The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Board has approved eight new projects, including the Subic-Clark Railway and Bulacan International Airport (BIA).
In its 6th meeting on April 25, the NEDA Board, chaired by President Rodrigo Duterte, also gave its approval to other transportation infrastructure projects such as the Clark International Airport (CRK) Expansion Project-Operations and Maintenance (O&M) Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Concession; Pasig-Marikina River and Manggahan Floodway Bridges Construction Project; and Bridge Construction Acceleration Project for Socioeconomic Development Project.
Also approved were the Ambal-Simuay River and Rio Grande de Mindanao River Flood Control Projects; Rural Agro-Enterprise Partnership for Inclusive Development and Growth (RAPID Growth) Project; and the Davao Food Complex.
“We are pleased to see more infrastructure projects in the pipeline. As we roll them out, government shall keep working towards developing the country’s infrastructure to ensure easing of congestion in Metro Manila and spreading growth to the regions,” Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto M. Pernia said.
The Subic-Clark Railway Project is a 71.13-kilometer railway that will connect Subic Bay Freeport Zone and Clark Freeport Zone to support current industrial activities and the potential demand for freight services along the Subic-Clark corridor. The project will cost P50.03 billion, of which P42.53 billion will be financed through official development assistance (ODA) and P7.51 billion through local funds.
This project is seen to help decongest Metro Manila traffic, provide infrastructure for the Metro Luzon Urban Beltway, and spur the development of a freight railway system for Luzon.
The unsolicited airport proposal of San Miguel Corp., meanwhile, involves the construction, operation, and maintenance of the BIA with an area of approximately 2,500 hectares in Bulakan, Bulacan.
The project involves airport development (i.e., passenger terminal building, with airside and landside facilities) and an 8.4-kilometer airport toll road, and will be able to accommodate 100 million passengers per annum by its opening year. The unsolicited proposal has a project cost of P735.634 billion.
Also on its April 25 meeting, the NEDA Board approved the Investment Coordination Committee’s recommended reasonable rate of return and other parameters for negotiation for the unsolicited project, which will still have to undergo a Swiss challenge. This means other proponents can challenge the project with their own proposals.
CRK’s expansion project involves the competitive procurement of a technically qualified operator to undertake the necessary internal fit-out, and provision of the necessary equipment and systems to complete, commission, operate and maintain the new CRK terminal.
It has an estimated capital expense of P5.61 billion, proposed for PPP implementation under the solicited Build- Operate-Transfer (BOT) mode, pursuant to the Amended BOT Law and its implementing rules and regulations, with a 25 to 30 year concession period.
Both under the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), the Pasig-Marikina River and Manggahan Floodway Bridges Construction Project involves the construction of 10 remaining priority bridges crossing Pasig-Marikina River and Manggahan Floodway. These bridges will improve road transport network capacity and efficiency in Metro Manila by providing additional fix links and alternative routes. The project has a total project cost of P27.368 billion.
The NEDA Board approved last September 2017 the construction of the first two bridges—the Binondo-Intramuros and Estrella-Pantaleon Bridges—with a total cost of P5.98 billion, to be financed through grant provided by the Chinese Government.
The Bridge Construction and Acceleration Project for Socioeconomic Development Project, also under DPWH, involves the full turnkey construction of five iconic 4-lane bridges and twenty-five 2-lane truss bridges, altogether with a total length of 2,848 lineal meters, in nine regions of the country. The project has an estimated cost of P11.369 billion, and is expected to be completed by 2022.
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