Gov’t rushes documents for 2 PPP projects

The Aquino administration is rushing to finalize documents for two public-private partnership (PPP) infrastructure projects as it tries hard to at least accomplish that within this year.

Economic Planning Secretary Cayetano W. Paderanga Jr. identified the two projects as the road that links Daang-Hari in Cavite and the Southern Luzon Expressway and a contract to build 10,000 classrooms for the Department of Education.

“We are trying hard to finalize the documents [for these projects] before the year ends,” Paderanga said. “That would pave the way for the bidding process.”

Paderanga—along with officials from the Departments of Finance, Health, and Transportation and Communications—took part in a forum with officials of PricewaterhouseCooopers (PwC) from across the globe to discuss the government’s long-awaited PPP program.

PwC has been tapped to advise the government in relation to the conduct of the PPP airport projects in Puerto Princesa City in Palawan and Panglao Island in Bohol.

Observers and analysts have lamented the snail-paced development of the PPP program, many of them believing that any results would not be seen until 2012.

Richard Abadie, global leader of PwC’s capital projects and infrastructure network, said Wednesday’s discussions included lessons learned internationally “which [the government] could replicate here.”

Asked how long it normally took for a PPP project to take off in other countries, Abadie said this varied depending on the planning, needed approvals, design and acquisition of land.

“If the government hands over an unprepared project to the private sector, that normally never progresses,” the executive said.