News Release
06 March 2012
The nation’s Project Development and Monitoring Facility (PDMF), an enabler aimed at generating well-prepared public-private partnership (PPP) projects, as well as capacity building strategies of the PPP Center took center stage in Geneva, Switzerland, during the Philippines’ business forum at “PPP Days”, a premier global gathering of public sector practitioners held last February 21 to 24, 2012.
With some 700 experts from over 80 countries attending the four-day event, the “PPP Days” was open to the private sector and allowed a set of country delegations to share their PPP program policy frameworks, strategies, policies and projects.
Presenting the country outlook under the administration of President Benigno Aquino III were Socio-Economic Planning Secretary Cayetano W. Paderanga and Finance Secretary Cesar V. Purisima. Health Undersecretary Teodoro Herbosa and Public Private Partnership Center Executive Director Cosette V. Canilao joined the panel of Philippine presenters.
The event was jointly hosted by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, the World Bank Institute, and the Asian Development Bank and was supported by the International Finance Corporation and the ADB Institute.
Executive Director Canilao said distinguished international attendees of the country business forum took good note of the PDMF, a revolving fund to finance pre-investment activities such as feasibility studies and transaction advisory services for project development proposals from implementing agencies that fall well under the Philippine Development Plan.
The PPP Center’s thrusts to bring up the knowledge and skills level of government agencies, through training and other capacity development efforts on the whole process of project preparation, tendering and management, also drew in substantial attention from the body, according to Executive Director Canilao.
Spurring government’s social service delivery through the PPP mode was covered by Undersecretary Herbosa who presented the Department of Health’s ongoing PPP projects, including the Modernization of the Philippine Orthopedic Center. He also shared the country experience on the National Kidney and Transplant Institute.
“These PPP program developments under the Aquino administration, which is committed to transparency and good governance, have elicited keen interest from global practitioners,” noted Executive Director Canilao.
Unisys Philippines’ Sanjeev Wadhwa and BDO Capital and Investment Corp. President Eduardo Francisco expounded on private sector perspectives on ongoing PPP projects while ADB Infrastructure Officer Aura Abon shared the Manila Water Company’s experience as PPP case study.
