Public private partnership program developing 61
projects worth $26 billion, official says
(TAGAYTAY CITY, Cavite) The Philippine government
achieved a milestone last year in the implementation of its public private
partnership (PPP) program, with 61 PPP projects in the pipeline worth $26
billion, PPP Center Executive Director Cosette Canilao said.
"Twenty-fourteen was a year that showcased
the strides and milestones that come with the successful implementation of the
PPP program as a cornerstone of the country's infrastructure agenda,"
Canilao said in her welcome remarks at the opening of the Asia-Pacific Economic
Cooperation (APEC) PPP Experts Advisory Council Meeting held at the Taal Vista
Hotel here Wednesday.
"One concrete and undeniable proof of the
thriving program is the robust pipeline of projects that we have maintained in
close coordination with various implementing agencies," she added.
Through the effective collaboration of the PPP
Center and its partner agencies, it successfully awarded nine projects totaling
about $2.9 billion, she said.
These projects are the Daang Hari-SLEX Link Road,
the School Infrastructure Project Phases 1 and 2, the NAIA Expressway Phase 2
project, the modernization of the Philippine Orthopedic Center, the Automatic
Fare Collection System, the Mactan Cebu International Airport Terminal
Building, the LRT Line 1 Cavite Extension and Operation and Maintenance, and
the Integrated Transport System-Southwest Terminal Project.
Canilao said this is more than the six solicited
PPP projects awarded in the past three administrations.
"These numbers represent not only the value
of implementing PPP projects for the benefit of the public but they are also an
indication of increasing investor confidence in the transparent process,"
she said.
Foreign and local investors participating in the
bidding process have increased over the years, she said, noting the importance
of having transparent and well-documented transactions in all PPP projects.
Toward this end, the PPP Center is developing a
PPP Knowledge Management Portal, which includes a virtual data room (VDR)
system -- a highly secure online facility for storing, accessing and
distributing tender documents.
The center wants to institutionalize the use of
VDR for future PPP projects to improve processes and ensure transparency in the
bidding process, Canilao said. PND (as)
Aquino government eyes legacy of institutionalized
public private partnership program
(TAGAYTAY CITY, Cavite) The Aquino administration
wants to leave a legacy of an enduring public private partnership (PPP) program
through the creation of a solid legal policy framework, PPP Center Executive
Director Cosette Canilao has said.
This policy framework will ensure transparency,
predictability, tested procedures and standard contract agreements that uphold
reasonable returns and fair risk allocation, Canilao said in her welcome
remarks during the opening the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) PPP
Experts Advisory Council Meeting held at the Taal Vista Hotel here Wednesday.
The PPP Center is also active in building the
capacity of its stakeholders, Canilao said, noting that last year, more than 90
local government units (LGUs), 63 government-owned and controlled corporations,
81 national government agencies, and eight academic institutions were
capacitated by the center.
This initiative will ensure that these
stakeholders have the skills and knowledge to develop well-structured PPP projects,
she said.
The PPP center has also partnered with
international institutions to further improve the capacity of the center, the
LGUs and other partners, she added.
"We have signed a twinning agreement with
Infrastructure New South Wales last year, which aims to enhance the center's
competencies in the areas of contract management, knowledge management, public
communications, and probity advisory," Canilao said.
The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)
has also partnered with the PPP Center for the training of its partners for the
development of PPP projects, she added.
Canilao noted that several countries, among them
Indonesia, Nigeria, Bhutan, and Tonga, have sought the Philippines' assistance
in developing their respective PPP programs.
These requests show the country's success in
implementing its PPP program, she said.
The meeting of PPP experts and other APEC
stakeholders in Tagaytay City aims to discuss PPP programs and their successful
implementation. PND (as)
Advocates want small and medium enterprises to get
easier credit access
(TAGAYTAY CITY, Cavite) Advocates in member
economies of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) want more small and
medium enterprises (SMEs) in the region to gain easier access to credit.
During the second and concluding day of the 2015
Asia-Pacific Forum on Financial Inclusion on Wednesday, the delegates agreed
that while there have been inroads in SME financing, countries in the region
could further expand credit coverage.
"Financial inclusion is vital in achieving
the goal of enhancing inclusivity of growth of economies. If we help SMEs
become more productive, such as by easing accessibility of financing, we help
our economies generate more jobs and boost incomes," Finance Undersecretary
Gil Beltran said.
The Philippines, which is acknowledged to have one
of the best regulatory environments for microfinance in the world, has vowed to
continue moving the agenda of financial inclusion forward.
During the meeting, delegates tackled the need to
make credit data accessible to lenders to give SMEs a better chance of getting
financing. At the same time, they discussed means to ensure security of
information and credit transactions to build public confidence on credit
information systems.
In the Philippines, a centralized credit
information system will soon be in operation. The Credit Information Corp.
earlier reported that the sharing of information through the system will begin
by the end of the year, while most of the relevant credit data will be made
available through the system by 2016.
The delegates also discussed having a formal
definition of financial inclusion, covering specific parameters that will
determine the level of inclusivity of the financial sector. This definition is
proposed to serve as a guide for all APEC member economies.
Outstanding microfinance loans in the Philippines
had consistently grown over the years, hitting P9.4 billion as of the end of
September 2014 from P2.6 billion in 2002.
Over the same period, microfinance borrowers in
the Philippines had grown from about 390,000 to nearly 1.16 million, while the
number of banks with microfinance units had increased from 119 to 183.
The two-day 2015 Asia-Pacific Forum on Financial
Inclusion is just one of the year-round APEC meetings to be held this year. The
meetings will cover a wide array of topics anchored on the development goal for
the Asia-Pacific region. PND (as)
Asia-Pacific Infrastructure Partnership Dialogue
aims to reconcile public-private sector differences
(TAGAYTAY CITY, Cavite) The 2015 Asia-Pacific
Infrastructure Partnership (APIP) Dialogue, which opened at the Taal Vista
Hotel here Wednesday, aims to reduce the differences between the public and
private sectors in infrastructure development.
In his welcome remarks, Finance Undersecretary Gil
Beltran said this year's dialogue on infrastructure partnership will focus on
an important topic -- urban infrastructure development and financing, a key
agenda in the Cebu Action Plan that will guide member economies of the
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) in the coming years. The action plan
will be launched in September.
Citing a World Bank report, Beltran said there is
an influx of people from rural areas to urban centers, seeking better job opportunities
and a good life, thus increasing the need for more infrastructures.
The World Bank report, he said, raised issues to
policymakers on how to finance and develop budding cities, as well as on how to
improve and develop cities with a pattern considered as locked in.
"I envision this afternoon's dialogue to be a
free-flowing exchange of ideas. I hope none of us will hesitate in sharing
their ideas and recommendations as we all work towards the goal of improving
Philippine infrastructure and eventually regional infrastructure," he
said.
Chairman of the APIP dialogue, Mark Johnson, said
in his remarks that the purpose of the dialogue is to reduce the asymmetry in
knowledge applied in the public sector and the private sector with regards to
infrastructure development.
The private sector often has knowledge and
information but because of competition, these are not easily made available,
Johnson said.
The public sector, on the other hand, is
constrained by policy, political issues and so on, and there must be a frank
discussion between the public and private sectors to improve the efficiency and
effectiveness of the whole process, he said.
Johnson meanwhile recognized the very impressive
Philippine progress in terms of the implementation of its public private
partnership (PPP) program in the past several years, noting this feat could be
emulated by other countries. PND (as)
President Aquino witnesses turnover of Special
Action Force command to new leader
President Benigno S. Aquino III on Wednesday
witnessed the turnover of the leadership of the Philippine National Police – Special
Action Force (PNP-SAF) to Chief Superintendent Moro Virgilio Lazo from
Officer-in-Charge Noli Taliño.
The ceremony was held at 1:40 p.m. at the SAF
Headquarters in Camp Bagong Diwa, Bicutan in Taguig City.
During the ceremony, Taliño thanked President
Aquino for the opportunity to lead the SAF, even for a short period.
Taliño temporarily replaced SAF Director Getulio
Napeñas, who was relieved after a police operation to arrest two terrorists in
Mamasapano, Maguindanao resulted in the death of 44 police commandos last
January 25.
Lazo was the head of the PNP Firearms and
Explosive Office. He graduated from Philippine Military Academy in 1984 under
Class “Maharlika”.
In his remarks, Lazo said he was glad to return to
the SAF command, which he once served.
Prior to the turnover ceremony, President Aquino
had a nearly three-hour dialogue with the SAF officers and commandos deployed
during the Mamasapano mission.
Present during the dialogue were Interior
Secretary Mar Roxas; PNP Acting Chief Deputy Director Leonardo Espina; National
Capital Region Police Office Director Carmelo Valmoria; and Chief of the PNP
Directorial Staff Deputy Director Marcelo Garbo, Jr. PND (ag)
President Aquino meets with Special Action Force
officials
President Benigno S. Aquino III on Wednesday
morning had a meeting with officials of the Philippine National Police’s (PNP)
Special Action Force (SAF).
The meeting was held at the Conference Room of the
National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) Headquarters in Camp Bagong Diwa
in Taguig City.
According to Communications Secretary Herminio
Coloma, Jr., the meeting focused on a review of the operations conducted to
arrest terror suspects Zulkifli bin Hir, also known as Marwan, and Basit Usman
in Mamasapano, Maguindanao last January 24 to 25.
Secretary Coloma said the review was essential in
identifying points for improvement in the conduct of similar operations.
He said that during the meeting, the President
emphasized the importance of rebuilding the capability of the SAF as an elite
unit of the PNP on account of the vital role it performs.
The President also pledged support for the
acquisition of needed equipment and resources, he said.
Meanwhile, Interior Secretary Mar Roxas, who was
present at the meeting, said SAF troopers were able to talk to the President
about their work-related concerns.
Among the concerns the troopers brought up were
their lack of leave from work and the lack of hazard pay for some SAF members.
Secretary Roxas added that the President gave the
PNP a deadline to resolve the matter.
“Binigyan ng Pangulo ng malinaw na timeline na
within 30 days ay isumite sa kanyang tanggapan, ibig sabihin nakadaan na ito sa
PNP, nakadaan na sa NAPOLCOM (National Police Commission) bago dumating sa
Tanggapan ng Pangulo, within 30 days, itong mga bagay na ito,” he said.
The meeting was also attended by PNP
Officer-in-Charge Deputy Director General Leonardo Espina; Chief of the PNP
Directorial Staff Deputy Director General Marcelo Garbo, Jr.; NCRPO Chief
Director Carmelo Valmoria; Chief Superintendent Moro Virgilio Lazo; and Chief
Superintendent Noli Taliño.
According to Coloma, the President and
accompanying officials proceeded to the SAF headquarters quadrangle after the
meeting to witness the turnover of command from SAF Officer-in-Charge Chief
Superintendent Taliño to newly appointed SAF commander Chief Superintendent
Lazo. PND (ag)
Canada recognizes the Philippines' successful
public private partnership program, says envoy
(TAGAYTAY CITY, Cavite) A Canadian envoy has
commended the Philippines for the successful implementation of its public
private partnership (PPP) program, which he said could serve as a model for
other countries to adopt.
"The Philippines’ experience in the
successful rollout of the Philippines’ PPP program can provide lessons for the
plans of other PPP Centers, as well as provide more impetus to the work of this
panel," Canadian Ambassador to the Philippines Neil Reeder said in his
welcome remarks during the 4th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) PPP
Experts Advisory Council Meeting held at the Taal Vista Hotel here Wednesday.
"I am also pleased that a consortium led by a
Canadian company, CPCS Transcom Limited, Canada, is providing consulting services
to the Philippines’ PPP Center as they advance projects under their aggressive
PPP agenda," Ambassador Reeder added.
The Canadian government has provided CAD$4.2
million to support institutional strengthening and capacity building in the
Philippines’ PPP Center, he said, noting that this is in collaboration with the
Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the government of Australia.
The envoy also expressed Canada’s commitment to
help Indonesia operationalize its own PPP Center and work with the World Bank and
the Indonesian Ministry of Finance in preparing for the center’s launch.
He further said that Canada is extending CAD$4.5
million to the Asia Infrastructure Center of Excellence (AICOE), which is based
in Singapore.
The center supports and promotes connectivity in
the region through infrastructure development. It provides technical assistance
to help Southeast Asian countries identify and prepare viable, bankable and
high-impact regional PPP infrastructure projects.
Canada, like other countries in the Asia Pacific,
is also working to address infrastructure gaps, which are key constraints to
economic growth and poverty reduction, according to Reeder.
"We recognize the important role of
infrastructure investments in building a resilient and competitive economy and
providing requisite public services to citizens efficiently and
effectively," he said.
The North American country has a 22-year history
of successful PPP projects, Reeder said, adding that it has completed 221
projects, valued at more than CAD$70.4 billion.
As a result, he said, Canada's industry has
developed exportable world-class expertise in PPPs, with respect to
Design-Build-Finance-Maintain (DBFM) projects. PND (as)
Philippine government to roll out five more public
private partnership projects soon
(TAGAYTAY CITY, Cavite) The Philippine government
is about to roll out five more public private partnership (PPP) projects in
addition to 11 projects that are currently up for grabs, PPP Center Executive
Director Cosette Canilao said Wednesday.
"There will be a NEDA (National Economic and
Development Authority) Board meeting on March 24 and two PPP projects will be
up for approval or discussions as well. The rest are in various project
preparation and feasibility studies," Canilao told reporters during a
press conference held at the Summit Ridge Hotel here.
She said that during the Asia-Pacific Economic
Cooperation (APEC) PPP Experts Advisory Council Meeting held Wednesday, there
was a presentation on the country's PPP program.
The PPP Center showcased to the panel the approach
that it took to jumpstart the PPP program and enhance its capacity to evaluate
PPP projects, she said, adding that the Center also discussed the legal and
regulatory framework for the country's PPP projects.
Canilao reported that the country has 61 PPP
projects in the pipeline, of which nine have already been awarded.
The nine PPP projects were awarded during the
Aquino administration, exceeding the past three administration's solicited PPP
projects.
In the next panel meeting in July, Canilao said
they will discuss issues that the country has encountered in setting up its PPP
program, and the solutions that it has undertaken to overcome those issues.
The discussion on PPP programs of APEC member
economies is aimed at addressing infrastructure gaps, which are key constraints
to economic growth and poverty reduction.
Member economies recognize the important role of
infrastructure investments in building a resilient and competitive economy and
providing efficient public services to their citizens. PND (as)
