A substantial portion of the the Private Sector Advisory Council’s (PSAC) recommendations to the government for infrastructure development have either been completed or in the process of actual implementation, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. said Thursday following a meeting with the advisory group in Malacanang Palace.
“And I’m happy to note that the recommendations that were given us by the Private Sector Advisory Council were essentially many of the things that we we’re already doing,” President Marcos said after meeting with the PSAC.
“And in fact, the list of recommendations that they gave, I would say half of them, are either in progress or have been completed. So we are once again moving in the right direction together with our private sector partners,” the chief executive pointed out.
The development was a very good thing, Marcos said, noting it validates the administration’s continued support to its private sector partners and that rightsizing the bureaucracy would mean more efficiency and quicker transaction processing.
Thursday’s meeting focused on matters regarding key areas of infrastructure partnerships in the country, which include water, transport and mobility, logistics, energy and Public-Private Partnership (PPP).
Among PSAC’s recommendations for the water sector are certifying the bill creating the DWR as urgent, adopting non-traditional and more sustainable technologies to protect watersheds, increasing funding for water projects and implementing a water tariff based on affordability.
For the transport and mobility sector, the PSAC recommended the rehabilitation of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) through public private partnership (PPP) this year, fast tracking the award process for projects under the Original Proponent Status by 2023, and the development of Aerodome strategy for the country’s aviation sector involving the private sector.
Regarding Philippine ports, the advisory council wants the government to develop existing and key Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) assets into regional hubs capable of handling international vessels, update the privatization framework to encourage investments, and develop port support infrastructure.
For the energy sector, PSAC recommended the rationalization of the secondary price caps (SPCs), strengthen local government units (LGUs) to facilitate energy project implementation, and connect small power utility groups (SPUGs) to the grid.
Present during the meeting are various Cabinet members including Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Manuel Bonoan, National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Secretary Arsenio Balisacan, Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Raphael Lotilla, Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Jaime Bautista and officials from the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA), Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) and Philippine Ports Authority (PPA).
Also in attendance were PSAC convenor Sabin Aboitiz, Ramon Ang and Manuel Pangilinan, among others. (PND)
