First in the region: LLC inks pact with PPP Center

CEBU, Philippines — Lapu-Lapu City has become the first city in Region VII to establish a formal partnership with the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Center of the Philippines.

The partnership was formalized through a memorandum of agreement with the PPP Center, signed by City Mayor Ma. Cynthia “Cindi” King-Chan, aimed at strengthening the city’s capacity to pursue poten-tial public-private partnership projects.

The agreement will give the city access to technical assistance and capacity-building support as it iden-tifies, develops, and evaluates possible PPP projects.

King-Chan said the partnership comes as the city continues to plan for its development and assess op-portunities that could support its growing needs.

“This partnership is an important step as we continue to plan for the growth of Lapu-Lapu City,” King-Chan said.

Through the agreement, the city will work with the PPP Center to assess potential projects and ex-plore possible arrangements with private sector partners.

King-Chan said the PPP Center’s technical guidance would help the city improve its capacity to evaluate projects before moving forward with potential investments.

“With the guidance and expertise of the PPP Center, we can strengthen our capacity to assess projects, explore opportunities with the private sector, and make sound decisions that respond to the needs of our communities,” she said.

The partnership is also expected to provide the city with additional institutional support as it studies projects that may be undertaken through public-private cooperation.

Rather than immediately identifying specific projects under the agreement, the city will work with the PPP Center in identifying and evaluating potential opportunities based on the city’s needs and devel-opment plans.

The agreement also provides a framework for capacity-building, allowing city officials and personnel to gain technical knowledge relevant to the preparation and assessment of PPP projects.

The signing was attended by PPP Center Undersecretary and Executive Director Rizza Blanco-Latorre, Assistant Secretary and Deputy Executive Director Eleazar E. Ricote, Director III Atty. Cyris Ann Ng-Santiago, and Deputy Executive Director Jeffrey I. Manalo.

Representatives from the Lapu-Lapu City Government also attended the signing, including City Counci-lor Annabeth Cuizon, Secretary to the Mayor Atty. Misaellee Tejano, City Treasurer Claire Cabalda, and Lapu-Lapu Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Anthony Noel.

For Lapu-Lapu, the formal partnership marks a new avenue for the city to work with the private sector while building its own capacity to evaluate major development proposals. — (FREEMAN)