Metro Pac-Harbour Centre lone bidder for North Harbor privatization

The joint venture of Metro Pacific Investment Corp. and Harbour Centre Port Terminals Inc. will be the lone bidder for the privatization of North Harbor as the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) awarded the bidding documents. In an interview, Benjamin Cecilio, PPA assistant general manager told reporters that the Bid and Awards Committee (BAC) has sold the bidding documents to MPIC and Harbour Centre for the privatization of North Harbor after a Manila court ordered to immediately release the documents. A Manila Regional Trial Court had granted the writ of mandamus requested by Harbour Centre, after the PPA announced a failure of bidding. A writ of mandamus is issued to allow the party concerned to follow the law by correcting its prior actions. MPIC, the local unit of Hong Kong-based First Pacific Co. Ltd., who owns 35 percent of the joint venture company, while Romero family owned Harbour Center controls the remaining 65 percent purchased the bidding documents amounted to P50,000 exclusive of value added tax. "The bidding process will continue unless there is another court decision," he said adding that the MPIC and Harbor Centre will now submit a bid proposals to be evaluated by the BAC. "[But] it doesn't mean that they already won the bidding. The BAC will evaluate their bid and if there is a technicality we will declare a failure of bidding," Cecilio explained. He, however, said that the PPA has submitted a motion for reconsideration before the court asking for a failure of bidding. Earlier, PPA has issued an order stating a failure of bidding after only one bidder pre-qualified, the MPIC and Harbour Centre joint venture. Asian Terminal Inc. (ATI) disqualified because its failure to submit a waiver document requirement to make sure that the bidding will not be hampered, instead it gave a special power of attorney that allows its chief executive to execute such waiver. Other potential bidders that disqualified are National Marine Corp., owned by the Magsaysay Group; Pier 8 Arrastre and Stevedoring Services, Inc. and Prudential Brokerage. The winning bidder will operate the port for the next 25 years with provisions for renewal in order to provide it with reasonable time to recover its investments. The North Harbor’s terminal 1 will service roll on-roll off container and passenger vessels, terminal 2 will service container and passenger vessel, while terminal 3 will be allotted to conventional, noncontainerized, bulk or break-bulk vessels and passenger vessels. - GMANews.TV