The signing for the deal to construct a multibillion-peso intermodal terminal southwest of Metro Manila was canceled at the last minute at the request of the private-sector partner.
The signing of the concession agreement for the P2.5-billion Integrated Transport System Southwest Terminal, initially scheduled on Wednesday, was postponed to a latter date as requested by the Megawide Construction Corp.-led consortium.
“MWM Terminals requested for the postponement. We don’t know yet the exact reason,” Transportation Spokesman Michael Arthur C. Sagcal replied, when sought for comment. “We will announce the new date once it is set.”
Officials of the consortium led by Megawide, a mainstay in the public-private partnership (PPP) arena, and Walter Mart Property Management Inc. of billionaire and retail magnate Henry Sy were sought for more details, but none were replying to the BusinessMirror’s queries as of this writing.
MWM Terminals, whose bid carried a request for P100-million annual subsidy all throughout the 35-year concession period, won the deal on January 23.
The group’s bid was declared superior over its only competitor’s offer, the Filinvest Land Inc. who sought for a higher P650-million annual subsidy.
So far, the contract is the first PPP contract that the government has awarded this year.
The multibillion-peso transport- terminal contract provides for the construction of an intermodal terminal near the Manila-Cavite Toll Expressway to connect passengers coming from Cavite to urban- transport systems in Metro Manila.
It will include a passenger terminal building, arrival and departure bays, public information systems, ticketing and baggage handling facilities and park-ride facilities.
The government has awarded eight contracts since the infrastructure program’s inception in 2010. It aims to sign at least 15 contracts by the time President Aquino steps down from office in 2016.
Megawide has cemented its image as a mainstay in the government’s flagship infrastructure program, bagging a number of PPP projects, including, the P16.42-billion PPP for School Infrastructure Project Phase 1; two of the five contracts under the P8.8-billion PSIP Phase 2; and the P5.7-billion deal for the construction, operation and maintenance of the Philippine Orthopedic Center.
The state intends to plug the gap in the country’s transportation infrastructure in the next decade by rolling out massive infrastructure projects that are seen to spur economic growth.