FOUR companies have expressed interest in leasing and developing a portion of the Misamis Oriental Capitol compound that is currently occupied by the provincial jail and engineer's office.
In exchange for the use of the one-hectare property, Misamis Oriental Governor Yevgeny Vincente Emano said the successful bidder will be asked to replicate the Misamis Oriental Provincial Jail (MOPJ) and the Provincial Engineer’s office in Initao and Alubijid towns, respectively.
Emano said the projects will be undertaken through the public-private partnership (PPP) scheme.
“If ever muabot ang PPP ordinance, ang among counter proposal sa ilang (the PPP ordinance gets approved, our counter proposal to their) unsolicited proposal is they can use our area, pero they will build us pud ug (but they will also build us a) provincial jail. If they want to use the Capitol, they have to make us a new Capitol also,” Emano said.
According to the “PPP Manual for LGUs (local government units),” PPP is a contractual agreement between the government and a private firm targeted towards financing, designing, implementing and operating infrastructure facilities and services that were traditionally provided by the public sector.
Emano declined to identify on Monday, March 20, the interested parties since the province has yet to approve its PPP ordinance.
“These are big companies that you know already. They are very interested in the Provincial Capitol,” Emano said.
He clarified that Capitol is not selling the property.
Earlier, he said the affected structures would be relocated by midyear. The new jail, which currently occupies only half a hectare, would be constructed on a four-hectare property in Initao.
Board Member Boboy Sabal said the PPP code is on second reading at the Provincial Board and is expected to be approved early next month.
Interested investors may submit their unsolicited proposals upon approval of the ordinance.
Sabal said the government created PPP to assist the local government units since the local government does not have enough funds to finance big projects.
“Ang provincial jail nahimo pa kini atong 1960, wala pay tawo kaayo ato nga time, dili pa commercial ang Cagayan de oro, so security wise pud kinahanglan na gyud (The provincial jail was established in 1960 and the city was not yet urbanized and commercialized, so security wise, it's time to transfer it),” Sabal added.