Batangas boosting PPP infrastructure projects

MANILA, Philippines — The Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Center and the local government of Batangas are collaborating to develop infrastructure projects in the province.

The PPP Center and the provincial government of Batangas recently inked a memorandum of agreement to institutionalize their cooperation to advance and implement infrastructure and development projects in the province through PPP.

The agreement outlines the technical assistance that the Center will provide to the PPP projects in Batangas.

One of the identified PPP projects is the Township and Livelihood Cluster Development Project which aims to provide post-disaster shelter, resettlement, and inclusive improvement of the living conditions of Batangueños.

Another is the Batangas Regional Food Terminal Port Project, a sub-component of the proposed Regional Food Terminal, which will intensify food production, trade and processing.

It also aims to provide sources of livelihood to farmers, fisherfolks, and livestock raisers in the province and the region.

Both projects target to accelerate the recovery of Batangas from the Taal Volcano eruption in January 2020, as well as from the pandemic.

As part of its local PPP strategy, the PPP Center works to support local implementing agencies including LGUs to implement local PPP projects.

This will help decentralize Metro Manila by opening up more employment opportunities through the construction of additional infrastructure and development facilities in different regions.

The project is also aligned with the full devolution of certain functions of the executive branch to local governments.

This means that LGUs will have greater fiscal independence and bigger development funds to undertake infrastructure and development projects due to devolved roles and responsibilities from the national government.

The Center said PPPs could be one of the options that LGUs may consider in light of the bigger funds that they will be receiving.