The Philippines has moved to allow private sector participation in priority infrastructure projects in Mindanao, particularly the 100-kilometer Mindanao Railway and the 428-kilometer Mindanao transport connectivity project, to accelerate development in one of the country’s most underserved regions.
This was announced by Secretary Leo Tereso Magno of the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) during a press conference on Friday following the conclusion of the Special BIMP-EAGA Summit in Cebu on Thursday, May 7 attended by the four leaders of the sub-region.
“Mindanao has opened up this other door, this other mode that can bring about change in Mindanao, and that is the public private partnership (PPP). And I’d like to take this opportunity for those of you who are interested to assist us,” said Secretary Magno. Mindanao is a focused area under the BIMP-EAGA.
Magno said MinDA has signed an agreement with the Department of Transportation to scale up efforts for the implementation of the projects.
MinDA has also coordinated with Department of Public Works and Highways Secretary Vince Dizon on the Mindanao Railway project. Based on the initial feasibility study, the Mindanao Railway will have four segments.
“We are looking to engage with more interested parties as PPP participants in this project,” he said. The project was supposed to be funded by the government, but the DOTr, DPWH, and MinDA have agreed to open it to another modality — the(PPP) scheme.
In preparation, Secretary Magno said they opened the first-ever PPP Facilitation and One-Stop Shop in Mindanao last year.
“We are the southernmost part of the Philippines. We have been fighting the negative, the negative image that we have in Mindanao, but now, in the last four years, our area, municipalities, cities, provinces, regions in Mindanao, all of the region, all of the places in Mindanao have been declared, practically, insurgency free,” he said.
He also expressed hope that at least 50 percent of some of President Marcos Jr.’s projects would be completed before the end of his term in 2028.
