Task force to help solve infra process gaps – NEDA

October 26, 2017

An inter-agency task force was recently created to processes to address bottlenecks and gaps in infrastructure development, according to the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA).

In a keynote speech on Tuesday, Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia said the Project Facilitation, Monitoring and Innovation (PFMI) Task Force, composed of economic and major infrastructure agencies, functions as a body that will institute policies and processes to address issues in the project cycle of the Infrastructure Flagship Projects.

The PFMI Task Force's Steering Committee is composed of NEDA as chair, the Department of Finance as co-chair, Department of Budget and Management, Office of the Cabinet Secretary, Department of Public Works and Highways, Department of Transportation, and the Bases Conversion and Development Authority.

Pernia reported NEDA is discussing with oversight and key implementing agencies the enhancement of the NEDA Board and Investment Coordination Committee (ICC) Project Screening Guidelines.

“As part of a more efficient planning and programming process of the government, programs, activities, and projects for inclusion in the country's Public Investment Program must be examined early on and screened through a more rational and methodical process,” Pernia said.

He said that the final version of the guidelines would help the government identify the appropriate procurement modality that is favorable to both the government and the public.

The guidelines will help government address, minimize, if not totally avoid, issues in implementing projects that can be attributed to poor project planning and programming.

Pernia underscored the need to amend the Philippine's two-decade-old Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) Law and its implementing rules and regulations.

“(It is) among our priority regulations, so as to raise the efficacy of private sector participation and to keep policies attuned to the changing business environment,” he added.

Among the proposed amendments to the BOT Law are: (1) the inclusion of new variants for contractual agreements such as joint ventures; (2) adoption of new approaches on unsolicited proposals to ensure transparency and competition, without sacrificing speed; (3) exemption from payment of real property tax for Projects of National Significance; and (4) other measures to further improve the PPP procurement process. DMS