Phl invites Australian firms to bid for P183-B PPP projects

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine government is luring Australian companies to participate in the bidding of eight major infrastructure projects under the public private partnership (PPP) scheme worth P183 billion.

PPP Center executive director Cosette Canilao said she has invited companies in Melbourne and Sydney to join the bidding for PPP projects including the operation and maintenance of six airports, a regional prison facility, and a port project to be rolled out by the Aquino administration over the next few months.

These airport projects include the O&M of the Davao Airport worth P40.57 billion; the Iloilo Airport worth P30.4 billion; the Bacolod Airport worth P20.26 billion; the Laguindingan Airport worth P14.6 billion; the Puerto Princesa Airport worth P5.81 billion; and the new Bohol worth P2.35 billion.

Others are the planned P50.2 billion Regional Prison Facilities in Nueva Ecija and the P19-billion Davao Sasa Port modernization project.

The PPP investment roadshow of the Philippines in Melbourne last Nov. 25 and in Sydney last Nov. 27. The first leg lured 40 participants from public and private sectors attended the PPP forum while the more than 45 participants attended second leg.

Companies like Macquarie, Export Finance and Insurance Corp., DLA Piper, Ashurst Australia, and Siemens and Australian government representatives from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and NSW Trade and Investment also graced the forum.

Deputy executive director Sherry Ann Austria presented the initiatives for a sustainable PPP program and emphasized to institutionalize these initiatives to sustain the gains of the program.

After the forum, Canilao and deputy executive director Austria also met with PPP players in Australia such as Capella Capital, Allens Linklaters, and Leighton to discuss PPP investment opportunities in the Philippines.

The Philippine government also held roadshows in Europe, Singapore, Japan, and North America.

The Aquino administration is set to roll out 18 PPP projects worth P407 billion before June next year as part of the inventory of over 50 projects already in the pipeline.

The government has so far rolled out the P123-billion Laguna Lakeshore expressway dike project; the P24.4 billion Bulacan Bulk Water supply project; the P18.7-billion New Centennial Water Source; the P4-billion Integrated Transport System (ITS) – South terminal; the P2.5-billion ITS-Southwest terminal; and the operation and maintenance of LRT-2.

The government has so far awarded eight PPP projects worth close to P133 billion.

These are the Daang Hari – South Luzon expressway link road (P2 billion), PPP for School Infrastructure Project phase 1 (P8.86 billion), the PSIP-2 (P16.28 billion), the modernization project for the Philippine Orthopedic Center (P5.98 billion), the Ninoy Aquino International Airport expressway (P15.52 billion), the automated fare collection system project (P1.72 billion), the Mactan – Cebu international airport expansion project (P17.5 billion), and the Light Rail Transit line 1 Cavite extension project (P65 billion).