 9001:2015 and 14001:2015. He also represented the Company effectively with the Grantors, thereby facilitating the groundbreaking for preliminary works of the LRT-1 Cavite Extension. His study and observations of the passenger traffic and behaviors at LRT-1 stations paved the way for the increased number of trips, reduced queueing time and improved passengers experience. His support of the employees is unwavering.

LRMC is a joint venture company of Metro Pacific Investments Corporation’s Metro Pacific Light Rail Corporation (MPLRC), Ayala Corporation’s AC Infrastructure Holdings Corporation (AC Infra), and the Philippine Investment Alliance for Infrastructure’s Macquarie Infrastructure Holdings (Philippines) PTE Ltd. (MIHPL)

18 October 2017 – For leadership excellence in improving customer experience on Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT-1), rail operator Light Rail Manila Corporation (LRMC) was named 2017 Executive Leadership Team of the Year at the Asia CEO Awards last night.

In ceremonies held at the Manila Mariott Hotel, LRMC’s management team was awarded Executive Leadership Team of the Year while LRMC President and CEO Rogelio Singson was among the finalists named for Global Filipino Executive of the Year. Awards organizer Chalré Associates earlier disclosed that audit firm PricewaterhouseCoopers received over 320 entries for 15 categories.

The awards were conferred on LRMC for its achievement in improving efficiencies and introducing innovations that resulted in increased number of trains and trips, improved safety and cleanliness of the stations, and extended operating hours resulting in reduced passenger waiting time, increased ridership, significantly improved customer satisfaction, and the company’s achievement of two ISO certifications for quality management and environmental management — all unprecedented milestones in the 32-year history of Manila’s oldest light rail system.

Presented by PLDT Enterprise, the annual Asia CEO Awards is the largest business awards in the Philippines aimed at promoting the ASEAN region as a premier business destination in the world. Previous winners for Executive Leadership Team included Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority, Clark Development Corporation and SM Prime Holdings.

13 October 2017, Manila, Philippines – Over the last two years since assuming operations of LRT-1, Light Rail Manila Corporation (LRMC) has worked to contribute towards the sustainable development of cities and communities through improved safety, comfort and convenience of commuters, with special attention to the needs of women, children, persons with disabilities and older persons.

Last month, with its program Live for the Rivers Movement Coalition, the Company stepped up its commitment by providing livelihood to urban poor communities with the production of Vetiver Grass and Mabuhay Balls and engaging over 800 volunteers to clean up and restore life in Metro Manila’s longest creek, the Estero de Tripa de Gallina (ETG).

LRMC’s Live for the Rivers Movement launched in 2016 to address the river pollution along the ETG. “The Estero de Tripa de Gallina can no longer sustain life,” said LRMC President and CEO Rogelio Singson. “Worse, it flows out to Manila Bay through Pasig River, thereby, contaminating the two large bodies of water that provide food for the population.”

The Coalition includes Pasay City Environment and Natural Resources Office (PCENRO), City of Pasay, City of Paranaque, Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), Department of Science and Technology (DOST), the Department of Health (DOH), Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA), Rotary International, the Philippine Coast Guard and the ABS CBN Foundation.

On September 16, a total of 546 volunteers, on foot and on the boats led by Singson, hauled a total of 4,172kilogram of non-biodegradable wastes, installed 16 Vetiver grass pontoons and dropped 220 Mabuhay Balls into the creek.

Vetiver Grass is used worldwide to treat effluents in wastewater. “Over the next few months, we are going to float more vetiver pontoons which will be maintained by the communities and from which they can derive livelihood from its applications in handicrafts and in preventing soil erosion.”

The Mabuhay ball is a tennis ball-sized agent made of beneficial micro-organisms that can break down the toxins and food waste in 1000 liters of polluted water, while the Vetiver grass, when planted along riverbanks, can improve wastewater quality by trapping particles and absorbing pollutants.

Singson noted the importance of the participation of both public and private sectors. “This estero is everyone’s responsibility. We are glad to see that our efforts have set more actions from the residents who are most affected by the environmental dangers brought about by waste materials and other pollutants in the estero.”
In addition to the livelihood training and cleanup of the ETG, over 200 Live for the Rivers volunteers travelled all the way from Pasay City to plant about 2,000 propagules in one day at the Lagadlarin Mangrove Forest in Lobo, Batangas.

“This is the first time that we are planting mangrove propagules, and we’re thrilled to have made such impact already, especially to the residents of Lobo, Batangas,” Singson shared. “We hope that this measure will encourage residents to take more actions to preserve and protect the environment.”

04 October 2017, Manila, Philippines – In observance of the ‘Linggo ng Katandaang Pilipino’ or Elderly Filipino Week, LRT-1 operator Light Rail Manila Corporation (LRMC) today announced that all senior citizens can enjoy free rides on LRT-1 all day, Sunday, October 8.

The free rides will be available on all 20 stations of LRT-1, from Baclaran in Paranaque City to Roosevelt in Quezon City, with first trips leaving the stations at 4:30AM, while last northbound trip from Baclaran leaving at 9:30 p.m. and southbound trip from Roosevelt at 9:45 p.m.

To avail of the free rides, senior citizens will be asked to present either their Office for Senior Citizen Affairs(OSCA) ID or any valid ID with indicated date of birth, and will be provided with free special single journey tickets (SJT). For stored value card (SVC) users, senior citizens will be asked to approach the on-site tellers for card activation to avoid fare deductions.

This special treat to elders is an initiative of LRMC and Senior Citizen Party List in honor of our country’s elders. The first week of October is devoted for the elderly citizens of the country in accordance with Presidential Proclamation No. 470 s-1994.