Not China: Consortium Philippine Megawide- Indian GMR the highest bidder for PPP Cebu International Airport

Mactan Cebu International Airport. Photo: PPP.gov.ph

This article would make you confused but take the reverse of the lowest bidder to win a bidding in a PPP project.

If Chinese firms are famous of being the lowest bidder to win a bidding, PPP is open minded to accept the highest price bidder with an expected good output.

Megawide, Indian firm submitted highest bid for MCIA project

The consortium of Megawide Construction Corp. and GMR Infrastructure Ltd. submitted the highest bid for the Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) expansion and upgrading project.

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The Department of Transportation and Communications opened the financial bids of the seven bidders for the ₱17.5-billion project.

MCIA Authority General Manager Nigel Paul Villarete said the opening of the financial bids yesterday was a success.

Villarete said the Megawide-GMR consortium submitted the highest bid of ₱14.4 billion.

Megawide reported a net income of ₱71 million in 2009 and P335 million in 2010, according to a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange. GMR is a leading construction firm in India.

New terminal

Five of the seven qualified bidders offered bids above the ₱10-billion mark.

The project involves the construction of a new passenger terminal, operation and management of the new airport. It is the first project under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) program of the Aquino administration.

"The results of the financial bids is a testimony to the government's conduct of the PPP in a thorough, transparent and accountable manner, as well as a demonstration of the very promising viability of the Mactan-Cebu International Airport," said Villarete in a press statement.

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He said that while the bid parameters guaranteed that the government can provide up to ₱4 billion in cash support as viability gap funding to any prospective bidder, none of the seven bidders asked for it.

Instead, they offered premium payments ranging from ₱4.7 billion to ₱14.4 billion, he added.

Villarete said the most important aspect in the process is "not the amount of the bid … but rather the service improvement that comes with" it. - Sunstar

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Moody’s warned downgrade to Philippine Credit ratings for Pork Barrel scandal and Typhoon Yolanda Politicking

Moody's warns of risks to Philippine investment grade

MANILA, Philippines - Moody's Investors Service has warned that the ongoing pork barrel issue and the relief response to Super Typhoon Yolanda pose political risks that may cause the Philippines to lose recently-awarded investment grade ratings.

"Domestic political event risks are considered low and reflect the continued popularity of the Aquino administration, as well as developments related to the long-running Islamist insurgency in the southern region of Mindanao," Moody's said in a recent  credit analysis.

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"However, the government's track record of policy performance over the past three years has been facilitated by a favorable political backdrop. This, in turn, could be threatened by ongoing deliberations related to the pork barrel scam or perceptions of an inadequate response to Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda)," the debt watcher continued.

The policy reforms undertaken by the Aquino government has helped propel the country in achieving robust economic growth. These have also prompted various debt watchers, including Moody's, to upgrade the Philippines' rating to investment grade this year.

"The mid-term Senate and House elections in May 2013 helped strengthen the Aquino administration's mandate, and ostensibly improving the prospects for reform," Moody's noted.

"There was a risk that the President's political mandate following these elections would be diminished because of negative or unclear results. Instead, his mandate was cemented, as his coalition won nine of the 12 available Senate seats, while retaining its solid majority in the House," the debt watcher added.

Moody's recounted that past administrations have seen "stalled reform momentum" after three years of being in office amid declining popularity. The credit rater continued that previous administrations were plagued by coups and calls for impeachment that hindered the passage of other reforms needed by the country.

"More recently, however, political discourse has been dominated by the alleged misuse of the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) or "pork barrel." The suspected participation of politicians allied to the President could undermine his emphasis on good governance and erode legislative support for his reform program," Moody's noted.

"Nevertheless, the debate is likely to result in increased scrutiny of discretionary spending by politicians, reinforcing the trend towards greater transparency and accountability with regards to fiscal management."

At the same time, Moody's stressed the perception of a poor response from the government following the world's strongest typhoon in recorded history may be a drag on the administration's current popularity.

"The large humanitarian and economic toll exacted by Typhoon (Yolanda) in November has underscored the Philippines' fiscal and organizational constraints. The inability to coordinate an effective and rapid relief response for disaster-stricken areas could become a political liability for the Aquino administration," Moody's said.

Moody's said the wrath of Yolanda may pull down the country's fourth quarter economic growth but rebuilding efforts will prop up expansion in the first quarter of next year. It further stressed the "most important" regions in terms of contribution to the country's gross domestic product--Region IV-A (Calabarzon) and National Capital Region--were unaffected by the calamity.

"We do not expect (Yolanda) to materially affect merchandise or services exports, but imports of building material and other inputs for reconstruction could weigh on the trade deficit. Nevertheless, remittance inflows-along with financial assistance from official and private sources-are expected to spike upwards and sustain the surpluses in both the current account and overall balance of payments," Moody's said.

Moody's in October upgraded the country's junk rating to investment grade.

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The Philippines was awarded a Baa3 with a positive outlook, which means another rating upgrade may be in the horizon for the next 12 to 18 months.

This was the third investment grade rating the country got from a major debt watcher. Fitch Ratings was the first to give the country its long-awaited investment grade rating in March, followed by Standard & Poor's in May. - PhilStar

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₱4.8-Billion New Panglao Airport open to Japanese contractors

₱4.8-Billio New Panglao, Bohol Airport. Source: PPP.Gov.Ph

The Philippine government is inviting Japanese contractors to join the bidding for the ₱4.8-billion contract to build a new airport in Panglao Island, Bohol, a project funded by the Japanese government.

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There will be a single-stage bidding procedure for the New Bohol Airport Construction and Sustainable Environment Protection Project such that there will be no pre-qualification stage.

But the Department of Transportation and Communications (DoTC) stressed that only Japanese contractors are eligible as prime contractor for the project and Filipinos or other nationalities can be eligible as sub-contractors.

The project, funded through a loan from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), covers the construction of passenger terminal building, control tower, fire station, drivers' lounge, car parks, guard house, toll booths, utility and navigational aids buildings, access roads and airport infrastructure including runway strip and taxiways.

It also covers the supply and installation of water and power supply system, sewage treatment system, air navigation facilities, and aeronautical ground lighting.

Interested bidders can purchase the bid documents for $1,000. A pre-bidding conference is set on January 6 while the deadline for submission of bids is set on March 3.

The new international airport in Bohol is soon to rise in a 216-hectare land in Panglao Island and will replace the old Tagbilaran Airport.

Representatives of JICA and the Government of the Republic of the Philippines signed the official development assistance loan agreement for the New Bohol Airport Construction and Sustainable Environment Protection Project last March 27.

According to JICA, the airport construction will be using Japanese environmental conservation technologies due to the conditions of the Japan-tied procurement.

"Under the concept of 'an eco airport,' the project will construct a new environmentally friendly airport using advanced Japanese technology, including a photovoltaic power generation system and geotextile sheets in the soaking yard to prevent airport drainage water from polluting the surrounding environment during construction," JICA said in its website http://www.jica.go.jp.

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JICA said the completion of the project expected by June 2016. "After the construction is completed, technical assistance will be provided for environmental protection to avoid a negative impact to the natural environment caused by the increase in tourists," JICA added. – Manila Bulletin

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