First Balfour Inc., the Lopez Group’s engineering and construction arm, is exploring a plan to develop a green, electric-powered transport system in Iloilo City to support the city’s transformation into one of the country’s most livable and highly urbanized cities.
The transport plan was discussed during a recent meeting between officials of the Iloilo City local government unit (LGU), led by Mayor Jerry Treñas, and representatives of First Balfour, a press release from the firm said.
If implemented, the First Balfour project will help the city attain a number of objectives such as reducing carbon emissions and traffic congestion, promoting local tourism, creating new jobs, and improving the local government’s delivery of service, it said.
As envisioned by First Balfour, the integrated transportation project will call for the deployment of a fleet of electric buses and the development of a supporting infrastructure, potentially a bus rapid transit system.
The transport sector is considered a major contributor to climate change because this sector is dominated by vehicles that use mainly gasoline and diesel as fuel. When burned, these fossil fuels release massive amounts of carbon dioxide, one of the heat-trapping greenhouse gases behind global warming and climate change, the press release said.
A shift to the use of non-polluting electric vehicles, which is part of Iloilo City’s long-term plans, will serve as one of the pillars upon which the city will transform itself into a top livable highly urbanized center in the country.
The provision of an efficient mass transport system is also expected to reduce vehicle volume on the road, ultimately helping to address traffic congestion in the city.
First Balfour also hopes its proposal can be incorporated as an enhancement to Iloilo City’s Local Public Transport Route Plan, whose objectives include improving the convenience and safety of public transportation for the riding public.
First Balfour is a subsidiary of Lopez-led First Philippine Holdings Corporation (FPH), a conglomerate with a long history of supporting advocacies to protect and enhance the environment.
First Balfour touched base with the Iloilo City LGU as a way of supporting FPH’s mission of forging collaborative pathways for a decarbonized and regenerative future.
First Balfour considers the transport infrastructure segment one of the core markets it serves. As a leading engineering and construction firms, it also specializes in serving three other core markets: power and energy, specialized buildings, and water infrastructure.
First Balfour also specializes in building clean and green projects, like the 150-megawatt Burgos Wind Project in Ilocos Norte, considered the country’s biggest wind project. First Balfour handled the construction of civil works for the Burgos project.
The Lopez Group’s engineering and construction arm likewise has participated in constructing some of the country’s biggest infrastructure projects. These include the Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway, North Luzon Expressway, and the Light Rail Transit Line 1 Cavite Extension.*PR