DPWH eyes flood control component in Laguna Lakeshore PPP project

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is studying the possibility of implementing the flood control component of the Laguna Lakeshore Expressway Dike public-private partnership (PPP) project to make the deal more attractive to investors.

“The DPWH will review the assumptions and the project’s risk profile, as well as the possibility of fully or partially undertaking the flood control component,” the agency said on its website.

The recent bidding for the P122.8 billion project was declared a failure as none of the pre-qualified bidders submitted offers.

Pre-qualified groups that decided not to submit offers amid concerns on the risk profile and complexity of the projects  are: Alloy-PAVI-Hanshin LLEDP Consortium (composed of Alloy MTD Capital BHD, Prime Asset Ventures Inc., Hanshin Engineering Constructions); San Miguel Holdings Corp.; and Team Trident (composed of Trident Infrastructure and Development Corp., Aboitiz Equity Ventures Inc., Ayala Land Inc., Megaworld Corp., and SM Prime Holdings Inc.),

In particular, the pre-qualified groups had concerns on the flood control component and its connectivity to C5.

The Laguna Lakeshore Expressway-Dike project offered for bidding involves providing a high standard highway with a dike that will ease traffic flow and mitigate flooding in the western coastal communities along the Laguna Lake.

The highway will run from Taguig through the towns of Calamba to the Los Baños Bay boundary in Laguna.

Under the 37-year cooperation period with the government, the private partner will be responsible for the financing, design, construction as well as operations and maintenance of a 47-kilometer flood control dike with six-lane expressway toll road on top.