Todate, 10,986 classrooms have been built in seven regions to alleviate the country’s backlog under the first Public-Private Partnership (PPP) for School Infrastructure Project (PSIP).
Under the first phase of the PSIP, completed early last month (December 4, 2015), the Department of Education (DepEd) and its private partners built and delivered 9,296 classrooms in Regions 1, 3 and 4-A, benefitting over 400,000 students.
Under the second phase of the PSIP, the project proponents have already completed and delivered 1,690 delivered classrooms as of October 31, 2015. This will benefit six regions: Cordillera Administrative Region, Region 1, 2, 3, 10 and 13.
The PSIP Phase I covers the design, financing and construction of one-story and two-story classrooms, including furniture and fixtures to supplement the current DepEd program meant to reduce classroom backlog.
The project was procured through a competitive two-stage public bidding process under the Philippine Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) Law. The PSIP Phase I bidding attracted 18 prospective bidders, of which 6 were pre-qualified.
A couple of bidders eventually won and the government signed a concession agreement with the private partners: Bright Future Educational Facilities, Inc. and Citicore Holdings Investment, Inc.-Megawide Construction Corporation last October 8, 2012.
05 January 2016
By Emmie Abadilla
