MANILA — The Department of Transportation stated that it was actively pursuing Public-Private Partnership agreements to help fund and expedite large-scale transportation infrastructure projects with limited funding.
Transport Secretary Jaime Bautista said at a luncheon before the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines that these would eventually fund projects like the EDSA Busway, a network of seaports, 10 provincial airports, and the Cebu Bus Rapid Transit, among others.
“Allow me to emphasize the need to undertake crucial transport infrastructure projects in collaboration with the private sector, including foreign financial and technical assistance. Some big ticket projects have encountered limited budget allocations from the national government. We are therefore actively pursuing a public-private partnership to complete projects,” Transport Secretary Jaime Bautista said.
In addition, he mentioned that San Miguel Corp. was already a private partner in the development of the New Manila Airport in Bulacan and the MRT-7, which he stated were being built at a fast pace.
“We therefore plan to invite as many private sector participation in our infrastructure projects, such as the privatization of the EDSA Carousel, the operation of our seaports, the privatization of ten provincial airports, the Cebu Bus Rapid Transport Project, the improvement of the Manila International Airport, and many more,” he said.
According to Bautista, recent amendments made in the implementing rules and regulations of the Build-Operate-Transfer law provide a “balanced sharing between the government and private sector.”
“The PPP Projects will not be disadvantageous to Filipinos by providing a balanced sharing of risks between government and the private sector project proponents while allowing reasonable rates of return on investments, incentives, support and undertakings,” he asserted.
Bautista likewise revealed that he met with Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Huang Xilian to resume negotiations for finance of three key projects: the North-South Commuter Railway, the Subic-Clark Railway, and the Mindanao Railway, which stretches from Tagum, Davao, and Digos.
China was supposed to finance those projects during the Duterte administration, but Beijing never responded to Filipino counterparts, so the projects had to be put on hold.
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