JV: Public-Private Partnership Act will help address PH infra backlog
Senator JV Ejercito (Senate PRIB)
Senator Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito on Tuesday, April 18, expressed his support for the passage of the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Bill. Presiding over the hearing of the Senate Sub-Committee on the PPP Act, Ejercito said that enacting the measure would resolve the country’s backlogs in public works and infrastructure development. “We humbly submit our commitment to strengthen our national structures in order to address the backlogs, bottlenecks, and underlying issues,” he stressed. “We believe in the indispensable role of the public sector in realizing most of our public works agenda and support the passage of the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Act by filing our version of the bill, Senate Bill (SB) No.1974,” he added. The proposed PPP Act will expand the coverage of existing PPP modalities to include joint ventures, concessions, and management contracts. Moreover, it seeks to provide clearer protest protocols and appeal mechanisms in all stages of the PPP procurement process. The bill also seeks to prohibit the issuance of court orders, except by the Supreme Court (SC), against any PPP project. It will also prevent government regulatory bodies from entering into joint ventures contracts. The lawmaker from San Juan said a new law is needed to address the “outdated” provisions of the Build, Operate, and Transfer (BOT) Law, which currently governs the financing, construction, operation, and maintenance of infrastructure projects by the private sector. “We believe in the spirit of PPP. However, this has also led to delays, conflict of interests, and even corruption. There had been several moves to improve the vague provisions in the BOT Law through revisions of its Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRRs). However, these would not suffice due to the fact that the last amendment to the BOT Law was enacted almost three decades ago,” Ejercito said. “We need to address the outdated provisions in the law and provide for a more enabling environment for the successful implementation of the PPP program,” he added. Ejercito said a PPP law would complement his proposed Comprehensive Infrastructure Development Master Plan and offer a more effective framework for public works. In July 2022, Ejercito filed SB No. 158, which seeks to create and institutionalize a Comprehensive Infrastructure Development Master Plan. The said plan, which will be drafted by the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) and monitored by a Joint Congressional Oversight Committee, will cover several areas of development: transportation and logistics, energy, water resources, information and communications technology, social infrastructure, agri-fisheries modernization and food logistics, and asset preservation and maintenance strategies.