PPP Center to launch water projects in 2018

MANILA — The PPP Center is eyeing to roll out five to eight water supply projects of local government units (LGUs) next year.

To create a larger market for investors, the center is considering to bundle the projects of LGUs nationwide.

“The biggest sector we have is water and sanitation,” PPP Center Executive Director Ferdinand Pecson said in a press briefing Monday in Quezon City.

“What we are looking into water projects is how we can bundle several municipalities or even towns and cities in one province together to make the project bigger in scope and make them interesting to investors. That is something that we are looking at,” he added.

Pecson said the center plans to coordinate with the LGUs of Bohol, Oriental Mindoro and Cagayan de Oro which are expanding into sanitation.

It is also looking at possible agreements with Baggao in Cagayan and Catbalogan in Samar.

“Metro Pacific has submitted its unsolicited proposal for Pampanga and we are helping the province in evaluating and the negotiations proper,” PPP Center Director Lawrence Velasco said.

The original project proposal was submitted by MetroPac Water Investments Corp., a unit of Metro Pacific Investments Corp., to the Pampanga LGU on Dec. 7, 2015.

Other companies interested in bidding for the project may match MetroPac Water’s offer through a Swiss Challenge.

Other projects that are in the pipeline for next year include the operations and maintenance of the Clark International Airport, San Ramon Newport Project, Cebu Bus Rapid Transit Project and the Duty Free Philippines Retail Development Project.