By Lawrence
Agcaoili (The Philippine Star) | Updated July 31, 2013 - 12:00am
MANILA,
Philippines - Eleven companies led by the country’s largest conglomerates are
set to slug it out in the bidding for the P35.4-billion expressway project that
would link the provinces of Cavite and Laguna, the Public Private Partnership
(PPP) Center reported yesterday.
In a
statement, PPP Center said 11 companies have so far expressed interest in the
Cavite Laguna expressway project as of July 26 or barely four days after the
Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) issued out its invitation to
prequalify and bid last July 22.
The agency
said interested bidders include the Manuel V. Pangilinan-led Metro Pacific
Tollways Development Corp., diversified conglomerate San Miquel Corp., the
Ayala Group’s AC Infrastructure Holdings Corp. and Makati Development Corp.,
Cebu-based Aboitizland Inc., and Megawide Engineering Excellence.
Foreign
groups that also expressed interest in the project include Korea Expressway
Corp., Alloy MTD Philippines Inc., Macquarie Infrastructure Holdings
(Philippines) Pte Limited, Leighton Contractors (Philippines) Inc., and EGIS
Projects Developer of Infrastructure & Service.
The CALA
expressway is the third project of the DPWH under the PPP scheme of the Aquino
administation. With a cost of P35.42 billion, it is so far the biggest PPP
project in terms of project cost and involves the financing, design and
construction, operation and maintenance of the entire four-lane, 47 kilometer
closed-system tolled expressway connecting the South Luzon expressway (SLEX)
and the Manila Cavite Tollroad expressway (Cavitex).
The project
would start from the Cavitex in Kawit, Cavite and end at the SLEX-Mamplasan
Interchange in Biñan, Laguna. It would consist of nine interchanges in Kawit,
Daang Hari, Governor’s Drive, Aguinaldo Highway, Silang, Sta. Rosa-Tagaytay,
Laguna Blvd., Technopark, and a toll barrier before SLEX.
The proposed
expressway would provide a more convenient and faster route to or from Metro
Manila to the Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon (Calabarzon) region and
help decongest traffic on the existing road network in the Cavite and Laguna
area and at the same time reduce travel time to Metro Manila.
The tollroad
would also serve as a connector between the existing and operational Cavitex
and SLEX and improve the competitiveness of Region IV-A or the Calabarzon as an
investment destination.
The DPWH
believes that the provinces of Cavite and Laguna are now considered as among
the most industrialized and urbanized areas in the country as both have been
home to international and multinational electronic, semiconductor, automotive
and manufacturing companies.
These
provinces also serve as catchment areas for the residential population of Metro
Manila resulting in traffic congestion on the major road networks in the area,
particularly on the Aguinaldo Highway, Governor’s Drive, and Sta. Rosa-Tagaytay
Road.
This is the
second major toll road project under the PPP scheme to be auctioned off by the
Aquino administration this year. Last July 8, DPWH signed a concession
agreement with SMC’s Optimal Infrastructure for the P15.86 billion link that
would connect the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) with Cavitex and
SLEX.
Earlier, DPWH
undersecretary Rafael Yabut said the agency’s Special Bids and Awards Committee
(SBAC) has given local and international companies until Sept. 23 to submit
their prequalification documents for the project.
Yabut said
the CALA project would be undertaken as a “pure” public private partnership
(PPP) project wherein the winning proponent would have to construct the entire
47-kilometer toll road.
____________________________________________________________
