TRANSPORTATION Secretary Jaime J. Bautista said he is “courting” Japanese companies to bid for public-private partnership (PPP) projects in the railway and aviation sectors.
He said that he promoted three projects—two under the railways and one under the airports—to Japanese companies during the Philippine Investment Opportunities Forum in Tokyo.
“Following through our President’s directive, the DOTr has cast the vision of transforming the Philippines’ transport industry and elevating it to global standards, characterized by comfortable, accessible, safe, and affordable transport services throughout the country,” Bautista said.
Particularly, Bautista encouraged Japanese firms to bid for the P76.89-billion Metro Manila Subway Project (MMSP), the P204.6-billion North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR), and the P107.6-billion Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) PPP.
The MMSP deal includes operations and maintenance for subway trains, stations, depot, and other systems infrastructure, as well as a concession period of 15 years of full operations.
It also includes the maintenance of facilities and equipment under the Philippine Railway Institute, collection of passenger fares, and commercial development rights within prescribed station boundaries, among others.
The auction for the deal has been set for the fourth quarter of 2023 to the first quarter of 2024.
Meanwhile, the NSCR deal involves the construction of a 147-kilometer train line that will connect the northern and southern parts of Luzon. It also includes the operations and maintenance of trains, stations, depot, and other systems and infrastructure, and a concession period of 15 years of full operations in addition to partial operations period.
The project also includes interoperations management within the rail system by trains from other lines such as the subway project, collection of passenger fares, and exercise of commercial development rights within prescribed station boundaries, among others.
Bidding for the operations and maintenance contract of the NSCR is scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2023 to the first quarter of 2024.
Lastly, the Naia PPP seeks to redesign the Philippines’s main international gateway to expand its capacity to 62 million passengers per year. It also includes the rehabilitation of airport terminals and improved operations and maintenance of the airport’s airside and landside facilities.
“The concessionaire’s aeronautical revenues will consist of passenger service charges, landing and takeoff fees, aircraft parking, tacking, and cargo, and others. The concessionaire will be allowed to conduct airport-related commercial activities within the project land,” Bautista noted.
The auction for the Naia PPP project commenced last August 23 following the publication of instructions to bidders.
“DOTr will bridge the gap towards our vision for the Philippines’ transportation sector by developing infrastructure and delivering transport services across our four operating sectors in airports and aviation, maritime, railways, and roads,” Bautista said.
