THE GOVERNMENT aims to secure final approval for more public-private partnership (PPP) projects, finalizing a list for consideration at the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Board meeting on Monday in hopes of rolling them out within the year as planned.
Asked if the NEDA Board, chaired by President Benigno S.C. Aquino III, will meet soon, NEDA Director-General Arsenio M. Balisacan replied in a text message: “Yes, we will have it Monday next week.”
Confirming that “[t]here will be a NEDA Board meeting on Feb. 16,” NEDA Deputy Director General for Investment Planning Rolando G. Tungpalan said via separate text: “Initially, we’ll have seven PPP deals and two other government infrastructure deals up for discussion.”
The preliminary list, Mr. Tungpalan said, consists of the P378.33-billion Makati-Pasay-Taguig Mass Transit System Loop Project; P170.7-billion North-South Railway Project (South Line); P19.33-billion Motor Vehicle Inspection System (MVIS) Project; Expansion of Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway (TPLEx) whose cost has yet to be determined; P1.16-billion Civil Registry System (CRS)-Information Technology (IT) Project Phase II; Swiss challenge of the P18-billion 8-kilometer North Luzon Expressway (NLEx)-South Luzon Expressway (SLEx) Connector Road; and the rebidding of the P35.42-billion Cavite Laguna Expressway (CALAx).
Rebidding of CALAx and of the NLEx-SLEx Connector Road was approved by the NEDA Investment Coordination Committee (ICC) Technical Board and Cabinet Committee last Dec. 22, while the five other PPP deals were approved by the same body on Jan. 14.
PPP Center Executive Director Cosette V. Canilao told reporters in December that the government targets to roll out at least nine PPP projects within the year.
Her list included most of the projects initially up for approval this Monday except TPLEx expansion, plus the P50.18-billion Regional Prison Facilities through PPP; P18.99-billion Davao Sasa Port Modernization Project; and P400-million Tanauan City Public Market Redevelopment.
The Regional Prison Facilities and Davao Sasa Port were approved by the NEDA Board in October last year.
The Tanauan City Public Market Redevelopment project was approved by the NEDA ICC Technical Board and Cabinet Committee last Dec. 22.
Poised to become the country’s first subway system, the Mass Transit System Loop will link Bonifacio Global City, the Makati central business district and the SM Mall of Asia area in a bid to ease traffic congestion in the cities of Makati, Pasay and Taguig, according to the PPP Center Web site. The planned 20-kilometer (km) subway will consist of a 16-km tunnel, a 4-km elevated railway and 11 stations.
The PPP segment of the North-South Railway Project involves a 56-km stretch between Tutuban in the City of Manila and the City of Calamba in Laguna.
Mr. Tungpalan, however, clarified that the list of projects that will be up for approval in the Feb. 16 meeting will still be finalized “within the week.” “This is just the initial one. We are still currently going through our long list to look at what may be the first batch.”
He identified the non-PPP projects that could also be approved as the second phase of the Bureau of Fire Protection Capability Building Program under the Department of Interior and Local Government and the P13.89-billion Light Rail Transit (LRT) Line 2 West Extension under the Department of Transportation and Communications. These two infrastructure deals were approved by the NEDA ICC Technical Board and Cabinet Committee on Jan. 14.
“Once these projects are approved by NEDA Board, implementing agencies can start rolling out the deals, meaning publish the invitation to bid,” Mr. Tungpalan explained.
Nine PPP deals have been awarded since the program was launched in 2010: P2.5-billion Integrated Transport System-Southwest Terminal project; P17.52-billion Mactan-Cebu International Airport Project; P64.9-billion LRT Line 1 Cavite Extension; P1.72-billion Automatic Fare Collection System; P2.01-billion Daang Hari-South Luzon Expressway Link Road; P15.52-billion Ninoy Aquino International Airport Expressway; P16.28-billion first phase of the PPP for School Infrastructure Project (PSIP); PSIP’s P3.86-billion second phase; and P5.69-billion Philippine Orthopedic Center modernization. -- Chrisee Jalyssa V. Dela Paz
source: Businessworld
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