3 more eye bus terminal proj

MANILA, Philippines - Three more companies are keen on participating in the bidding for the proposed P2.5 billion Integrated Transport System (ITS) Project - Southwest Terminal under the Aquino administration’s public private partnership (PPP) scheme.

PPP Center executive director Cosette Canilao said Ayala Corp., Filinvest Land, and Megawide Construction Corp. bought bids documents for the project.

This brought to 10 the number of companies interested in the PPP project.

Interested bidders include diversified conglomerate San Miguel Corp., property giant Ayala Land Inc., Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. of infrastructure giant Metro Pacific Investments Corp., Robinsons Land Inc. of taipan John Gokongwei, D.M. Wenceslao and Associates Inc., Vicente T. Lao Construction, and French-owned Egis Projects Philippines.

“It just validates that the PPP program is really successful and that all the biddings that we conduct and the rules are transparent. Hence we continue to attract more bidders for all our PPP projects,” she said.

The Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) has given interested companies until May 15 to submit their bids for the 2.9-hectare Southwest Terminal project located at the Coastal Road Terminal along the Manila-Cavite Expressway.

The terminal would connect passengers coming from Cavite to other urban transport systems such as the future Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT) South Extension to Bacoor in Cavite, city bus, taxi, and other public utility vehicles plying Metro Manila.

The project would include a passenger terminal building, arrival and departure bays, public information system, ticketing and baggage handling facilities and park-ride facilities.

The DOTC pointed out that the proponent would finance, design, construct, operate, and maintain the ITS project for a period of 35 years.