2 groups vie for Southwest terminal

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) has prequalified Filinvest Land Inc. and MWM Terminals led by Filipino-owned Megawide Construction Corp. for the construction of the P2.5-billion integrated transport system (ITS) – Southwest terminal project.

DOTC spokesperson Michael Arthur Sagcal said the agency’s Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) has approved the opening of the technical and financial proposals of both groups for the public private partnership (PPP) project.

“We are pleased to confirm that both Filinvest and MWM Terminals qualified for the ITS Southwest PPP,” Sagcal said.

According to Sagcal, the BAC would now proceed to the opening and evaluation of technical proposals of Filinvest Land and MWM Terminals on Jan. 8.

A total of 16 companies bought prequalification documents for the PPP project but only Filinvest Land and MWM Terminals submitted qualification documents last Dec. 22.

Aside from Filinvest and Megawide, other companies that bought bid documents are San Miguel Corp., Ayala Corp. Ayala Land Inc., Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. Metro Pacific Investments Corp., Robinsons Land Inc., D.M. Wenceslao and Associates Inc., Vicente T. Lao Construction, French-owned Egis Projects Philippines; Megaworld Corp.; State Properties Corp.; Expedition Properties Corp.; MGS Construction Inc.; Altus San Nicolas Corp.; and Tutuban Properties.

The proposed terminal to be situated in a 2.9-hectare property at the Coastal Road Terminal along the Manila-Cavite Expressway 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.

Earlier, the DOTC prequalified Ayala Land, Filinvest Land Inc. of taipan Andrew Gotianun, Megawide Construction Corp., and Datem Inc. for the P4 billion ITS South Terminal at the Food Terminal Inc. (FTI) complex in Taguig City.

The South terminal would connect passengers from the Laguna and Batangas side to other urban transport systems such as the proposed North-South Commuter Rail of the Philippine National Railways, city buses, taxis, and other public utility vehicles that serve inner Metro Manila.