Out of 17 unsolicited public-private partnership (PPP) projects presented to the government in 2018, five are in the Visayas.
Of the five, two are in Cebu: the 50-year Integrated Development Plan for Mactan Cebu International Airport (MCIA); and the IT Project for the City of Naga, Cebu-UNLAD BAYAN Local Government Information System.
Three other unsolicited PPP project proposals in the Visayas are the: Operations and Maintenance (O&M) of the New Bohol (Panglao) International Airport ; O&M and Facility Upgrade of Kalibo International Airport; and the Kalibo Slaughterhouse.
Of these five projects, the proposed MCIA integrated development project, which was proposed by concessionaire GMR Megawide, is undergoing evaluation and awaiting approval by the Investment Coordination Committee (ICC) Technical Board.
The project involves the takeover, rehabilitation of existing runway and taxiways, construction of an additional full-length parallel taxiway that can act as an emergency runway, development of a second parallel and independent runway and construction of a third terminal, according to the PPP website.
GMR-Megawide Cebu Airport Corp., a consortium formed by the GMR Infrastructure of India and Filipino construction firm Megawide Corp., recently completed its first PPP project.
The P17.52-billion project included the construction of a new MCIA passenger terminal building, dubbed the Terminal 2 or T2, that could accommodate about 8 million passengers a year.
As of November 30, 2018, the PPP Center said GMR-Megawide has completed the T2 and the apron. Renovation and expansion of the Terminal 1, which now caters to domestic flight operations, was 67.56% complete.
On the island of Panglao in Bohol, a new airport has also been constructed and was opened on November 27, 2018.
A proposal for the operation and maintenance (O&M) and expansion of the new airport was submitted by Aboitiz InfraCapital, Inc. (AIC), the infrastructure business unit of the Aboitiz Group.
AIC was granted “Original Proponent Status” (OPS) by the Department of Transportation (DOTr) in September 2018 for its O&M proposal involving the New Bohol International Airport.
“Our vision is to transform the New Bohol Airport into a prime example of excellence and efficiency for regional gateways,” Sabin M. Aboitiz, AIC president and chief executive officer, said in a statement in September 2018.
The new airport on Panglao Island replaced the old airport in Tagbilaran City.
The five proposed PPP projects in the Visayas were among the P1.4 trillion worth of unsolicited proposals submitted to national government agencies and local implementing agencies in 2018, the PPP Center said in its yearend press conference on December 20, 2018.
“In 2018, the number of unsolicited projects added to the pipeline is 17 projects worth around P1.4 trillion. This is in addition to the existing pipeline of 30 solicited projects worth P243.28 billion,” the PPP Center said.
“These figures show the substantial contribution of PPPs to the country’s infrastructure agenda. Interest from both investors and the local government to do PPPs remains strong and encouraging. The PPP Center has been continuously providing its assistance in properly structuring solicited projects and evaluating unsolicited proposals,” the agency added.
A total of 68 PPP projects are in various stages of development across the country: 20 in Luzon, 23 in Visayas, and 25 in Mindanao. (Ventures Cebu)