3 groups prequalify for toll road project

Cavite-Laguna Expressway Route Map www.dpwh.gov.ph

The bidding process for a major public private partnership deal—the 47-kilometer Cavite-Laguna Expressway—is progressing smoothly with the government prequalifying three out of four interested groups Monday.

Allowed to proceed to the next stage in the bid for the P35.4-billion highway were the groups led by Ayala Corp. and Aboitiz Land; San Miguel Corp., and Manuel V. Pangilinan-led Metro Pacific Tollways Development Corp., according to Eugenio Pipo Jr., assistant secretary at the Department of Public Works and Highways.

He said the department was requesting clarifications from the fourth bidder, Malaysia’s Alloy MTD, the only international group. “We’re giving them three days to respond,” Pipo said in an interview.

He said DPWH’s clarifications involved a certification of completion for projects in Malaysia and added documents on the experience of their designer. MTD is Malaysia’s second-largest toll-road operator.

“There were just some questions raised by members of the technical working group, including the transaction adviser,” Pipo noted.

MTD Philippines president Isaac David said in a separate interview that they were ready to furnish the DPWH with the required documents.

He noted that a certification for completion of existing operations of toll roads, however, could not be immediately given as these are long-term contracts that have yet to expire.