The government will shorten the approval process on PPP projects to fasttrack their implementation, according to Ferdinand Pecson, PPP (Public-Private Partnership) Center executive director.

Pecson said there are at least 50 PPP projects worth P472.9 billion, and several of which are part of the infrastructure rodmap of government.

He said of the 50, only four had been completed and seven others are on different status of construction. He said at least nine PPP projects are also up for bidding.

Pecson said there are several factors that contribute to the delay of the projects and primary of which are issues of right of way, issuance of permits, issuance of temporary restraining orders, and relocation of informal settlers.

He said the new law on the right of way, which addressed the compensation issues, is welcomed as it helps address any legal issues while the Department of Interior and Local Government had been helpful in addressing and eventually convincing informal settlers to relocate to other areas.

Meanwhile, the Philippines and China have agreed to prioritize Philippine infrastructure projects that could be done in two to three years’ time to ensure that these would be completed under the Duterte presidency.

Apart from the $3,4 billion priority infrastructure projects identified for financing by China, Beijing is also looking at funding two relatively small projects, the two bridge projects across the Pasig River proposed by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

These are the P450-million Binondo-Intramuros Bridge and the P260-million Estrella-Pantaleon Bridge that aim to ease traffic congestion in Metro Manila.

Carlos Dominguez III, secretary of the Department of Finance (DOF) said the agency will officially submit within this month two of the large-scale infrastructure projects China agreed to finance: the Chico River Pump Irrigation Project in the provinces of Cagayan and Kalinga with an estimated total project cost of $53.6 million and the New Centennial Water Source-Kaliwa Dam Project in Quezon, estimated at $374.03 million.

10 March 2017