Climate-related projects now included under PPP

MANILA, Philippines — The Public Partnership Center (PPP Center) will assist government agencies in crafting projects that address the need for urban resilience and climate change adaptation and mitigation starting in 2019.

It is also lining up its resources for capacitating government entities in pursuing projects in healthcare and tourism.

“In 2019 the PPP Center will add more green projects that have climate resiliency components to address the serious threat of climate change in the Philippines, particularly for vulnerable areas, in partnership with the private sector,” the agency said in a statement over the weekend.

The center’s Project Development and Monitoring Facility (PDMF) is set to support implementing agencies in developing projects that promote the resilience of urban communities and address climate change mitigation and adaptation requirements.

In the healthcare sector, the PPP program would focus on projects that would help in the delivery of universal healthcare for Filipinos.

The center has started assisting the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman with its Philippine General Hospital (PGH) operation and maintenance project and the UP Cancer Center in Manila.

New initiatives would also be set in motion in the tourism sector as the center has signed a memorandum of agreement with the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA) in November.

With all these developments lined up for 2019, the center reiterated the strong value of PPPs in addressing the needs of the public for better public services and facilities.

“We see PPPs as a valuable means to contribute to the realization of the development goals of the country. PPPs have the means of delivering what is needed and together with the support of the private sector, development partners and other stakeholders, the government becomes more efficient and more responsive to the needs of the people,” the agency said.

The center said it will ensure that the Philippine PPP environment will continue to be more attractive to international and local investors, and the national and local governments are adept and ready in implementing more PPP projects with the private sector and other project stakeholders.