The CEO Magazine Asia — December 2017

w/client

“Metro Pacific Tollways

South, MPIC’s growth arm,

are a dream client. They are

invested in the success of the

contractor, understanding that

a well-built infrastructure will

provide the greatest return on

investment. One cannot be

motivated enough to deliver

the best job for them.” – Aida-

Cruz Chinloy, Chief Executive

Officer, F.F. Cruz & Co., Inc.

countries,” remarks Luigi. “We’re also looking

into Malaysia.”

As might be expected, building tollways

in one of the more heavily populated islands

in the world, Luigi faces major hurdles when

it comes to acquiring the land needed to

build the roads. “The population is already

dense, meaning you have to acquire land

from private owners. As a private corporation,

you cannot do that. It’s really the government

which does that, so the responsibility for

acquiring the right of way rests with the

government,” he says.

“It’s a very long and tedious process.

Constructing the road itself is comparatively

easy because you normally get to procure

very dependable contractors. It’s really the

acquisition of right of way that is one of

the major challenges.”

Thankfully for Luigi, the government’s

tender process has improved over the years.

There are two methods of getting approval

for a project. The first is a straightforward

bidding process, where interested stakeholders

bid for the rights for a project that is already

approved by the Department of Public Works

and Highways. The other method is where

a stakeholder conducts its own feasibility

study before submitting an unsolicited

proposal to the Philippine Government.

Once the proposal is put up for scrutiny and

meets certain criteria, the stakeholder then

receives approval to undertake the project.

Regardless of which route Metro Pacific

Tollways South chooses, according to Luigi,

it is no longer a guessing game around what

the government will do. “The rules are pretty

much laid out, and if you are a meaningful

proponent [for the project] you will be able

to participate freely and hopefully get the

project, if you do your homework,” he says.

Across Southern Luzon, Metro Pacific

Tollways South continues working on

projects previously shelved and left

undeveloped by previous owners and

turning them into viable projects. »

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