THERE was no objection on the proposed P4 (public-private partnership in the province) project, a top Capitol official said Wednesday, July 18.
Vice Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson, who attended the public consultation at the Provincial Capitol Building in Bacolod City on Wednesday, said no opposition was raised as far as the proposed development is concerned.
“There was even one suggestion to allow the proponent to also construct our Provincial Administration Center (PAC), so we just noted it,” he added.
In its unsolicited proposal, the Dynamic Builders and Construction Company intended to lease 6,485-square meter portion of the province’s property on Gatuslao Street in Bacolod City where the PAC is located.
Initially, the Bacolod-based construction firm has offered 50 years of lease period at a rate of P78 per square meter per month, which will escalate by 10 percent every five years.
Dubbed as Capitol Commercial Center, the development worth about P1.4 billion is a nine-storey building that will mainly host hotel, mall, and business process outsourcing spaces.
The Provincial Board, during its regular session last week, has approved the endorsement of Governor Alfredo Marañon Jr. requesting for approval of the Joint Certificate of Successful Negotiations and Terms of Reference based on terms and conditions agreed in the negotiations between the P4 Selection Committee and the original proponent.
This gave way for the Provincial Government, through the P4 Selection Committee, to subject the proposal to a public consultation.
After the consultation, Lacson said the committee has yet to make an announcement to accept proposals of would-be challengers.
There should be a publication first so that they could have challengers, Lacson said, adding that “hopefully we will have an immediate challenger.”
The Provincial Board approved, also last week, the resolution authorizing the governor, through the P4 Selection Committee, to sell the tender documents worth P200,000 to challengers.
It will be the basis of the "swiss challenge," Second District Board Member Salvador Escalante Jr., chairman of the of the committee on appropriations, budget and finance, earlier said.
If in case there will be no challenger, the province can already proceed to the awarding of the contract to the original proponent, he added.
For Lacson, the reasonable date to start the construction is next year already but the Provincial Government would like to have it as early as possible.
“The way I look at it, the earliest might be last quarter of this year or first quarter of next year,” he said, adding that the construction period is two years.