ADB open to extending more funds for PPPs

MANILA, Philippines – The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is open to extend more funds for the pre-feasibility studies of Public Private Partnership (PPP) projects, should the government require it.

In an interview on Wednesday, October 3, ADB Philippines Country Director Neeraj Jain said the ADB is open to approaching its development partners and sourcing its own funds to further the government’s PPP program.

The ADB and the governments of Australia and Canada this year put up additional grant funds worth $18.5 million for the Project Development Monitoring Fund (PDMF), which helps finance the preparation of PPP projects.

“I have assured the government (that) funding is really not a constraint, there are enough funds available with us until 2016 but if more funds are needed, we will approach our development partners and request them for additional funding and we will also look for our own internal sources,” Jain said.

PPP projects

As of September 28, the PPP Center has been able to bid out two PPP projects — the DaangHari-SLEX Link Road, which was awarded to Ayala Corp., and the PPP for School Infrastructure Project, which was awarded to the consortiums of Citicore Holdings Investment Inc.-Megawide Construction Corp., Inc. and BF Corp.-Riverbanks Development Corporation.

Two projects are undergoing bidder due diligence — the $1.38 billion LRT Line 1 Cavite Extension and Operation & Maintenance and the $368.84 million NAIA Expressway Project.

The PPP Center said that the invitation to bid (ITB) for the $132.56 million Modernization of the Philippine Orthopedic Center (MPOC) project will soon be published.  

There are also 4 projects that are awaiting National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) Board and Investment Coordination Committee (ICC) approval.

These are:

• $10.53 million Vaccine Self-Sufficiency Project Phase II (VSSPII);
• $1.01 billion CALA Expressway (Cavite and Laguna Side);
• $493.02 million NLEX-SLEX Connector Road; and
• $26.86 million Rehabilitation, Operation & Maintenance of Angat Hydro Electric Power Plant (AHEPP) Auxilliary Turbines 4 & 5

– Rappler.com