The Philippines highlighted the gains and recent developments in the implementation of the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Program in the country during the APEC PPP Experts Advisory Panel Meeting. The meeting held at Tagaytay last March 4 gathered delegates from APEC member countries for Asia Pacific Infrastructure Partnership Dialogue.
Executive Director Cosette V. Canilao of the Public-Private Partnership Center (PPPC) acknowledged the importance of the government’s collective efforts in implementing successful PPPs in the meeting.
“PPPs are complex. It requires the strong support of the leaders and movers in the government, especially the buy in of both the oversight and implementing agencies”, she said.
Despite the challenges that were encountered since the launching of the PPP program in 2010, Canilao emphasized that the government has achieved significant accomplishments.
“We now have a program with a sound policy framework, established institutional reforms, a robust pipeline of PPP projects, and well-capacitated implementing agencies”, she said.
The government has already awarded nine (9) PPP projects totaling to around USD 2.9 billion. These awarded projects are Daang-Hari-SLEX Link Road, the Phase 1 and 2 of the PPP for School Infrastructure Project, NAIA Expressway Phase 2 project, Modernization of the Philippine Orthopedic Center, Automatic Fare Collection System, Mactan Cebu International Airport Passenger Terminal Building, the LRT Line 1 Cavite Extension O&M, and the Integrated Transport System-Southwest Terminal Project.
In 2014, a total of 11 projects were successfully rolled out, including the biggest PPP project to date, the USD 2.73 billion Laguna Lakeshore Expressway Dike. Last week, there were four (4) interested bidders that submitted pre-qualification documents for this project.
Start of this year, three projects were already rolled out: Regional Prison Facilities through PPP, Cavite- Laguna Expressway (CALAX), and the Tanauan City Public Market Redevelopment. This prison facility is the first major PPP project of the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) and also the first of its kind in the country. The government will conduct an Investors Conference on March 20.
Participation of International and local investors in PPP projects have also increased since 2010.
“The turn-out of investors participating in the bidding of projects, both local and foreign, have expanded throughout the years”, Canilao said.
Meanwhile, the government is currently pushing for amendments of the Build-Operate-Transfer Law.
“We are pushing for the enactment of the PPP Act (amendments to the BOT Law) which will institutionalize the reforms we have put in place and further strengthen the legal framework of our proven and tested processes”, Canilao said.
The Joint Foreign Chambers of the Philippines, Management Association of the Philippines and Makati Business Club have recently shown their support for the passing of the PPP Act.
