Gov’t targets March 2013 for LRT-1-Cavite bid submission

MANILA, Philippines – Despite delays in the bidding process for the P60-billion Light Rail Transit line 1 (LRT-1) Cavite extension project, a transportation official gave assurance that the Aquino government’s largest single infrastructure project will proceed as scheduled.

“We have received a number of interested bidders and we expect the bid submission by March 2013 and to start construction soon after that,” said Undersecretary for Planning Rene Limcauco during the 38th Philippine Business Conference.
 
Originally one of the projects in the 10 public-private partnership (PPP) scheme set for 2010, the LRT-1 extension project had a deadline of August 22 for the bidders’ submission of prequalification documents. This has been moved twice to September 28, then again rolled back to October 22.

“The fact that the pre-qualification has been deferred does not mean to say that the actual bidding will be deferred,” said DOTC undersecretary Jose Perpetuo Lotilla.

Based on the preliminary information memorandum of the LRT Line 1 Cavite extension project released by the agency last June, the issuance of the notice of award to the winning bidder was supposed to take place March 2012 while actual construction is slated for October 2013.

Former DOTC secretary Mar Roxas had said that construction of the LRT Cavite extension project is expected to be half completed “by late 2014 and the other half by late 2015.”
 
The railway project will extend the existing 20.7-kilometer (km) LRT Line 1 system, which runs from Roosevelt Ave in Quezon City to Baclaran in Paranaque, by an additional 11.7 km southwards to Bacoor, Cavite.
 
Once completed, the new line will increase ridership of LRT1 from 500,000 to 700,000 passengers per day thus provide faster and more convenient alternative to residents of Cavite, Las Pinas and Paranaque.

The firms that already purchased pre-qualification documents are

• San Miguel Infra
• Macquarie Group
• Mitsubishi Corp.
• D.M. Consultant, Inc.
• Hanjin Heavy Industries & Construction Co. Ltd.
• Sumitomo Corp.
• Leighton Contractors
• Sycip Salazar Hernandez & Gatmaitan
• FSG Capital Inc.
• EFC Enterprises
• FF Cruz & Co. Inc.
• Marubeni Corp.
• BPI Capital Corp.
• ING Bank
• Jorgman Planning & Development Corp.
• RATP Development
• Benchtel Overseas Corp.
• Comm Builders & Technical Philippines Corp.
• Lenvoisa Construction Inc.
• APT Global Inc.
• Makati Development Corp.
• Tranzen Group, SERCO Group
• Cathay Energy Service Corp.
• SYSTRA Group

 
– Rappler.com