PRA to bid out right to reclaim P54.5-B project along Manila Bay

The right to reclaim the highly contested P54.5 billion project along Manila Bay will be bid out, the Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA) said in a statement Tuesday.
 
The PRA said it has yet to approve the proposal by Pasay City government and SM Land Inc.

The Pasay City government and SM Land are required to get a validating opinion from either the Department of Justice (DOJ) or the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) for the proposed project "due to the numerous issues raised by other challengers on the bidding process conducted by Pasay City."
 
“Assuming the DOJ or the DILG issues a legal opinion in favor of Pasay City, only then shall the process commence,” the agency said.
 
The reclamation project proposal will undergo a five-stage approval process, including a technical evaluation by PRA and the nod of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Board.

Under Executive Order No. 146, all reclamation projects are subject to a public bidding.
 
“If it gets through these two major stages, the proposal will have to undergo a competitive bidding process to be undertaken by the PRA,” PRA said.
 
Last December, Ayala Land Inc. (ALI) chief operating officer Bernard Vincent "Bobby" Dy said the property firm is keen on participating in PRA's bidding for the multi-billion peso Pasay reclamation project in Manila Bay.

ALI earlier said the project's bidding rules were made using the "old" Guidelines and Procedures for Entering into Joint Venture by the NEDA. — Danessa O. Rivera/BM, GMA News