(Davao City, 20 March 2018). The first Public-Private Partnership Knowledge Corner (PPP-KC) in the Philippines was launched in Davao Region through the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Regional Office XI, on March 20, 2018. The PPP-KC was launched pursuant to the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) forged between the PPP Center of the Philippines and the NEDA Central Office on January 29, 2018 in its bid to further boost the potential of PPP to address the infrastructure needs at the local level.
About a hundred participants from the provincial, city and municipal local government units (LGUs), agency regional offices (AROs), state universities and colleges (SUCs), government-owned and controlled corporations (GOCCs), private sector and media representatives in Davao Region attended the activity. The team from the PPP Center of the Philippines was headed by Deputy Executive Director Eleazar Ricote and Director Francisca Feroisa Concordia of the Capacity Building and Knowledge Management Service.
NEDA Regional Office XI Director Maria Lourdes D. Lim with Deputy Executive Director Ricote, led the ceremonial cutting of the ribbon of the PPP-KC which is located at the second floor of the NEDA-RDC XI Building in Davao City. It was followed by an orientation on the Philippine PPP Program and the LGU PPP Strategy delivered by Director Concordia; and a presentation of the Davao Regional Development Plan (RDP), 2017-2022 by Director Lim to provide the participants with context on the Region’s development objectives and priorities as basis for identification of programs and projects.
The Regional Development Council (RDC) XI Chairperson, Governor Anthony G. del Rosario conveyed in his message, that “he welcomes this move of NEDA and the PPP Center of the Philippines to establish PPP KCs in all NEDA Regional Offices nationwide as this is one way of enabling LGUs and other government entities to fully tap PPP as a viable option for the implementation of major capital projects at the regional and local levels.”
Finally, Director Lim, who heads the NEDA Regional Office XI, also said in her message that “her Office is pleased to host the PPP-KC in the Region as it answers the long-standing clamor of stakeholders for information on PPP program.” She added that the establishment of PPP-KCs in the Regions is also in response to President Duterte’s instruction to bring government services closer, more accessible and faster to its constituents. She committed that the NEDA XI shall endeavor to provide stakeholders the information they may need and facilitate the smooth referral of their concerns to the PPP towards successful tender of PPP projects. (Jerene M. Gil, NEDA XI)