MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Education (DepEd)’s school building project was one of the top bets in an international tilt on government and private sector partnerships.
The DepEd’s Public-Private Partnership for School Infrastructure Project (PSIP) is the lone entry from Southeast Asia in this year’s Partnership Awards under the “Best Pathfinder Project†category.
Partnership Awards is an annual event organized by the United Kingdom-based Partnerships Bulletin and PPP Bulletin International to recognize and reward outstanding achievements in PPP (public-private partnership) worldwide.
The DepEd’s PSIP is the Philippine’s first PPP social infrastructure project. It aims to address shortages in public school classrooms through partnerships with the private sector.
The awarding ceremony will be held at Park Plaza Westminster Bridge in London on May 23.
“The shortlisting of DepEd’s PSIP to the Partnerships Awards 2013 is a recognition from the global PPP community that we are on the right path,†said PPP Center executive director Cosette Canilao.
The Best Pathfinder category recognizes public infrastructure projects that demonstrate the best “first of its kind†in a sector or region.
“We are being noticed for doing things that we are supposed to do for generations of learners. Being included in the shortlist is already like icing on the cake,†Education Secretary Armin Luistro said.
For this year, only entries and nominations for deals signed between Jan 1, 2011 and Dec. 31, 2012 were accepted.
Under the program, about 9,301 classrooms will be built in various provinces in Regions 1, 3 and 4-A.
Structured under a build-lease-transfer (BLT) scheme, the government will issue annual lease payments to the private proponents for a period of 10 years.
The construction of school buildings will be completed by January 2014.
Partnerships Bulletin and PPP Bulletin International are involved in magazine publication and websites that provide in-depth updates on partnership working in both the public and private sectors.