MANILA, Philippines – Nagpasa ng unsolicited bids ang mga kompanyang pinamumunuan ni Manuel Pangilinan at Ramon Ang para sa operasyon ng Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT3), habang ang Department of Transportation (DOTr) ay kumikilos na rin sa pagbubukas ng privatization sa railway system sa pamamagitan ng solicited mode.
Sa change interview, sinabi ni Transportation Undersecretary for Planning Timothy John Batan na ang ahensya ay nakatanggap ng unsolicited proposal mula sa Metro Pacific Investments Corp. (MPIC).
Sa kabila nito, sinabi ni Batan na, “We just note that there was a previous submission from the previous admin.”
Sinabi rin ng opisyal na nagpasa ng unsolicited proposal ang San Miguel Corp. (SMC) para sa operasyon at maintenance contract ng MRT 3.
Inilantad din ni Batan na nabigyan na ng original proponent status (OPS) ang SMC para sa bid.
Sa ilalim ng Swiss Challenge scheme, isang procurement system sa unsolicited proposals, ang original proponent ang may karapatang humamon ng competitive proposals.
Sa competing proposals para sa MRT 3 O&M, sinabi ni Batan na kumukonsulta rin ang DOTR sa Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Center “on how to properly address this.”
“There are rules on how to handle multiple unsolicited proposal submissions. We are just confirming with the PPP center,” anang opisyal.
Ang unsolicited proposals, sa kabilang banda, ay hindi pa nai-endorso sa Investment Coordination Committee, na siyang magrerekomenda sa National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Board — na pinamumunuan ng Pangulo, para sa approval.
“Earlier our direction has been to pursue a solicited proposal. So, we are actually working with ADB (Asian Development Bank) on a solicited MRT,” ani Batan.
“You have to remember si NAIA before sunod-sunod ang unsolicited proposals. There are rules on how to address it. We’ll address it according to rules,” pagpapatuloy niya.
Inihayag din ng transportation official ang plano ng DOTR para sa “bundle” O&M contracts sa MRT3 at Light Rail Transit Line 2 (LRT2).
“What we can say is that we have been working on a solicited [mode]… We will bundle MRT3 and LRT2. We are in the process of engaging ADB for that,” ayon kay Batan.
“We are targeting to formally engage ADB. We are actually engaging ADB and IFC — International Finance Corp of the World Bank. ADB for MRT3 and IFC for LRT2. So they will be working together on the intended bundled solicited [bidding]. If you look at the process we went through with NAIA, you can get an idea on how much it will take,” dagdag pa niya.
“We will, of course, try to work as fast as we can. Remember, the directive of the President to us is ‘full speed ahead’.”
Sinabi ni Batan na target ng DOTR maisapinal ang solicited version ng MRT3 at LRT2 bundled O&M contract.
“Remember what we did for NAIA. We processed the unsolicited [proposals] as if there was no solicited and we processed the solicited [proposals] as if there was no unsolicited. Then we elevate them both to the ICC and to NEDA Board, then that decision on how to move forward will be made,” pagbabahagi ni Batan.
Kung matatandaan, inaprubahan ng NEDA Board ang proposal ng DOTR na isapribado ang operasyon ng NAIA sa pamamagitan ng solicited bidding, na nagdulot sa Manila International Airport Consortium (MIAC) na “de facto closed.”
Kaugnay sa decision ng bundle contracts sa MRT3 at LRT2, sinabi ni Batan na ang option na ito ay naisip dahil, “the two lines are not competing.”
Noon pang Pebrero, inanunsyo na ng DOTR ang plano na isapribado ang MRT3 dahil ang build-lease-transfer (BLT) contract sa private sector owner ng EDSA railway system ay matatapos na sa 2025. RNT/JGC
