The Investment Coordination Committee – Cabinet Committee (ICC-CC) has approved three new Public-Private Partnership (PPP) projects today, October 14. This includes the Philippine Travel Center of the Department of Tourism (DOT), the first PPP project of the agency under the Aquino Administration.
The other PPP projects that were approved are Plaridel Bypass Toll Road of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), and Batangas-Manila (BatMan) 1 Natural Gas Pipeline project of the Philippine National Oil Company (PNOC).
The Php 1.747 billion Philippine Travel Center Complex (PTCC) project involves the financing, design, construction and maintenance of a mixed-use, multi modal complex that will house various tourism-related agencies in Intramuros. The PTCC is envisioned to house all transactions related to travel and tourism in a single complex. This will also improve the delivery of government services and further increase the ease of doing business.
Beyond being a one-stop shop, the PTCC is also designed as a mixed-use development to bring together creative commercial industries that match the vibrant energies of the DOT and its attached agencies. DOT will implement the project with the Intramuros Administration (IA).
The Php 9.387 billion Plaridel Bypass Toll Road is a 23.3-kilometer road starting at the Balagtas interchange in North Luzon Expressway (NLEx) up to San Rafael, Bulacan. The road project traverses five Municipalities of Bulacan: Balagtas, Guiguinto, Plaridel, Bustos, and San Rafael. It involves the conversion of the existing road into a toll road. The road will be expanded to four-lane road with 3.50 meter width per lane and 2.5 meter width shoulder. The project also includes the construction of additional interchanges, overpass/underpass, and other miscellaneous works: operation and maintenance of the toll road and provision for service roads.
Meanwhile, the Php 14.721 billion BatMan1 will transport natural gas to targeted markets located in the high-growth areas of Batangas, Laguna, Cavite and Metro Manila delivered through approximately 121 kilometers of transmission pipelines from Batangas to Metro Manila. The private sector partner will finance, design, construct, operate & maintain the proposed 121-kilometer transmission pipelines from Batangas to Metro Manila, install compressor stations, metering stations, valves as well as control stations and Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems.
After the ICC-CC approval, the projects are set for NEDA Board which is chaired by President Aquino.
