DOTr Secretary Jaime Bautista
THE Department of Transportation (DOTr) is seeking the financing support of the private sector for the construction and implementation of transport projects and programs, Secretary Jaime Bautista said Wednesday.
Secretary Bautista explained that with limited public funds to fund such projects, the government could tap the assistance of the private sector.
“There are many government projects that need private sector’s support because the government has limited funds,” Bautista said during a Makati Business Club, Inc. (MBC) Forum.
Bautista identified big-ticket transport projects in the rail, aviation, and road sectors where Public-Private Partnership (PPP) can be implemented.
The transport chief mentioned the proposed EDSA Busway privatization as one possible PPP effort, as well as the construction of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) in Cebu and Davao.
“We ask the private sector to support the privatization of the EDSA Busway,” Bautista said.
Bautista said the DOTr aviation projects in the pipeline include the improvement of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), adding other airports in the greater capital for possible PPP proponents such as in Clark, Bulacan, and Sangley.
“We need additional airports to serve aviation requirements in Luzon,” he said.
The transport chief said that the PPP will also be a huge lift for ongoing railway projects such as the North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR), Metro Manila Subway Project (MMSP), MRT-7, LRT-1 Cavite Extension Project, and South Long Haul Project.
