Public-Private Partnership Center

THE GOVERNMENT rolled out yesterday its second public-private partnership (PPP) project, the P198-M restoration and redevelopment of the Talisay City plaza.

“The city government of Talisay, in coordination with the Public-Private Partnership Center of the Philippines, is inviting prospective bidders to apply to prequalify and bid to finance, design, construct, operate and maintain” the components of the Talisay City Plaza Complex Heritage Restoration and Redevelopment Project for a minimum period of 20 years, according to a notice published in newspapers yesterday.

The components are the “heritage renovation,” operation and management of the old city hall; the planning, design, construction and operations and management of a new public market; the construction of a new commercial building; and the provision of appropriately qualified and experienced staff.

The estimated project cost is P198.29 million, according to the PPP Center Web site.

The plaza complex project is the second PPP project to be rolled out this year. The first was the P35.58-billion Cavite-Laguna Expressway (CaLa-Ex) project, rolled out in April.

Bid documents, instructions to bidders, and project information will be available at the City Administrator’s Office in the new Talisay City Hall starting July 19.

The Talisay project brings the number of PPP deals offered by the Aquino administration to 11, of which only three — the P1.96-billion Daang Hari — South Luzon Expressway Link, the P16.42-billion PPP School Infrastructure Project Phase One, and the P15.86-billion Ninoy Aquino International Airport Expressway (NAIA) Phase II — have been awarded since the infrastructure program was launched in late 2010.

The CaLa-Ex project was put on hold by the Public Works department last month, after it decided to remove official development assistance (ODA) from the deal.

CaLa-Ex involves the construction of a four-lane, 47.02-kilometer highway that will connect the Manila-Cavite and South Luzon expressways.

The private sector was originally set to finance, design and construct the P19.7-billion, 28.9-km Cavite section stretching from the municipality of Kawit to the Aguinaldo Highway in Silang.

The government, meanwhile, was to construct the P15.8-billion, 18.1-km Laguna section from the Aguinaldo Highway to the SLEx Mamplasan exit in Laguna through ODA.

Prospective bidders were supposed to have submitted their qualification documents on June 10, but this was called off, with no new dates set. — K.M.P. Tubadeza