SUMMARY
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MANILA, Philippines – Re-bidding of the P60 billion LRT-1 Cavite Extension rail project will commence this 2013 and not next year, according to Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya.
On the sidelines of the Philippine Transit App challenge on Monday, October 14, the transportation secretary said the awarding for the bidder of the biggest project under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) scheme will be scheduled in the first quarter of 2014.
“Awarding for the project will be [in] February,” Abaya said. He earlier told another audience in September the bidding will be in February. (READ: LRT-1 Cavite re-auctioned in 2014 — Abaya)
Abaya explained that the Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC) yet has to present the changes in the concession agreement to the National Economic and Development Authority board after the bidding was declared a failure in August.
The transportation chief has earlier said that the re-auction of the LRT 1 extension project was moved to 1st quarter of next year as the NEDA board has been unable to meet and approve the new terms for the project.
Abaya said the bidding will be scheduled after the NEDA board convenes either in October or November. The NEDA board is the highest policy making body in the country. It is chaired by President Benigno Aquino III.
“Once we get the NEDA clearance, we are good to publish (the concession agreement), and then we bid and we can award the project, “ Abaya said.
3 PPP projects in 2013
The LRT-1 extension project will complete all the PPP projects under the DOTC to be bid out before 2013 ends.
The 2 other PPP projects under the transportation department up for auction are the P17.5 billion Mactan Cebu International Airport and the P1.72 billion MRT Automated Fare Collection System.
Similar to LRT-1 extension project, both suffered the delays in the bidding process as auction schedule for both projects were moved from August to November after a major overhaul of the concession agreement was made. (READ: Gov’t defers another PPP project)
Bidding of the Cebu airport is now scheduled on November 15, while the auction of the AFCS is set on November 18.
The LRT-1 Cavite Extension project is one of the big ticket infrastructure projects under the Aquino administration under the flagship public-private partnership (PPP) scheme. (READ: Why can Myanmar bid out infra projects but PH can’t?; Private firms on PPP: Nice but slow)
The project aims to extend the current 20.7 kilometer rail system from Baclaran in Pasay City all the way to Bacoor in Cavite. – Rappler.com
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