The Megawide Group on Friday signed a P3.27-billion contract to build and operate a public transport terminal in Metro Manila, its fifth project under the public-private partnership program.
MWM Terminals, the consortium of Megawide Construction Corp. and WM Property Management Inc., won the bid to build and operate the Integrated Transport System Project southwest terminal, after offering the lowest annual grantor payment of P100 million.
The project has a 35-year cooperation period.
The terminal, set to be built along the Manila-Cavite Expressway in Parañaque City, is designed to provide seamless transfers between different modes of transportation.
The new terminal will offer a more comfortable and efficient facility for commuters and operators and will help lessen travel time between Cavite and Metro Manila.
The terminal will accommodate provincial and metro buses as well as other public utility vehicles. The mixed-use development will also feature a mall and office spaces for the convenience of passengers.
Construction is expected to be completed by 2017.
“We are proud to once again partner with DOTC on such a landmark project. With the Southwest Terminal, we are able to facilitate the faster and more efficient flow of traffic carrying people and goods to and from Metro Manila. It will benefit thousands of commuters daily. Our infrastructure is finally catching up to our growing economy,” Louie Ferrer, representative of MWM Terminals said.
“We visited a number of intermodal transport systems in foreign countries, most recently in Melbourne, Australia. We were inspired by the advancements they have made in terms of facility and operation. We are hopeful that we can apply the same forward-thinking processes in our country,” he said.
Transportation Department spokesman Michael Arthur Sagcal said MWM should start construction eight months from the signing date or by December 2015.
Sagcal said the project should be completed in 18 months once the construction started by June 2017.
The ITS-Southwest project was Megawide’s fifth PPP project. It has recently turned over completed classrooms for the PPP for School Infrastructure Project phase 1 with partner Citicore Investment Holdings, Inc. It is also the operator of the Mactan Cebu International Airport with India-based GMR Infrastructure Ltd.
Megawide also won the contracts for PSIP phase 2 and the modernization of the Philippine Orthopedic Center.