11 November 2011, PPP Center
The Public-Private Partnership Center of the Philippines (PPP Center) recently conducted the PPP Regional Orientation-Workshop for the CALABARZON region last October 25, 2011. This officially jumpstarts the PPP Center’s series of regional training rollout which aims to introduce local government units (LGUs) and other regional stakeholders to the Philippine PPP Program.
Known for its vast economic opportunities in the fields of agriculture, fishery & forestry, industry, and services, CALABARZON has a great potential to trigger local development through the utilization of the government’s PPP option.
The orientation-workshop, organized in collaboration with the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) and the Department of the interior and Local Government (DILG) regional offices, familiarized the participants with the whole PPP project development stages and how PPPs can be utilized to further local economic development and LGU service delivery in the region.
Marcelina E. Bacani, Assistant Director-General of the NEDA, expressed support and commitment to working closely with the PPP Center and other concerned agencies in helping LGUs identify and put together critical infrastructure and development projects that address the concerns of their respective locales.
Participants coming from various regional sectors attended the event. These include Cavite Governor Juanito Victor C. Remulla Jr., Batangas Vice Governor Mark Leviste, and several other local chief executives from the municipalities and provinces of the region. Also present were representatives from the regional offices of PPP implementing and oversight agencies such as the DOH, DepEd, DPWH, DTI, DILG, and NEDA; and state colleges and universities, namely, the Batangas State University and the University of Rizal Systems.
In line with the Center’s advocacy of promoting and utilizing PPPs at the local level, actual PPP project proposals were discussed and their viability, using PPP modes as financing options, was explored. Project-specific consultation meetings were also set to provide guidance and other technical assistance needed in developing sound local PPP projects.
This capacity development intervention was conducted by the PPP Center, with assistance from the Development Academy of the Philippines, under the British Embassy’s “Supporting Government’s Push for Public-Private Partnerships through Capacity Building” grant.
