PPPs CRUCIAL IN ATTAINING GOV’T INFRA SPENDING TARGET BY 2016 – NEDA
MANILA—The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) stressed the crucial role of public-private partnerships (PPPs) in the success of the Philippine government’s infrastructure program.
This statement was made during the Kick-Off Meeting on the Capacity Development Technical Assistance (CDTA) for “Strengthening Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) in the Philippines” at the National Statistical Coordination Board, Makati City in May 22, 2014.
The CDTA is part of the current Joint Asian Development Bank (ADB)-Australia-Canada Review Mission in the country. The group discussed ways to strengthen PPPs in terms of capacity building, Project Development and Monitoring Facility, coordination with development partners and support for PPP reforms of the government.
“This review exercise and subsequent third-party evaluation of the CDTA is crucial in our attempt to deepen our understanding of the PPP Program. We need to have a critical assessment of the Program’s implementation and outcomes just to be sure that we create accountabilities, meet expectations and increase its impact,” Balisacan said.
Under the Philippine Development Plan 2011-2016 Midterm Update, the country is pursuing comprehensive and long-term strategies to bolster the country’s investment climate and competitiveness which include increasing infrastructure spending targeted at 5.0 percent of the GDP by 2016.
“The success of PPPs will ease the burden of the government providing infrastructure that will subsequently lower the costs of logistics, transportation, and doing business, in general,” Balisacan said.
Officials in the meeting were NEDA Deputy Director-General Rolando Tungpalan, PPP Center Executive Director Cossette Canilao, Asian Development Bank (ADB) Country Director Richard Bolt, ADB PPP Specialist Aziz Haydarov, SEPF/ADB Director Shigeko Hattori, Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade representative Daniel Featherstone, and Canada’s Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development representative Luke Myers.
