DOTr favors local firm to take over EDSA busway

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Transportation (DOTr) plans to issue within the year the terms of reference for the privatization of the EDSA busway, expressing hope that a local conglomerate would be interested in operating the infrastructure project.

In an interview with reporters yesterday, Transportation Undersecretary Mark Steven Pastor said the DOTr hopes to hire in the first semester of the year a technical adviser who will evaluate how to privatize the EDSA busway.

Pastor said the technical adviser should submit before yearend an assessment on how the government can proceed with the privatization of the EDSA Carousel.

“If it’s favorable to a public-private partnership, the DOTr would undertake the procurement process,” he said.

Pastor said the government would welcome any bid from Philippine firms interested in managing the EDSA busway.

He said the Saavedra-led Megawide Construction Corp., for one, has declared its intent to bid for the infrastructure once the DOTr offers the project to the private sector.

“In so far as I’m concerned, I have engagements with Megawide purely because they are the operator of PITX (Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange), which we manage,” Pastor said.

“If they want to participate, we are supportive of that, especially if a local firm wants to participate in these projects that we plan to privatize,” he added.

The DOTr is seeking to hire a technical adviser as soon as possible to finalize whether the bus operations and station development for the EDSA busway will be bundled in one contract, according to Pastor.

PITX head of corporate affairs and government relations Jason Salvador said Megawide would vie for the concession to operate and maintain the EDSA busway.

Megawide said it can manage the routes and modernize the stops along the EDSA busway.

“The government has been talking about privatizing the EDSA busway operations. If it is serious in that, then maybe we can consider,” Salvador said.

He said Megawide plans to file an unsolicited proposal to construct an integrated terminal in Caloocan City to create an EDSA bus loop from Monumento to PITX.

If the PITX counterpart in Monumento materializes, Salvador said Megawide is best positioned to run the EDSA busway to manage the deployment of buses plying the route.