NLEX Corporation and construction firm EEI Corporation have turned over the refurbished transient facility to Northern Luzon Command (Nolcom) of the Armed Forces of the Philippines in Tarlac City.
The facility, which is part of the Caraballo Hall, will serve as lodging for military and civilian guests who are on official or personal travel near the vicinity of the command.
The refurbishment project, which was undertaken by NLEX and EEI at their own cost, involved the replacement of roof, ceiling, column supports; refurbishment of the common kitchen; and installation of barracks and toilet cubicles.
In a simple ceremony held at Camp Servillano Aquino, MPTC President and CEO Rodrigo E. Franco, NLEX Corporation President and GM J. Luigi L. Bautista, and EEI Corporation President and CEO Roberto Jose L. Castillo handed over to Nolcom Commander Lt. Gen. Ernesto C. Torres Jr. the keys to the various rooms inside the transient facility.
Franco recognized the effectiveness of the military in maintaining peace in Northern Luzon, saying that assisting Nolcom will help relieve some of their concerns so they can focus on doing their tasks better. He also commended the collaboration between the public and private sectors in accomplishing the project.
“We are thankful to Nolcom for giving us an opportunity to work on this project. This demonstrates that the public sector and the government, specifically the military, can work together to serve the pressing concerns of the command,” Franco said.
Agreeing with Franco, Castillo expressed delight in the completion of the project. “We’re happy na natapos na ang pag-refurbish ng facility at nabigyan kami ng pagkakataon na magserbisyo sa mga nagseserbisyo sa bayan,” he said.
For his part, Lt Gen Torres Jr. appreciated the support of private sector partners in finishing the refurbishment within his term as Nolcom commander.
“This project may be simple, but the impact is very big because we feel that we were not left alone in doing our job especially in the kind of job that we are in,” said Lt. Gen. Torres Jr, adding that the new facility will boost the morale of the defenders of the North.
The improvement of military facilities is one of the initiatives of Nolcom’s Multi-Sector Governance Council (MSGC), which Franco is part of as head of the Resource Generation Committee. Nolcom formed the MSGC, a group of leaders from different professions, to realize its vision of becoming world-class armed forces. Members of the MSGC serve as advisers in the implementation of the Nolcom Transformation Roadmap.
Last year, NLEX and EEI started the project after signing a Memorandum of Agreement with Nolcom. Prior to the renovation, the facility was used as a quarantine area during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
NLEX Corporation is a subsidiary of the Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation (MPTC), the toll road arm of the Metro Pacific Investments Corporation (MPIC).
