BY ALBERT CASTRO
[ Malaya.com.ph ] August 12, 2011
Eighteen firms have expressed interest to build the government’s first private-public partnership project up for bidding, the P1.6 billion Daang Hari-SLEX link road, according to Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima.
Among the interested firms are Metro Pacific Investment Corp. and San Miguel Corp. The project is a four-kilometer, four-lane toll road that will connect Bacoor, Cavite to the South Luzon Expressway, passing through the New Bilibid Prisons Reservation.
The project will provide additional access for the increasing traffic between Metro Manila and Cavite and is expected to cut travel time between Daang Hari and Alabang by 40 minutes.
The project consists of the purchase of the advanced works delivered by the Alabang-Sto. Tomas Development Inc.; financing and construction for the remaining road works; financing, design and construction of Segment II to the Susana Heights Interchange through a roundabout; and the operation and maintenance of the entire road project as an open-system tolled expressway.
Secretary Rogelio Singson of the Department of Public Works and Highways earlier said actual bidding for the project is eyed for December with awarding expected to be announced in January next year.
The deadline for pre-qualification documents is in September.
Purisima said the government will continue to process the other pending projects for their eventual availability for bidders, though the government will remain prudent in approving them to prevent wastage and abuse.
"I think the important thing is we need many projects and the sooner we can have these projects properly, the better. So we’d like to resist the prodding to rush things because we want to do things right," said Purisima at the sidelines of Finance Asia’s Third Annual Corporate Treasury and CFO Summit yesterday.
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