Published in Business Mirror
May 17, 2011

THE government plans to bid out P112.99 billion worth of projects under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) in the third and fourth quarters of the year, the PPP Center said.

In a phone interview on Tuesday, Cosette Canilao, PPP Center deputy executive director, said the list includes seven projects, most of which came from the original 10-project list disclosed by the economic managers in the PPP launch in 2010. This will bring to 12 the total number of PPP projects to be bid out this year.

At the Infrastructure Philippines 2010: Investing & Financing PPP projects, the government bared the 10 “ready-to-go” projects for 2011.

The government estimates that these projects would cost $1.503 billion, or around P137.58 billion. However, for the first quarter, the government said five projects would be bid out.

“Even if the economic managers have not announced the list yet, it doesn’t mean that the preparation work for these projects are not being undertaken. However, there may be some additions to the list, depending on the economic managers,” Canilao said.

But she said the projects still needed to go through the Investment Coordination Committee for approval before they are discussed by the National Economic and Development Authority Board.

The list includes the $262-million (P11.79-billion) Cala Expressway-Cavite side section; $251.11-million (P11.3-billion) LRT Line 2 east extension; and $1.556-billion (P70-billion) LRT Line 1 south extension.

The other four projects are the $71.11-million (P3.2-billion) New Legazpi (Daraga) airport development; the $33.33-million (P1.5-billion) privatization of Laguindingan airport operation and maintenance; the $168.89-million (P7.6-billion) new Bohol airport development; and the $168.89-million (P7.6-billion) Puerto Princesa airport development.

The PPP Center said the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) is now preparing the PPP structure and the bid documents for the Puerto Princesa airport development project.

The center and the DOTC also attended the PPP “project scoping and transaction structuring” for the airport project. The event was organized through technical assistance to the DOTC from the Temasek Foundation, a Singapore-based nonprofit organization.

The airport project involves the rehabilitation/improvement of the existing Puerto Princesa airport to meet the standards of the International Civil Aviation Organization.

This will be done through the construction of new landslide facilities in the northwestern side of the existing runway. It also includes the construction of a new apron and connecting taxiways, upgrading of the existing 2.6-kilometer runway and its strip, and the provision of new navigational and traffic control equipment.