INTEREST in the P65.09-billion contract to develop a new train system that will extend the oldest overhead railway line in Asia to another city in Cavite is expected to pick up, once the prequalification conference for the project concludes today.
Already, two local companies have signified their interest in the Light Rail Transit (LRT) Line 6 deal, an advisory from the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Center showed. So far, Metro Pacific Light Rail Corp. and San Miguel Holdings Corp. have purchased prequalification documents for the project.
Other prominent names in the Philippine infrastructure sector are expected to join the prequalification conference today, February 15, at the Crowne Plaza Manila Galleria in Ortigas. In earlier interviews, executives of Ayala Corp. and AlloyMtd Philippines said their companies are interested in the deal.
PPP Center Executive Director Cosette V. Canilao said she expects more companies to participate in the bidding. Groups, according to her, usually purchase bidding documents after the conference.
“The prequalification conference is today. For some of our projects, companies buy documents after the said conference,” she said in an interview.
Once built, the 19-kilometer railway line will have seven stations, namely, Niog, Tirona, Imus, Daang Hari, Salitran, Congressional Avenue and Governor’s Drive.
It’s goal is to improve passenger mobility and to reduce the volume of vehicular traffic in the Cavite area by providing a higher capacity mass-transit system. It also aims to spur economic development along the extension corridor.
Under a 30-year concession agreement, the private partner will finance, design, construct, operate and maintain, and procure the rolling stock for the said train system.
The LRT Line 6 is the largest PPP project that has been rolled out so far. But, with only a few months left on their belts, the subordinates of President Aquino in the transportation department may find it hard to award a project with such magnitude.
Since the launch of the PPP Program in late 2010, the government has awarded the following projects to the private sector:
the P2.2-billion Daang Hari-South Luzon Expressway project bagged by Ayala Corp. in 2011;
the P16.42-billion first phase of the PPP School Infrastructure Program (PSIP), which went in 2012 to the consortium formed by Megawide Construction Corp. and Citicore Holdings Investment Inc., as well as the BF Corp.-Riverbanks Development Corp. consortium;
the P15.68-billion Ninoy Aquino International Airport expressway, given to San Miguel Corp. unit Vertex Tollways Development Inc. in 2013;
the P3.86-billion PSIP Phase II contract, partially awarded in 2013 to Megawide and the BSP & Co. Inc.-Vicente T. Lao Construction consortium;
the P1.72-billion Automatic Fare Collection System contract, awarded to the AF Consortium of Ayala and Metro Pacific Investment Corp. in 2014;
the P17.5-billion Mactan Cebu International Airport New Passenger Terminal project bagged in 2014 by Megawide and GMR Infrastructures Ltd.;
the P64.9-billion LRT Line 1 Cavite Extension deal, awarded in 2014 to Light Rail Manila Consortium of Ayala and Metro Pacific;
the P2.5-billion Integrated- Transport System Southwest Terminal, won by Megawide and partner Waltermart Property Management Inc. of billionaire and retail magnate Henry Sy in 2015;
the P35.42-billion Cavite-Laguna Expressway, bagged by MPCALA Holdings Inc. of Metro Pacific in June 2015;
the P24-billion Bulacan Bulk Water Supply to the San Miguel Group in 2015; and
the P4-billion Integrated-Transport System South Terminal to Ayala last November.
The government intends to plug the gap in the country’s transportation facility in the next decade by rolling out massive infrastructure projects that are also seen to spur economic growth.