We’re familiar with how the country’s public-private partnership (PPP) program gets flak at home from time to time—either by its own doing or due to factors outside its control. Nonetheless, it remains highly regarded abroad and some of its projects may even go on to win awards this year.

That seems a possible scenario based on the short list for the Partnership Awards 2015, which recognizes and rewards the best PPP projects and organizations from around the world for 17 years now.

Three Philippine PPPs awarded in the last two years have made it to the current short list for the Partnership Awards, which include as many as 40 deals in various categories such as healthcare, education, energy and transportation.

The Department of Education’s PPP for School Infrastructure Project was named in the short list as well as two transportation department projects: the Automatic Fare Collection System (AFCS) and Mactan Cebu International Airport.

These projects were won by Filipino companies Ayala Corp. and Metro Pacific Investments Corp. for the AFCS and Megawide Construction Corp. and its partners for the Cebu airport and certain packages under the school infrastructure project.

The Philippines’ PPP Center, led by executive director Cosette Canilao, is itself a contender for the “best” government PPP promoter after bagging the “gold award” for the same category in 2014. For financial institutions, Henry Sy’s BDO Unibank is in the running for the financial adviser of the year award.

The final winners should be known in a few months, with the awarding to take place on May 14 in London.

Philippine Daily Inquirer, 11 March 2015
By Miguel R. Camus