Manila Times, 01 August 2012
The Manila Metro Line 1 Extension, Maintenance and Operations Project Investors’ briefing was successfully held in Madrid on July 23 at the headquarters of the Spanish Confederation of Business Organizations (CEOE in Spanish) with about 50 participants from about 27 Spanish companies in attendance.
The briefing was organized by the Philippine Embassy and Philippine Trade and Investment Center (PTIC) in Madrid.
Among the major Spanish companies in the transport industry in attendance were, Metro de Madrid, Renfe, CAF, Indra, Centunion, Ineco, Getinsa, IDOM, Cemex, OHL, Abengoa, AEDIP, Seopan and Talgo, among others
The briefing started with the delivery of opening remarks by the CEOE President of the Council for Trade Promotion, José Luis Gonzalez Vallvé, the Director General for Commerce and Investment of the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, Antonio Fernández-Martos, and Philippine Ambassador to Spain Carlos Salinas.
The Ambassador, at the beginning of his welcome remarks, stressed that fprogress requires a strong collaboration and the concerted effort of all sectors of society—the government, people, and the private sector.
He also underscored that infrastructure development is vital in the economic growth of a country. The Philippine Development Plan 2011-2016 recognizes the critical role that infrastructure plays in the economic development of the Philippines.
In his speech, Martos highlighted the recent visit of Queen Sofia to the Philippines as an indication of the strong bilateral relations between Spain and the Philippines. He said that he was delighted of the visit of the Philippine delegation and the opportunity given to the Spanish companies to hear about and participate in the pipeline transportation and infrastructure projects in the Philippines.
He further said that six of 10 global players in the transport industry are based in Spain and that Spanish companies are leaders in the sectors that are being promoted under the public-private partnership (PPP) Program of the Philippine Government. He was also glad to announce to the Spanish audience that a PPP project was awarded last year to Spanish company GETINSA, who is part of a consortium who tendered a bid for the said project.
After the briefing, the Philippine delegation composed of Department of Finance Undersecretary John Philip Sevilla, Department of Transportation and Communication Assistant Secretary Jaime Raphael Feliciano, PPP Center Executive Director Cosette Canilao, Development Bank of the Philippines Manager for Banking Investment Nicolas Chua and International Finance Corp. Counsel Adviser Lulu Baclagon, divided themselves into three groups to accommodate requests for one-on-one consultations.
Two discussed the Metro line 1 extension, maintenance and operation project, and another one discussed the other PPP projects. A total of 19 consultations were arranged with the participation of 11 Spanish companies.
In closing, Salinas invited the audience to visit the Philippines to see for themselves the opportunities that are available to them, or to talk to Spanish companies doing business in the Philippines and inquire on how the business goes in the country.
