-
Half of the Private Sector Advisory Council’s recommendations for infrastructure development have either been completed or are works in progress, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. says
-
The PSAC met with the President recently to discuss matters regarding key areas of infrastructure partnerships in the country, including water, transport and mobility, logistics, energy and public-private partnership projects
-
Recommendations included the rehabilitation of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport and the development of existing and key Philippine Ports Authority assets into regional hubs that can accommodate international vessels
Half of the Private Sector Advisory Council (PSAC)’s recommendations to the government for infrastructure development have either been completed or are in the process of actual implementation, according to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
“And I’m happy to note that the recommendations that were given us by the Private Sector Advisory Council were essentially many of the things that we we’re already doing,” Marcos said after a recent meeting with PSAC.
“And, in fact, the list of recommendations that they gave, I would say half of them are either in progress or have been completed. So, we are once again moving in the right direction together with our private-sector partners,” the Chief Executive said.
The PSAC meeting focused on matters regarding key areas of infrastructure partnerships in the country that include water, transport and mobility, logistics, energy and public-private partnership (PPP) projects.
Among PSAC’s recommendations for the transport and mobility sector are the rehabilitation of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) through PPP this year, fast-tracking this year of the award process for projects under the original proponent status, and the development of an aerodome strategy for the country’s aviation sector involving the private sector.
For maritime, the advisory council wants the government to develop existing and key Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) assets into regional hubs capable of handling international vessels, update the privatization framework to encourage investments, and develop port support infrastructure.
Reports said International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) chairman and president Enrique Razon Jr. had recommended the development of Iloilo Port.
ICTSI had earlier proposed to modernize the Iloilo Commercial Port Complex and the Port of Dumangas in Iloilo province, but has since withdrawn its unsolicited proposal.
PPA had said earlier it will bid out this year the port terminal management contract of Iloilo Port.
RELATED READ: PPA targets Iloilo, GenSan port bidding by June
For the water sector, recommendations include certifying the bill creating the Department of Water Resources as urgent, adopting non-traditional and more sustainable technologies to protect watersheds, increasing funding for water projects and implementing a water tariff based on affordability.
For the energy sector, PSAC recommended the rationalization of secondary price caps, strengthening local government units to facilitate energy project implementation, and connecting small power utility groups to the grid.
In a related development, the National Economic and Development Authority Board, chaired by Marcos, approved 194 infrastructure flagship projects worth a total of about P9 trillion that are “seen to address the binding constraints to business investment and expansion to “create more, high-quality, and resilient jobs that will allow us to meet our poverty-reduction goals for the medium term.”
Of the total flagship projects, 67 are infrastructure works from previous administrations that are already ongoing/approved for implementation while 26 additional projects are also already being implemented.
