DOTC moves deadline for submission of bids for LRT 1 Extension project

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) moved by two months the submission of the bids for the P60 billion light rail transit (LRT) 1 extension project to Bacoor in Cavite from Baclaran in Pasay City.

In a speech during the 38th Philippine Business Conference at the Manila Hotel yesterday, DOTC undersecretary Rene Limcaoco said the government has received a number of interested bidders for the project.

“We have received a number of interested bidders and it is now under prequalification,” Limcaoco stressed.

He pointed out that the schedule for the submission of bids is in March or two months delayed than the January schedule announced earlier by Transportation undersecretary Jose Perpetuo Lotilla.

“We expect bid submission by March 2013,” Limcaoco stressed.

He stressed that the deadline for the submission of bids is originally scheduled in March but the bid bulletin showed that the submission of bids is either on January or February and the notice of award is scheduled in March.

The Cavite Extension project would increase the span of Line 1 from 20.7 kilometers to 32.4 kilometers with a new south endpoint in Niog, Bacoor, Cavite instead of Baclaran. The extension project includes eight stations (with provision for two future stations), 10.5 kilometers of viaduct, support beams, and 3 intermodal facilities.

Approximately 10.5 kilometers of the Cavite Extension System would be elevated and 1.2 kilometers would be at grade level serving nearly four million residents of Parañaque, Las Piñas, and the Province of Cavite.

Limcaoco said the government has set aside P30 billion to acquire up to 39 new Light Rail Vehicles for this project that would be financed through an official development assistance (ODA) scheme of the Japanese government.

He added that the civil works including the construction of the tracks, the stations and all its attendant facilities, as well as operation and maintenance worth about P30 billion would be auctioned to interested investors.

Bidders were given more time to finalize their pre qualification documents as the deadline was moved anew to Oct. 22 instead of Sept. 28. This was the second extension given by the government to interested parties as the original deadline was last Aug. 22.

Conglomerates led by the tandem of Metro Pacific Investment Corp. (MPIC) and Ayala Corp, and SMC Infra Resources Inc. are among the interested bidders for the civil works of the project worth P30 billion that would extend the LRT 1 from Baclaran all the way to Bacoor in Cavite.

Aside from the conglomerates, also present during the investors’ briefing and pre-qualification conference last July 10 were Ayala-controlled Makati Development Corp, FF Cruz, DM Consunji Inc. as well as Japanese-owned Marubeni, Sumitomo, Mitsubishi, Itochu as well as French transportation contractors RATP Dev and Systra Group as well as Ecorail and Leighton Contractors.

Also interested were Hanjin Heavy Industries & Construction Co. Ltd., SyCip Salazar Hernandez & Gatmaitan, FSG Capital Inc., EFC Enterprises, Jorgman Planning & Development Corp., RATP Development, Bechtel Overseas Corp., SERCO Group, Comm Builders & Technical Philippines Corp., Lenvoisa Construction Inc., APT Global Inc., Tranzen Group, and Cathay Energy Service Corp.,

Banks present during the conference were Ayala-controlled Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI), BDO Universal Bank of retail magnate Henry Sy, PNB Capital of banking and beverage tycoon Lucio Tan, China Bank, and Dutch financial giant ING Bank, American-owned Citi, and the Macquarie Group of Companies.