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THE HEAD of the agency tasked to oversee the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) scheme has quit, Cabinet officials yesterday said even as they stressed that the resignation would not have an impact on the government’s already-delayed centerpiece program.
Philamer C. Torio, executive director of the PPP Center, was not immediately available for comment but his superior, Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Cayetano W. Paderanga, Jr., said a resignation letter was submitted last week.
President Benigno S. C. Aquino III has yet to give his consent, Sec. Ramon “Ricky” A. Carandang of the Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office said.
“It (the resignation) has not been formally accepted, but it will be soon,” Mr. Carandang said.
Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail D. Valte said education reasons were behind Mr. Torio’s departure.
“He is pursuing higher studies overseas,” Ms. Valte said.
Mr. Paderanga said he did not expect the PPP program to be affected, declaring that “the important thing in fact is that the office is now operating fully”.
The PPP Center, which is in charge of reviewing and endorsing all projects for bidding, was placed under the National Economic Planning and Development Authority last year. It was formerly under the Department of Trade and Industry as the BOT (Build-Operate-Transfer) Center but was transferred and renamed under Executive Order 8.
Sought for comment, American Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines Executive Director Robert M. Sears said, “If they have a good team, the resignation should not mean any delay in the projects.”
Mr. Torio was appointed head of the office last November. His second-in-command, deputy executive director Cosette V. Canilao, said that in addition to the sole deal on offer, four projects would be added this year:
• the P20.181-billion North Luzon Expressway-South Luzon Expressway (SLEx) connector, a 13.4-kilometer, four-lane elevated thoroughfare from Caloocan to Makati;
• P10 billion worth of schoolbuildings;
• the P1-billion vaccine self-sufficiency program of the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine and the Department of Health; and
• the rehabilitation of Palawan’s Puerto Princesa airport.
Only the Daang Hari-SLEx auction process is up and running out of the two PPP deals that have been formally offered by the government, with 18 firms having bought bid documents for the P1.956-billion toll road project. The first, the P15-billion combined operations and maintenance contract for Metro Manila’s Light Rail Transit-1 (LRT-1) and Metro Rail Transit-3 (MRT-3), has been placed under review following a leadership change at the Department of Transportation and Communication.
The PPP program, launched last year by the Aquino administration as a means of addressing the country’s lack of critical infrastructure, has been hit by delays traced to the need for further project reviews. Cabinet officials initially said the scheme would help achieve the 2011 economic growth target of 7-8% as 10 projects would be bid out this year.
Growth, however, has so far been lackluster, slipping to 3.4% in the second quarter from a year earlier. The result was also lower than the 4.6% notched in the first three months of the year.
Ms. Canilao, meanwhile, listed projects set to be offered next year:
• the P947.7-million Ninoy Aquino International Airport Expressway Phase II;
• Cavite-Laguna Expressway;
• Calamba Expressway;
• Central Luzon East Expressway;
• Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway;
• C-6 extension;
• Bohol Airport Development project;
• LRT-1/MRT-3 deal;
• LRT-1 south extension project;
• new Legazpi airport development;
• privatization of the Laguindingan airport; and
• the LRT-2 east extension project.
Feasibility studies are still being finalized, Ms. Canilao said.
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By: N. M. Gonzales, J. P. D. Poblete and A. E. Barrameda
Source: Business World, Sept. 5, 2011
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