Sweden is keen on providing PHL with sustainable infra solutions

Sweden has expressed interest in teaming up with the Philippine government to undertake its massive infrastructure program, the Department of Finance (DOF) said Thursday.

In an emailed statement, the DOF said Sweden has invited Philippine officials to discuss sustainable infrastructure solutions.

“For infrastructure, we sell sustainable solutions. We have many decades of successful work in this area in Sweden,” Swedish Ambassador to the Philippines Harald Fries was quoted as saying.

"The Swedish infrastructure minister has invited Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade to Sweden to study how we do it,” he said.

Fries said Swedish companies are interested in Philippine infrastructure projects.

Business Sweden, the investment promotion group, is “in close contact” with the Department of Transportation (DOTr) to provide efficient alternative solutions to address the country’s infrastructure needs.

According to the profile on its website, Business Sweden helps Swedish companies increase global sales, and help foreign companies invest in Sweden.

Among the companies supposedly interested is doing business with the Philippines is The Volvo Group, the vehicle maker which could be tapped for the bus rapid transit (BRT) system.

Saab Group, a Swedish defense and security systems company, is also keen on beefing up the security of Philippine airports, the DOF said.

Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III noted that Swedish engineering expertise may also help the Philippines.

“We have so many opportunities in the Philippines to improve the situation,” he said.

Under the Build, Build, Build program, the government plans to spend over P8 trillion until 2022, largely funded by tax revenue.

This year alone, the Philippines plans to roll out 76 big-ticket projects cumulatively valued at $35.5 billion or P1.1 trillion. —Jon Viktor Cabuenas/VDS, GMA News