PRESS RELEASE
15 October 2014
Officials of the Royal Governments of Tonga and Bhutan recently visited the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Center of the Philippines to gain insights about the country’s PPP Program. They are looking into the Philippines implementation of PPP program to help them develop their own PPP national policy and institutional framework.
“We welcome the opportunity to share our experiences to those who want to start their own PPP Programs. Other countries and our development partners now recognize the successes gained by the program which is an affirmation that we are on the right track,” PPP Center Deputy Executive Director Atty. Sherry Ann N. Austria said.
Royal Government of Tonga is the latest country that sent representatives in the Philippines to seek guidance in starting their own PPP program. PPP Center officials welcomed Tonga’s Minister Feao Vakata and Deputy Chief Executive Officer Sione Akuola from the Ministry of Public Enterprises.
During the said meeting, the Center explained its functions and various initiatives to ensure the sustainability of the PPP program. It likewise emphasized the critical role that a central PPP unit would play in orchestrating various activities towards the success of a country’s PPP endeavor. Like the Philippines, the Asian Development Bank is also helping Tonga to develop and strengthen its own PPP program and establish its dedicated PPP unit.
The Royal Government of Bhutan also sent a high level delegation in the country for a study tour last month. The officials were here to learn more about the country’s PPP experiences. Members of the delegation from the Royal Government of Bhutan were Dasho Sonam Tshering, Ministry of Economic Affairs secretary; Dasho Kinley Dorji, Ministry of Information and Communications secretary; Dasho Sonam Tenzin, Ministry of Works and Human Settlement secretary; Lam Dorji, Ministry of Finance secretary; Sonam Phuntsho Wangdi, Ministry of Economic Affairs joint secretary; Pema Chewang, National Land Commission secretary; Phuntsho Wangyel, Gross National Happiness Commission Deputy Chief Research Officer; Sonam Tashi, Ministry of Economic Affairs chief planning officer; and Sonam Lhendup, Ministry of Economic Affairs planning officer.
The Bhutan delegation was particularly interested in the Philippines’ PPP legal and institutional framework and how they could apply it to the PPP national policy they are currently finalizing with the support from World Bank.
Part of their study tour was to visit to the different agencies that play a big part in the Philippine PPP program. They spent time with officials from the Department of Finance (DOF), National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC), Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Department of Education (DepEd), and the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) to learn about their experiences in implementing PPP projects.
Bhutan officials also toured some of the awarded PPP projects including the ongoing construction of DPWH’s Daang Hari-SLEX Link Road and a completed classroom under DepEd’s PPP for School Infrastructure project in Cabilang Baybay Elementary School in Carmona, Cavite. Winning private proponents for these projects, Ayala Corporations and Megawide-Citicore Corporation, shared their experiences in dealing with the government and their continued appetite to participate in projects under the PPP pipeline.
Meanwhile, during the Philippine Economic Briefing in Tokyo, Japan, the PPP policy in the country was hailed as one of the best in the world.
“Philippines is known globally as having one of the best PPP policy”, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Director General Hidetoshi Irigaki for Southeast Asia and Pacific Department said.
Past countries that sent delegations to be oriented on the Philippine PPP program were Guam Legislature of USA, Australia, Singapore, Indonesia, Nigeria, Turkey and Spain.
