MANILA, Philippines — More infrastructure projects – a regional prison, a bus rapid transit, and a connector road, among others – are now set for rollout after President Benigno Aquino III gave his final approval on them Wednesday, December 16.
Aquino trumpeted in his last State of the Nation Address an increased number of such public-private partnership deals as his edge over his predecessors. (READ: PH’s PPP thrust: Work in progress)
On Wednesday afternoon, December 16, the National Economic and Develeopment Authority (NEDA) Board, chaired by Aquino, approved 2 PPP and 3 official development assistance (ODA) projects:
- P50.2-billion ($1.06-billion) Regional Prison Facilities
- P4.8-billion ($101.41-million) Manila-Quezon Avenue Bus Rapid Transit
- P1.67-billion ($35.284-million) Integrated Marine Environment Monitoring System – Phase 2
- P11.43-billion ($241.49-million) Harnessing Agribusiness Opportunities Through Robust and Vibrant Entrepreneurship
- P23-billion ($485.95-million) North Luzon Expressway (NLEX)-South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) Connector Road Project
Regional Prison Facilities
To be implemented under the justice department, the Regional Prison Facilities project involves the financing, construction, and maintenance of a new prison facility through a PPP arrangement.
The new facility will accommodate 26,880 inmates, and include staff housing, administrative buildings, and areas for rehabilitation (sports, work, and religious activities).
Manila-Quezon Avenue Bus Rapid Transit
The project involves the provision of a 12.3-kilometer segregated BRT from Quezon Memorial Circle to Manila City Hall. Funding will be through a loan from the World Bank and the Agence Francaise de Developpement. The Department of Finance has been authorized to negotiate the terms of the loan.
This project involves the improvement and expansion of the PHILO Phase I, as well as integration of various database, including fishing vessel registry, ocean and weather data, stock assessment data, illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing records, among others.
The Phase 2 project is an integrated operational fisheries and marine environment monitoring center in the Philippines, which is seen to be interregional and interconnected with the main center.
The project will be funded through a loan from the French government, with the finance department authorized to negotiate the terms of the loan.
Harnessing Agribusiness Opportunities Through Robust and Vibrant Entrepreneurship
The project will finance eligible investments of large agribusiness enterprises, cooperatives or micro organizations, and micro, small, and medium enterprises in support of crop production, poultry/livestock production, fish production/fishery development, agri-services supportive of economic activity.
Funding will be sourced from loans with Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the World Bank.
NLEX-SLEX Connector Road Project
This PPP project involves the construction of an 8-kilometer, 4-land toll road that will link the existing NLEX and SLEX. (READ: Swiss challenge for NLEX-SLEX Connector to start October)
The project was originally approved by the NEDA board in November 2012.
Companies can now match the project’s original proponent Manila North Tollways Corporation’s (MNTC) offer once the public works and highways department start with the Swiss challenge. – Rappler.com
US$1 = P47.33
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