November 21st, 2022
House Ways and Means Chair Joey Sarte Salceda (Albay, 2nd district) thanked President Marcos for highlighting the need for public-private partnerships in the country’s economic recovery during the 29th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders Meeting in Thailand. Salceda is the principal author and sponsor of the new PPP Law, a SONA priority that the House Committee in Public Works has approved yesterday.
In his remarks, Marcos said that strengthening the partnerships between the government and the private sector is the “centerpiece” of the Philippines’ economic transformation bid.
“I thank President Marcos for boosting PPPs as a national priority. The innovation, flexibility, expertise, experience, and access to capital of the private sector should combine with the exclusive resources and powers of the State to produce better public goods for the people.”
“President Marcos is also correct to say that PPPs should extend towards healthcare, food security, and other social needs other than infrastructure.”
“More innovations are actually present in these areas. Tech has been expanding the capacity of the healthcare sector, agriculture, education and other socially imbued industries”
Salceda says he hopes that with the enactment of the new PPP Law, it will become enshrined in national policy to deliver social services through a “healthy mix of PPPs and government-funded programs.”
Enact PPP Law by 2023
Salceda adds that he believes “the House will be able to approve the measure before it adjourns on December 17”
“This is a priority of the House leadership. There was consensus in the House committee, and we are working with the DOF, the PPP Center, and other agencies to iron out the details.”
Salceda says he has also recommended “standby implementing rules and regulations based on the emerging bill so that it won’t take us very long from enactment to issue the implementing rules and regulations.”
“ There are at leads 26 provisions in the draft workshopped by the executive agencies which requires further elaboration by the IRR. Having draft IRRs already discussed among agencies based on the emerging bill will save a lot of time.”
“We need the IRRs issued very quickly after the law is enacted because a delay in IRR issuance will hamper crucial investments.”
Salceda adds that “settling disagreements among government stakeholders now on how to implement the law later on will also minimize confusion with implementation later on.”
“The private sector values a rules-based order when it comes to investments. It reduces risks, levels the playing field, and narrows the room for corruption. That’s why just as we need the law urgently, we also have to get the implementing rules right.”