Wednesday, July 18, 2012

How San Miguel-MPIC 'bidding war' led Aquino to rethink PPP



RAPPLER - President Aquino is not too hot about the promises of public-private partnership (PPP) program anymore.

In an interview aired July 18 on ANC, he said the difference between the expectations in 2010, when he first trumpeted the benefits of PPP mode for big-ticket projects, and the current economic environment has made him rethink his government's infrastructure and investment strategies.

"We started out with the expectation that there was nothing left in our coffers that would enable us to build the infrastructure necessary. Then the turnaround happened -- not in the first year but in the first 6 months -- [and] investors started coming in, [credit rating] upgrades started to happen, the stock market became very very bullish, and then there were increases in the revenues," he said in the interview.

"[These] changed the factors and the equations," he shared with Coco Alcuaz who conducted the interview.

Aquino highlighted the PPP strategy in his first State of the Nation Address (Sona) in 2010, when he assumed office. He will deliver his 3rd Sona on July 23.

San Miguel, Pangilinan groups

He cited the "bidding war" for a road project that links the toll roads south and north of Metro Manila: South Luzon Expressway (SLEx) and North Luzon Expressway (NLEx).

The "connector road" between SLEx and NLEx is eyed by two of the country's biggest business groups -- San Miguel Corp. and Metro Pacific Investments Corp. (MPIC)
INTERESTED. Since the two groups led by San Miguel's Ramon Ang (left) and Manuel Pangilinan (right) are clearly interested in the NLEx-SLEx connector road project, the government does not have to dangle incentives, President Aquino said. Photo by Malacanang Photo BureauINTERESTED. Since the two groups led by San Miguel's Ramon Ang (left) and Manuel Pangilinan (right) are clearly interested in the NLEx-SLEx connector road project, the government does not have to dangle incentives, President Aquino said. Photo by Malacanang Photo Bureau
"When you go PPP, there has to be incentive programs to tempt those that will join the PPP programs. Incentives translate to added cost to our people," the president noted.

Since the economic environment has become more favorable, "We may not have to give all of these incentives to achieve these infrastructure programs," he said.

He recalled the time guarantees were given to power plant investors to address the rolling blackouts in the 1990s. These guarantees proved costly.

"It's like the time that we had the power purchase agreements and the incentives then, versus the bidding war for the privilege to build the NLEx-SLEx connector road between two of the major conglomerates. Shouldn't that have given us pause and say, 'Are we getting the best bang for our buck? Is it the right project, the right time, right price, for the right reasons for our people?' We have to answer all of those," he said.
TWO ROADS. Metro Pacific and San Miguel-Citra propose to build separate roads connecting NLEx and SLEx. MPIC's proposal is the pink line, while San Miguel-Citra's is the shorter, dark blue line. Illustration from the SMC-Citra groupTWO ROADS. Metro Pacific and San Miguel-Citra propose to build separate roads connecting NLEx and SLEx. MPIC's proposal is the pink line, while San Miguel-Citra's is the shorter, dark blue line. Illustration from the SMC-Citra group
Bidding?
San Miguel is chaired by Aquino's uncle, Eduardo "Danding" Cojuangco Jr., while MPIC is the infrastructure arm of the conglomerate led by businessman Manuel V. Pangilinan.

On May 23, Aquino met with Pangilinan and San Miguel president Ramon Ang in Malacanang. The businessmen presented each of their proposals.

Actually, the two groups' are not vying for the same road. They are both proposing to link SLEx and NLEx but are planning to put two different roads with different routes.
(Check the map.)
Both are unsolicited proposals and will not be part of the PPP.

PPP: Solited projects only

When the Aquino government trumpeted the PPP strategy in 2010, only "solicited" projects would be included.

"Solicited" projects refer to those the government itself has identified and aligned with national goals, then offers these projects to private players and goes through a bidding process that guarantees the best bang for the taxpayers' buck.

In his 2010 Sona, Aquino cited the various cases of misuse of public funds by the Arroyo administration as a pretext to promote PPP. At the time, he said the PPPs will address the lack of resources due to a depleted government budget for the country’s infrastructure needs.

At the end of 2011, only one of the 10 infrastructure projects lined up for the year was bidded out. For this year, only the bidding for the LRT-1 Extension and the NAIA Expressway projects are moving.

The delays, which were attributed to governance checks, have made a dent in the pace of the country's economic growth. In 2011, the Philippines grew only 3.7% from 7.6% the year before.

The big-ticket infrastructure projects were supposed to stir economic activity and, therefore, help the economy grow.

For latest information on the Philippine Real Estate Industry and the Real Estate Service Act (RA9646), please visit www.ra9646.com.ph.

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

LRT-1 Expansion: San Miguel, Ayala-MPIC, 23 others eye project


RAPPLER - The country's largest business groups have expressed interest to participate in the bidding for the operations and maintenance (O&M) project of the Light Rail Transit (LRT) line 1 extension, which will connect Cavite and capital Manila.
This P55 billion infrastructure project will be the second project for bidding under the public-private partnership (PPP) scheme of the Aquino government. Transportation Secretary Manuel Roxas described this as the “largest single ticket in [the] infrastructure portfolio of President Benigno Aquino.”

On Tuesday, July 10, San Miguel Corp. as wells as the joint venture of Ayala Corp. and Metro Pacific Investments Corp. (MPIC) were among the 25 firms that purchased pre-qualification documents for the P55-billion rail project, which the Transportation Department is spearheading.

The project is meant to "capture a large population base that regularly travels between Cavite and Manila,” said Transportation Secretary Manuel Roxas. When completed, the estimated travel time from end-to-end would be one hour and 10 minutes.

“There is a possibility that we may bring in another member with technical expertise in the railway project. We are currently discussing it. We will make the proper announcement soon,” said MPIC president Jose Ma. Lim. The law firm Sycip Salazar Hernandez & Gatmaitan reportedly represented the Ayala-MPIC joint venture.

The 25 firms that bought the pre-qualification documents were:
  1. San Miguel Infra
  2. Macquarie Group
  3. Mitsubishi Corp.
  4. D.M. Consultant, Inc.
  5. Hanjin Heavy Industries & Construction Co. Ltd.
  6. Sumitomo Corp.
  7. Leighton Contractors
  8. Sycip Salazar Hernandez & Gatmaitan
  9. FSG Capital Inc.
  10. EFC Enterprises
  11. FF Cruz & Co. Inc.
  12. Marubeni Corp.
  13. BPI Capital Corp.
  14. ING Bank
  15. Jorgman Planning & Development Corp.
  16. RATP Development
  17. Benchtel Overseas Corp.
  18. Comm Builders & Technical Philippines Corp.
  19. Lenvoisa Construction Inc.
  20. APT Global Inc.
  21. Makati Development Corp.
  22. Tranzen Group
  23. SERCO Group
  24. Cathay Energy Service Corp.
  25. SYSTRA Group

The project

Discussed during an investors’ briefing and pre-qualification conference held Tuesday morning, July 10 are the project's two components.

First, the operation and maintenance of the existing 20.7 kilometer (km) LRT line 1 from Baclaran to Quezon City. It had transported 69 million passenger-riders as of June 30, 2012. Over 500,000 passengers ride the rail line daily.

Second component is the construction of an additional 11.7-km elevated railway system from Baclaran station of Line 1 all the way to Bacoor in Cavite City. It will have 8 stations inclusive of 3 intermodal facilities, with an option for two future stations. A satellite depot in Zapote will also be constructed.

Below are the expected timelines for the project:
  • August - The government will hold a series of roadshows in London, Madrid, Japan and South Korea to entice more foreign investors to take part in the project. “We want the countries in Europe and Asia to know about this project. How many projects worldwide amount to about US$ 800 million?” said Roxas, adding that the cost of the project is expected to go down as more investors bid for it. He said foreign firms are welcome to partner with local groups to participate in the auction.
  • August 22 - Deadline for those that have purchased the pre-qualification documents worth P10,000 to submit their requirements. That is also the time the parties reveal what are the parties or the members of of a concessionaire that are vying for the contract.
  • October - Schedule for the pre-qualification of interested bidders and the issuance of bid documents to those who will pre-qualify. The pre-qualification process ensures that the companies or the consortia to be formed have the required financial, technical, and management capability to carry out the project.
  • 1st quarter 2013 - Deadline for submission of bids.
  • 2nd quarter 2013 - DOTC will issue notice of award.

This project was initially planned to be bidded out last year. After a long wait, the Transportation Department issued an invitation to interested private sector players to pre-qualify and bid on June 4.
Roles of government and contractor

The government and private contractor will equally split the estimated P55 billion project cost. The government will spend its P27.5 billion share to purchase up to 39 new car train sets, construction of the satellite depot, among others.

Roxas said the government’s obligation include the
  • turn-over of the existing line 1 assets for rail operation and maintenance
  • acquisition and delivery of right of way
  • implementation of the automated fare collection system (AFCS) project
  • ensure the application of periodic fare adjustments

The winning bidder, on the other hand, is responsible for:
  • the finance, design and construction of the Cavite extension
  • the immediate operation and maintenance of existing system and the integrated system upon completion of the extension project
  • undertaking the future system maintenance and upgrades
  • assuming ridership risk
  • receiving fare box
  • undertaking an approved commercial development

Automated fare collection

Roxas said the government will hold another auction for the centralized AFCS. “For the LRT fares, we will move from zone-based fare to boarding-plus-a-distance fare scheme. There will also be a periodic fare adjustments over the concession period. But the government will hold a separate bidding for the AFCS. This project shall be tendered parallel to line 1."

The Transportation Department has taped the International Finance Corporation (IFC) as its transaction advisor. IFC, in turn, has tapped URS and Pinsent Masons as its technical and legal specialists.



For latest information on the Philippine Real Estate Industry and the Real Estate Service Act (RA9646), please visit www.ra9646.com.ph.