Two proposed transport infrastructure projects by Megawide Construction Corporation and Maplecrest Group, Inc. are now under comparative challenge status, according to the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Center.
The Cavite Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) System and the Baguio City Integrated Terminal (BCIT) Project, both proposed by Megawide, have estimated costs of P1.87 billion and P1.19 billion, respectively.
The BRT system involves the development, operation, and maintenance of a 42-kilometer route connecting Cavite’s cities and municipalities, including Imus, General Trias, Tanza, Kawit, and Trece Martires, to Metro Manila via PITx.
Meanwhile, the BCIT project involves leasing, developing, operating, and maintaining an intermodal terminal along Marcos Highway to accommodate provincial buses entering Baguio City.
According to Megawide’s project brief, the BCIT project aims to ease traffic congestion in the city center and enhance commuter facilities. Although Baguio City’s Development Council Executive Committee has already been deliberating on this project, it may still be opened for competitive bidding next year.
As of Dec. 9, five solicited projects under procurement worth P11.87 billion are planned for the health and water sanitation sectors, with bidding scheduled between December 2024 and March 2025.
There are also five unsolicited projects, including the Cavite BRT System. Four of these unsolicited projects total P4.8 billion, with bidding set between mid-December of this year and March 2025.
Meanwhile, seven projects are under approval—four solicited and two unsolicited—including the BCIT Project. Five of these projects have a collective value of P5.51 billion, while the cost of the remaining two is yet to be disclosed.
Thur far, “43 out of 185 projects in the Infrastructure Flagship Projects (IFP) have been identified to be implemented as PPPs, with an indicative total project cost of P2.736 trillion,” Executive Director Ma. Cynthia C. Hernandez reported during a press conference.
Hernandez also stressed that the “IFP is a plan not only to fast-track crucial infrastructure needed for national development, but also to create more high-quality and resilient jobs for Filipino workers, significantly reducing our country's poverty incidence by 2028.”
Eleazar E. Ricote, deputy executive director at the PPP Center, expects the Manila-based Asian Development Bank (ADB) to roll out another technical assistance loan next year.
He anticipates the loan from the multilateral lender will reach $30 million over five years (2025-2029), supporting an estimated 35 PPP projects. A significant portion of this assistance will go to the PPP Center’s Project Development and Monitoring Facility (PDMF), expanding support for more PPP projects.
This five-year aid includes offering consultancy services for project preparation, transaction advisory, implementation monitoring, information and communications technology (ICT) system upgrades, and capacity building, including e-learning modules and training for PPP certification.
In addition to the ADB, the PPP Center is working with other development partners to offer project support to agencies involved in critical infrastructure projects.