Time is of the essence

This early the political climate is beginning to heat up with the campaign engines of  “wannabe presidents” posturing for position. Even the president could not help himself when he said the next president should not be an “ampaw” (no substance). The countdown for the eventual exit of this administration is going faster and it’s hard to believe the first quarter of this year is almost over. And before you know it, May 2016 is already here – with 2015 practically considered an “election year.”

The sad part is the vaunted public-private partnership (PPP) infrastructure projects keep getting delayed for one reason or another. Time and again, experts have hammered on the mounting frustration caused by the continued delay in the implementation of infrastructure projects – something that the PPP is supposed to address. Unfortunately, the program seems to have lost steam in the last couple of years, with only five PPP projects having been bid out since 2010.

Several days ago, a Hong Kong-based economist from HSBC pointed out that one of the hurdles that the Philippines must overcome is the lack of quality infrastructure. Citing a report done by HSBC on the quality of infrastructure in Asian countries, he disclosed that the Philippines is at the bottom with India and Vietnam ahead of us, warning that the growth momentum of the economy will be difficult to sustain unless more infrastructures are built.

Everyday we are reminded of our roads getting more congested with 100,000 cars added every year on the streets, most of them in Metro Manila. Unfortunately, we always act or react after the fact instead of planning ahead. If we had built more skyways like what they did in Bangkok, perhaps we wouldn’t be in the situation we are in right now, with everyone putting up with two-hour gridlocks that could become even longer in the next couple of years when “Carmageddon” starts as the diggings and road repairs go full blast.

More than just the time wasted with vehicles standing idle in the wake of monstrous traffic, there is aggravation and stress, compounded by health problems and lost income, not to mention squandered business opportunities. It’s no longer an exaggeration when people describe the delays in the implementation of critical projects as “criminal,” and whoever are causing these postponements because of vested interests should be hanged by their toes.

A case in point is the Mactan-Cebu International Airport project that I’m surprised to hear is still in limbo after more than three years of delay. The bidding process was done in a transparent and open manner, with many global firms competing for the P17.5 billon project. Everyone has been commenting about the magnitude of the project and how integral it is to the local economy of Cebu, not to mention the country — so many were expecting the airport project to commence after the financial bids were opened last December, with the consortium of Megawide Corp. and GMR Group submitting the best bid of P14.4 billion.

Surprisingly the DOTC postponed the awarding to the prospective winner because of protests filed by a losing bidder, precipitating a public hearing recently held at the Senate regarding the process ostensibly to find out why the project is being delayed. The DOTC said it is working towards giving a just resolution with regard to the awarding of the MCIA project, but as Senator Sonny Trillanes rightly pointed out, not a single PPP project related to infrastructure has reached the construction stage to this day — despite the fact that the PPP is the flagship program of the Aquino administration. Once again the losing bidder is questioning the financial capability of the winning consortium. Geez! We were informed that Megawide-GMR has publicly stated that they are willing to put up the bid amount upfront.

Obviously, the delays plus perceptions that positive directions are lacking can cause the public — not to mention potential investors — to lose faith in the whole concept of PPP. Partnerships with the private sector are utilized by governments to deliver vital infrastructure and public services that are essential in sustaining a country’s economic growth and development. Private groups are concerned at the lack of a clear timetable and frustrated at the slow implementation of infra projects, saying that out of the total 40 or so proposed projects, about a third or fourth are still in the planning and evaluation stages while seven are in various stages of bidding. 

There has to be a way for government to prevent these constant delays, or else any loser can just keep filing frivolous complaints or protests if they know this will stymie the process. In fairness, the government is trying to fast track the projects but they have to push harder especially when those derailing the process happen to be party members. After all, if this administration can remove the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court by sheer force of political will (although some say this was done with additional incentives and other resources), then surely it can persuade party members to stop derailing important projects. In the case of the Mactan-Cebu airport project, continued delays mean lost business opportunities and potential tourism revenues.

No one will really argue against upholding “daang matuwid” and fighting corruption — but for ordinary people especially those who have to endure the daily grind of commuting every day, delays mean time wasted and money down the drain. For this administration, time is of the essence because it could very well spell the difference with voters come Election Day. They need to leave something tangible for people to say — “meron namang nagawa.”

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