28 January 2013, Business Mirror
by Paul Anthony Isla
THE Project Development and Monitoring Facility (PDMF) Board said on Monday it approved four big-ticket projects proposed to be undertaken in the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Program.
They are the Plaridel Bypass Toll Road Project of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), the Manila-Makati-Pasay-Parañaque Mass Transit System, and the Philippine National Railways (PNR) North and South Lines Development and Extension of the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC), and the Batangas-Manila Natural Gas Pipeline Project I (BatMan I) of the Philippine National Oil Co. (PNOC).
Cosette V. Canilao, PPP Center executive director, said the administration’s economic managers earlier indicated they would give priority to the projects in 2013.
“Our directive for this year is help implementing agencies carry out what are dubbed as ambitious projects that would have a massive and positive impact on the country’s economy,” she added.
PDMF said the Plaridel Bypass Toll Road Project entails the conversion of the Plaridel bypass road into a toll highway, which would involve road expansion, construction of additional interchanges, flyovers, toll plazas and other miscellaneous works.
The bypass road is currently being constructed through the initiatives of the DPWH. Once constructed, the 24.61-km stretch will traverse five Bulacan towns—Balagtas, Guiguinto, Plaridel, Bustos and San Rafael.
The Manila-Makati-Pasay-Parañaque Mass Transit System Project is foreseen to interconnect the four cities starting from the C5-32nd Street to Edsa-Buendia-Makati Avenue-Ayala Triangle-Buendia roads, crossing the PNR Buendia Station, LRT 1 Buendia Station to CCP Complex and Mall of Asia to Edsa Ayala completing the loop up to Makati Ayala Triangle.
The long-overdue development and upgrade of the PNR railway systems will fall under the DOTC’s proposed PNR North and South Lines Development and Extension Project, which will cover the entire PNR Mainline North and South Lines including branch lines of Tarlac-San Jose in the north, and Calamba-Batangas in the south. The PDMF-funded study will also look into possible extension of the north line to Cagayan. An important feature of the project is the plan to revive freight operations. This would provide a convenient, affordable and environment-friendly alternative transportation for people and their goods.
PDMF said the PNOC is also gea ing to ramp up its plan to develop the natural-gas industry of the country by building a series of network pipelines in Luzon with the aim of reducing the country’s dependence on oil.
PDMF said a 105-km transmission pipeline under the Batangas-Manila Natural Gas Pipeline Project I (BatMan I) would be constructed to transport and supply natural gas to targeted markets located along its route from Batangas, Laguna, Cavite and eventually to Metro Manila.
Included in the project is the construction of a liquefied natural gas (LNG) receiving plant and the installation of compressor stations, metering stations, valves as well as control stations and Scada systems.
These PPP projects are expected to address the country’s economic, energy and environmental challenges. The sustainability and viability of the projects would be ensured by tapping the vast resources and expertise of the private sector. Under PDMF, these projects would be assisted in pre-investment activities such as the preparation of feasibility studies, bid process management, and advisory servicesuntil financial close.
