25 firms keen on P60-B LRT extension project

AT LEAST 25 local and foreign firms have expressed interest in the P60-billion Light Rail Transit (LRT) Line 1 Extension, Operations and Maintenance Project under the Aquino administration’s Public-Private Partnership program.

The Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC), during the pre-qualification conference yesterday, said it was reviewing the rules to determine whether 100-percent foreign owned entities could be allowed to operate the LRT 1 project.

The Constitution provides that operators of public utilities should be at least 60 percent Filipino-owned.

The project, one of the largest in the infrastructure portfolio of the government, will extend the existing LRT Line 1, which now runs from Roosevelt in Quezon City to Pasay City, to Bacoor Cavite.

The firms that purchased prebid documents, according to the DOTC, include San Miguel Infra, Macquarie, Mitsubishi, Marubeni Corp., D.M. Consultant Inc., Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction Co. Ltd., Sumitomo Corp., Leighton Contractors, Sycip Salazar Hernandez & Gatmaitan, FSG Capital Inc., EFC Enterprises and FF Cruz & Co. Inc.

The others in the list are BPI Capital Corp., ING Bank, Jorgman Planning Development. Corp., RATP Development, Benchtel Overseas Corp., Commbuilders and Technology Philippines Corp., Lenvoisa Construction Inc., APT Global Inc., Makati Development Corp., Tranzen Group, Serco, Cathay Energy Service Corp. and Systra.

The 11.7-km extension, seen to increase ridership by 500,000 passengers daily, will have eight stations and three intermodal facilities.

“The cost of travel to work will be cheaper. The quality of life of the people will be better and the project will help the development of the countryside,” Transportation Secretary Mar Roxas said.

Roxas said the pre-qualification conference was held to ensure that companies would have the required financial, technical and management capability to undertake the project.

The DOTC will identify prequalified bidders and issue bid documents in October. The bidding will be held in the first quarter of 2013. The project will likely be awarded in the second quarter.