THE NATIONAL Economic and Development Authority’s (NEDA) Investment Coordination Committee-Cabinet Committee (ICC-CabCom) approved on Wednesday the P14.07-billion Regional Fish Port Project for the Greater Capital Region and the P3.87-billion Philippines-Korea Project Preparation Facility, as well as adjustments in the scope of road and rehabilitation projects in Mindanao.
Meanwhile, on Thursday, the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Center said it is looking at developing local health and renewable energy projects for 2019.
NEDA said in a statement yesterday that the fish port project under the Department of Agriculture-Philippine Fisheries Development Authority will rehabilitate and upgrade the Navotas Fish Port Complex by providing post-harvest facilities and services.
Meanwhile, the project preparation facility aims to “support the efficient and timely implementation of the projects under the ‘Build Build Build’ program, more specifically, priority projects of the National Irrigation Administration and Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), through the conduct of project preparatory activities.”
Other implementing agencies that need support for project preparation can also tap the facility, according to the statement.
The ICC-CabCom also “reconfirmed” its earlier approval of the DPWH’s P12.86-billion Road Network Development Project in Conflict-Affected Areas in Mindanao.
The committee also approved the change in scope and increase in the cost of the DPWH’s Reconstruction and Development Plan for a Greater Marawi-Stage 2, which now includes construction of the Marawi Transcentral Road (MTR) Phase 4 that adds 20.68 kilometers to the MTR, and the construction/rehabilitation of the three vital-link bridges located in the same area. The project now costs P6.84 billion, from P6.52 billion.
The four projects will now be up for approval of the NEDA Board, which is chaired by President Rodrigo R. Duterte.
The same committee also confirmed the reasonable rate of return submitted by the lone complying bidder of the Clark International Airport Expansion Project-O&M (operation and maintenance) PPP Concession of the Bases Conversion and Development Authority. This item no longer needs to be elevated to the NEDA Board as it had already bagged such final approval.
On Thursday, the PPP Center said separately that it will be pushing next year the development of health-sector PPP projects such as hospitals, and renewable energy infrastructure such as waste-to-energy facilities.
“PPP center will be pursuing two major sectors: one is the health sector especially the universal health-care push of the government, and in that sector, of course, PPPs have a strong role or significant role to play as demonstrated in other countries,” PPP Center Executive Director Ferdinand A. Pecson said in a media briefing at the agency’s headquarters in Quezon City.
“Renewable energy is also a new territory for PPP assistance… A priority is solid waste management, waste-to-energy… LGUs are responsible for municipal solid waste disposal and LGUs need technology that private sector could provide,” said PPP Center Deputy Executive Director Mia Mary G. Sebastian in the same briefing.
Mr. Pecson said that the PPP Center and concerned local government units (LGUs) are eyeing a Philippine General Hospital (PGH) in Diliman, Quezon City and a cancer center in the existing PGH in Manila, among others.
He said that the PPP Center will hold a stakeholder conference in the first quarter of 2019 with investors, implementing agencies and target beneficiaries of projects.
Last year, the agency set its priority on water supply projects for 2018, and is currently constructing the Bulacan Bulk Water Supply PPP project, and is readying the Baggao Water Supply Project for bidding, while the unsolicited Pampanga Bulk Water Supply is still under negotiation.
The PPP Center said that there are 68 local PPP solicited and unsolicited projects under development, 14 of which are water supply and sanitation projects, 16 involve solid waste management and energy and 35 involve vertical infrastructure, among others.
The NEDA-attached agency has focused on developing and assisting LGU projects, after the Duterte administration decided to rely more on government budget and official development assistance, rather than PPPs, for funding priority national infrastructure.
There are also 13 big-ticket unsolicited PPP projects currently under review of the NEDA’s Investment Coordination Council, namely: the Bulacan International Airport; Mactan-Cebu International Airport Integrated Development project; the Davao International Aiport expansion and O&M; the Kalibo Airport expansion and O&M; the Bohol International Airport expansion and O&M; the Davao Monorail; East-West Rail, Metro Rail Transit-10; Fort Bonifacio-Makati Sky Train; Modified Light Rail Transit Line 6; Information Technology project of Naga, Cebu; the Preservation and Development of Laguna de Bay; as well as the Manila Bay Integrated Flood Control Project. — Elijah Joseph C. Tubayan

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