Malugod na tinanggap at pinasalamatan ni Albay Rep. Joey Salceda ang hakbang ni Pangulong Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. na sinertipakan bilang urgent ang panukalang Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Act, na nagsasabing napakahalaga nito sa pag-unlock ng “trilyon-trilyong” pondo o kapital mula sa pribadong sektor para pangunahan ang mga pangunahing proyekto sa imprastraktura ng pamahalaan.
Sa isang pahayag, sinabi ni Ways and Means Committee chair Joey Salceda na ngayong certification of urgency, inaasahan niyang maipapasa ng Senado ang panukala ilang araw pagkatapos ng ikalawang State of the Nation Address ng Pangulo SONA).
“The banking sector has PHP23.4 trillion in financial resources to lend, and some PHP1.4 trillion in capital expenditures earmarked for this year among the largest companies in the Philippines. So, we have plenty of resources in the private sector. We could use them, now,” pahayag ni Salceda.
Dagdag pa ng economist solon, ” So, the certification of urgency is really crucial. And, as we’re studying the emerging version from the Senate, we think this will be a quick bicameral conference committee, if that’s even needed.”
Ayon kay Salceda ang iminungkahing panukala ay layong i-modernize ang PPP framework sa bansa na ang kasalukuyang mga PPP ay pangunahing gumagana sa ilalim ng 33-taong-gulang na Build-Operate-Transfer Law na hindi na tumutugon sa mga kumplikadong landscape ng PPP.
“A lot of the more successful PPPs – including those in Clark and BGC – come from the more flexible provisions and framework under other laws, such as the BCDA Law. LGUs are also undertaking some experimentation, in the absence of a clear law allowing or preventing them from certain modes of PPP. We’re learning from these. But without a more comprehensive framework, it’s also Wild West out there, and that risks the fiscal health of local and national governments,” pahayag ni Salceda.
Ayon pa sa mambabatas, ang mga isyu sa pagbabayad at pagtukoy sa mga pananagutan ng mga pampubliko at pribadong partido ay dapat matugunan, gayundin ang iba pang mga kontrobersyal na katanungan ng patakaran ng PPP, tulad ng materyal na masamang aksyon ng gobyerno, mga limitasyon sa pag-apruba at mga lokal na PPP.
“So, this law will lift investor uncertainties over these key issues. And it will help us manage contingent liabilities as well as delays in project implementation. Let’s settle the law, and it will hit the ground running,” wika ni Salceda.
Ang House Bill No. 6527, or the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Act inaprubahan na sa third and final reading ng House of Representatives .
