By Lawrence Agcaoili (The Philippine
Star) | Updated September 25, 2013 - 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines - Three more
companies joined the long list of prospective bidders for the P35.4-billion
expressway project that would interconnect the provinces of Cavite and Laguna,
the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) said yesterday.
Companies that have expressed interest
in the project under the public-private partnership (PPP) scheme include CM
Pancho Construction Inc., Bouygues Travaux Publics as well as the tandem of
Pacific Concrete Inc. and China Harbor Engineering.
DPWH Secretary Rogelio Singson said
the proposed toll road has so far attracted a total of 18 companies including
several foreign firms that would result in the formation of competitive and
strategic alliances.
“DPWH anticipates bid proposals will
be more competitive which will result into better bid offers,” Singson said.
The agency has extended the deadline
of the submission of pre-qualification documents to Oct. 23 instead of Sept. 23
to give the bidders particularly foreign firms sufficient time to prepare and
deliver the requirements needed for the submission of their pre-qualification
documents.
Companies from Singapore, Korea,
France, India, and China bought bid documents.
“The entry of foreign investors into
the P35 billion road project will also result to competitive strategies and
alliances formed into consortiums that will require additional time to
complete,” he said.
According to him, the foreign
companies might face difficulty in complying on the given timelines as they are
unfamiliar with the process including the authentication of documents.
The tollroad would provide a more
convenient and faster route to or from Metro Manila to the Cavite, Laguna,
Batangas, Rizal, Quezon (Calabarzon) region. 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.
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