Oct 232013
 
Cavite, Laguna toll road project attracts 4 groups

MANILA, Philippines – Four groups led by conglomerates Metro Pacific Investments Corp. (MPIC), San Miguel Corp., Ayala Corp., are set to slug it out for the P35.4-billion Cavite-Laguna Expressway (CALAX) project, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) said yesterday. Public Works Assistant Secretary Eugenio Pipo Jr. said a total of four groups submitted prequalification documents for the CALAX project yesterday afternoon. “All the bidders submitted their prequalification documents before the 2 p.m. deadline,” Pipo stressed. He pointed out that Alloy MTD Philippines Inc. was the first to submit at 11:04 in the morning. AlloyMtd is the merger between MTD  of Malaysia and Alloy with a long established track record in civil engineering and construction, manufacturing, infrastructure concessions, energy, port operations, real estate and property development. It completed the 36 kilometer portion of South Luzon Expressway. The group led by conglomerate Ayala Corp. through Team Orion followed at 12:15 p.m. It is led by AC Infrastructure Holdings Corp. that tied up with Cebu-based Aboitiz Group, Macquarie Infrastructure Holdings Philippines as well as contractors Bouygues Travaux, Egis Road Operations, and Korea Expressway Corp. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 Pipo said the third to submit at 12:39 p.m. was the group of businessman Manuel V. Pangilinan through MPIC’s Metro Pacific Tollways Development Corp. and partner Leighton Contractors (Philippines) Inc. The tandem formed MPCALA Holdings Inc. Diversified conglomerate San Miguel Corp. through Optimal Infrastructure Development Inc. submitted prequalification documents for the project at 12:58 p.m. Prior to the Read More …

Jul 162013
 
Infra standstill: Risk aversion or incompetence?

People keep on asking me why the P-Noy administration has fallen flat on its face in the area of constructing vital infrastructure. The only major project they are claiming to have completed, the Laguindingan Airport in Cagayan de Oro was initiated during the Ate Glue watch. The portion that was the responsibility of the P-Noy watch was even botched by DOTC. They forgot the airport needs air navigation and night landing facilities. So they inaugurated the airport with only visual flight rule in place. The ILS (Instrument Landing System) and other vital facilities will come later. Another agency under DOTC forgot that the new airport needs a good public transport system. LTFRB should have been issuing franchises for buses and jeepneys but they thought of doing that too late. I was told of a Manila-bound Cebu Pacific passenger who had to pay a taxi P800 to get to the airport. His plane ticket was P300. In answer to my question, I am inclined to believe that incompetence is the basic reason why P-Noy’s boys have failed to put up infrastructure projects over the past three years. But there are those who say it is an acute case of risk aversion… as in a fear of signing any contract that may end up with the Ombudsman and will bug them way after they are out of office. They are most likely thinking they cannot be sued for corruption if they do nothing… but they risk a Sandiganbayan case if they signed Read More …