Abaya assures no rule changes for PPP projects
TRANSPORTATION and Communications ( DOTC) Secretary Joseph Emilio Aguinaldo Abaya recently made an assurance that there will be no change of rules in implementing and fasttracking the multi billion transport infrastructure projects under the Public- Private Partnership ( PPP) program of the government.
At the PPP Forum organized by the Economic Journalists Association of the Philippines in Makati City, Abaya said that when he assumed the leadership of the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC), a system has been in place to push PPP projects, and that he intends to implement the projects prepared by the team under his predecessor and now Interior Secretary Manuel “Mar” Roxas 2nd.
“I’m pretty confident that he has done the whole work, a system has been set up, there is an ‘assembly line’ at DOTC, and for my part, I will just push things out, not to reassess what he has done, not to restudy them again,” Abaya said.
The DOTC secretary also said that he was continuing the process relayed to him by Roxas “to inject a culture of integrity and fair play” into the department.
He also guaranteed that the private sector and other organizations who want to participate in PPP projects to expect a fair and level playing field, without “under the tables” deals and biases.
During his presentation, Abaya highlighted DOTC’s PPP projects including the P60- billion Light Rail Transit ( LRT) Line 1 Cavite Extension, the biggest infrastructure under the department, which is to be contested by four business conglomerates in its scheduled bidding in January.
Other DOTC transport projects that will be undertaken under the PPP scheme include the Automatic Fare Collection System and Mactan-Cebu International Airport Passenger Terminal Building, both of which are up for submission to the National Economic and Development Authority ( NEDA).
Also, the enhanced operations and maintenance ( O& M) contract of the new Bohol Airport Development and the Laguindingan ( Misamis Oriental) Airport are being finalized; the O& M of the Puerto Princesa ( Palawan) Airport and LRT Line 2, which both have feasibility studies being prepared; and the Integrated Transport System Project, which is for procurement of a transaction advisor.
Abaya also said that his team is meeting with NEDA to propose the concept of the Bus Rapid Transit ( BRT) system for Metro Manila.
He said that the BRT system, which is being studied for implementation in Cebu City, would be more useful in Metro Manila, because of the scarcity of roads in the largest metropolis of the country.
“The BRT is a more democratic way of moving people because it can transport more commuters using the bus, which occupies less space on the road,” Abaya added.
The BRT system entails the use of dedicated roads and loading and unloading stations for special buses that are joined together as if they were trains.