Mc Richard Paglicawan
Malaysian infrastructure and construction giant AlloyMTD opens today, the first-ever public-private partnership (PPP) project in the local government level in the construction of a P2.5-billion one-stop shop facility for government agencies in Laguna was awarded to the firm late last year.
With the awarding of the contract given by the Calamba City government, AlloyMTD have completed the construction of facilities for at least 54 government agencies in Barangay Mapagong, Calamba City.
Located in a three-hectare lot, the concept of building a one-stop shop was adopted from Putrajaya in Malaysia. Putrajaya is a planned city, located 25 kilometers south of Kuala Lumpur, that serves as the federal administrative center of Malaysia.
The seat of government was shifted in 1999 from Kuala Lumpur to Putrajaya, due to the overcrowding and congestion in the Kuala Lumpur areas.
“We believe in the potential of our motherland to reach its full growth that’s why we’re here to take part in the transformation of this area into another Metro Manila,” Isaac David, AlloyMTD-Philippines president, explained to earlier in media interviews at the head office of the firm in Global City, Taguig.
The finished facility is envisioned to be the regional office of all government departments in Region IV-A.
Expected to hold office in the area are Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), Land Transportation Office (LTO), Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) since passport, license, tax and NBI clearance are among those being sought to anyone dealing with the government.
AlloyMTD’s bagging of the project has passed rigorous, tough process.
After the Calamba City government accepted its proposal, five other local contractors tried to surpass the firm’s offer via Swiss challenge.
None of the five was able to offer better, thus prompting Calamba to finally give go-signal to the Malaysian firm to proceed with the construction of the project.
“Remember, we have 17 regions from Cagayan to Tawi-Tawi. We intend to take part in building other regional offices around the Philippines,” David, one of the 75 outstanding Filipino civil engineers conferred by the Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers on Nov. 9, 2012, explained.
The purpose of building a one-stop shop is simple: allow fast and efficient processing of any document/paper/permit/clearance from any government agency with all the government departments found in one location.
The regional centers will improve the discharge of public service by the different national government agencies at the regional level.
Under the memorandum of agreement signed between AlloyMTD and the Calamba City government, AlloyMTD will build, finance, design, maintain, operate and manage the facility for 30 years.
The company will get return of investments from the rent fees of government agencies that will hold office.
The Calabarzon regional government center will be turned over to the regional offices and Calamba City after the 30-year AlloyMTD operation and management.
With its sprawling lot area, the place can hold 4,000 to 5,000 employees.
David added that utilizing the lot for the purpose is in adherence to an executive order that mandates Calamba City to be the seat of regional government in Region IV-A (Calabarzon).
The construction timetable, according to David, is the ideal since AlloyMTD has done similar projects in different countries in Asia and Middle East.
AlloyMTD is present in 14 countries, notably in Saudi Arabia, Dubai, India, Singapore and Sri Lanka, where it has built projects that cost no less than $1 billion (around P40 billion) each.
The firm also specializes in expressways, having built some of the most sophisticated in East Asia, the CTP Toll Expressway in Indonesia, the Yangshuo-Luzhai Expressway in China and the Colombo-Kandy Alternative Highway in Sri Lanka.
