August 5-6, 2014, the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Regional Office 02 conducted an In-House Orientation Workshop on Public Private Partnership at the Pamegafanan Hall, NEDA Regional Office 02 (NRO2), Carig Sur, Tuguegarao City. This was participated in by 15 officials and staff from the various Local Government Units (LGUs) and 11 technical staff of NEDA.

The activity was facilitated by Director Eleazar Ricote of the Capacity Building and Knowledge Management Service of the Public-Private Partnership Center, assisted by Mr. Christian Placido Calma, Training Specialist, also of the PPP Center.

The orientation-workshop provided the participants with an overview of the PPP concepts and framework in the Philippines. This PPP In-house Orientation-Workshop was originally conceived to give the new NEDA staff a background on the objectives, significance and importance of the concept of public-private partnerships, Director MaryAnne E.R. Darauay emphasized in her welcome message during the opening program. Opportunely, we have considered including selected Local Government Units in order to provide them with a basic understanding of the PPP option for development projects with the hope of being able to enhance their technical capacities on project preparation and development processes for public-private partnership especially on their pending proposals,  she added.

Accordingly, the 2012 PPP Primer highlights that PPP was envisioned to answer the growing demand of the Filipino people to adequate, safe, efficient, reliable, and reasonably-priced infrastructure and development facilities. This state-of-the-art and innovative arrangement of public goods provision builds a consummate partnership between the private sector and the government that steadfastly considers consistent and sound returns, and a fitting sharing of risks.

Moreover, this agreement is an excellent avenue for the government to come up with highly dependable programs to proficiently extend its services, generate more jobs, and craft infrastructure programs for the utilization of the people. Government therefore, sees this as a reliable and solid strategy to efficiently deliver its services, create more job opportunities through a dynamic and solid infrastructure program.

The In-house Orientation Workshop on PPP was participated in by the local governments of Baggao and Peñablanca in Cagayan; Aurora, Cabagan and San Mariano in Isabela; and Ambaguio in Nueva Vizcaya.

Consequently, the workshop and the interface that happened between the PPP and the LGUs served as the venue for the identification of the necessary next steps to advance the stage of project preparation, and accelerate the approval of the PPP proposals of the various LGUs.