P15-T worth of PPP projects up for Marcos' approval

MANILA, Philippines —The Marcos Jr. administration revealed on Thursday it will unveil a fresh batch of public-private partnership projects in March.

National Economic and Development Authority Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said on Thursday that 3,700 projects worth P15 trillion are up for approval of the NEDA Board, which is chaired by President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. Balisacan said the NEDA Board will convene on March 9 to decide.

“They’ll bare the entire list, we’ve identified likely PPPs but are open to likely accommodating any of those,” Balisacan said in a forum organized by the Makati Business Club.

The figure shared by Balisacan already included infrastructure projects, which the Marcos Jr. administration depends on to drive economic growth. 

As it is, the NEDA chief noted that there are 98 PPP projects in the pipeline, which are cumulatively worth P3 trillion.

The Marcos Jr. administration recently unveiled its first PPP project, a cancer treatment center housed in the Philippine General Hospital.

READ: NEDA Board approves 7 projects | Marcos Jr. admin's first PPP project is Cancer Center

Balisacan noted that besides 3,700 PPP projects, the government is trying to come up with infrastructure projects to fill its flagship program. 

Infrastructure spending, as a share of the economy, is targeted to hit between 5-6% during Marcos’ entire term.

PPPs take centerstage again since the previous administration shied away from them.

READ: Marcos admin bringing back PPP mode for project financing