Plaridel Bypass, 2 other PPPs set for NEDA Board

MANILA, Philippines — More infrastructure projects under the state’s public-private partnership (PPP) thrust — a toll road, a gas pipeline, and a one-stop shop travel center — are advancing to President Benigno Aquino III’s final approval.

This is months after Aquino trumpeted in his last State of the Nation Address an increased number of such PPP deals as his edge over his predecessors. (READ: PH’s PPP thrust: Work in progress)

On Wednesday night, October 14, a body of the National Economic and Develeopment Authority (NEDA) approved 3 PPP projects: the P9.39-billion ($205.09-million) Plaridel Bypass Toll Road, P1.75-billion ($38.22-million) Philippine Travel Center Complex, and P14.72-billion ($321.50-million) Batangas-Manila (BatMan) 1 Natural Gas Pipeline.

Toll road in Bulacan

Implemented by the Public Works and Highways department, the 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 5 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 into a 4-lane road with a 3.5-meter width per lane and a 2.5-meter width shoulder. 

The toll road 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.

Gas pipeline from Batangas to Metro Manila

Meanwhile, the BatMan 1 project of the Philippine National Oil Company (PNOC) 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. 

Once auctioned off, the private sector partner will finance, design, construct, operate and 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.

One-stop travel center in Intramuros

The Philippine Travel Center Complex (PTCC) marks the Department of Tourism’s first project under the PPP thrust.

The 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,” the PPP Center said in a statement.

Aside from being a one-stop shop, the PTCC is also designed as a mixed-use development to bring together creative commercial industries that match the tourism department and its attached agencies. 

The tourism department will implement the project with the Intramuros Administration.

A NEDA Board approval is needed before an implementing agency can roll out a PPP project.

To date, the Aquino administration has awarded the following PPP projects, costing around P189 billion ($4.17 billion):