8 foreign, local firms eye Laguna expressway-dike project

MANILA, Philippines – A total of 8 foreign and local companies have expressed interest in the P123-billion ($2.8 billion*) Laguna Lakeshore expressway dike project – the largest public-private partnership (PPP) project of the Aquino administration.

PPP Center executive director Cosette Canilao said the companies that bought bid documents for the project include:

• Ayala Land Inc.
• Metro Pacific Investments Corporation (MPIC)
• Megaworld Corporation
• GT Capital Holdings Inc.
• Minerales Industrias Corporation
• Egis SA of France
• Leighton Contractors of Australia
• Muhibbah Engineering Berhad of Malaysia

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has given interested companies until October 16 to submit their pre-qualification documents.

DPWH Secretary Rogelio Singson previously said that project construction would start late next year and would be completed by 2021.

The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) board chaired by President Benigno Aquino III approved the project on June 19.

The Aquino administration’s biggest PPP project involves the construction of a 47-km flood control dike to prevent flooding in the western coastal communities along Laguna Lake, particularly in southern Metro Manila and Laguna.

A 6-lane expressway starting from Taguig and ending in Los Baños will also be constructed to ease traffic congestion and provide an alternate route going to and from Laguna. The expressway will run on a mainly off-shore alignment 500 meters away from the lake’s western shoreline.

The Laguna Lakeshore expressway dike project is one of the 18 major infrastructure projects worth P602.2 billion ($13.73 billion*) to be rolled out under the PPP scheme before June next year.

The 18 projects to be rolled out are part of an inventory of 47 PPP projects in the pipeline, Canilao previously said. – Rappler.com