PPP Center intends to award 8 projects before President Aquino's term ends

The Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Center is on track to award at least eight more projects before Aquino administration ends its term on June 30, a PPP official said on Wednesday.

"I was hoping we could award eight projects," PPP Center Executive Director Andre Palacios told reporters in an interview.

Among the projects are the five regional airports which will be auctioned off in two separate bundles with a combined value of P108.19 billion.

Bundle 1 consists of the P20.26-billion Bacolod-Silay Airport and the P30.40-billion Iloilo Airport. Bundle 2 is covers the P40.57-billion Davao Airport, the P14.62-billion Laguindingan Airport, and the P2.34-billion New Bohol Airport.

Palacios said the regional airports were the "most ripe" to bid out among the PPP projects.

"Bidders are talking to us, saying they're very supportive of the DOTC (Department of Transportation and Communications). We're hoping to have a definite bid submission. We may still be able to award," he said.

The other projects in the PPP Center pipeline include: the operations and maintenance of the Light Rail Transit Line 2, the P18.99-billion Davao Sasa Port Modernization, and the P298-million Phase II of the Road Transport Information Technology Infrastructure.

The government has 53 PPPs in the pipeline, mostly public infrastructure projects. Since the Aquino administration launched the program in 2010, a total of 12 projects valued at P217.4 billion have been awarded. – VDS, GMA News