Intra-Panay Expressway under PPP review

By Joseph Bernard A. Marzan

The anticipated Iloilo-Capiz-Aklan Expressway (ICAEX) is moving into the pipeline for future projects and is now being considered as a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) project, as confirmed by the head of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH)-Region 6.

DPWH-6 Regional Director Sanny Boy Oropel, on Tuesday, May 28, touted the 210-kilometer ICAEX during the Kapihan sa Bagong Pilipinas program of the Philippine Information Agency.

Oropel said the project is currently under review by their central office as a PPP project, citing an unsolicited proposal, though he did not specify the proponent.

Oropel’s presentation indicated that the agency’s PPP Service is currently incorporating the estimated costs for the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) into the estimated budget for the contract.

The EIS considerations include the Right-of-Way Action Plan (RAP), Soil Impact Assessment (SIA), and Gender and Development (GAD) requirements.

However, the DPWH’s PPP menu, viewed on the agency’s website by Daily Guardian on Thursday, May 30, indicated that the proposal is currently under a feasibility study under a solicited proposal, with unspecified proponents.

The project’s page also stated that Transaction Advisory Services would be procured through Project Monitoring and Development Facility (PDMF) Support.

National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA)-Region 6 Director Arecio Casing Jr. mentioned last year that the project was being considered as a PPP project, with the feasibility study expected to be completed this year.

Oropel noted that for projects currently in the pipeline, funding requirements and sources cannot yet be provided, reiterating that the ICAEX is still under review.

The ICAEX is set to be a full-access controlled toll expressway with four lanes composed of elevated roadways, viaducts, a tunnel, and a long-span bridge, traversing two cities and 20 municipalities in Iloilo, Capiz, and Aklan.

The expressway is planned to begin at Brgy. MV Hechanova in Leganes, Iloilo, strategically close to the Panay-Guimaras-Negros Bridge, whose Iloilo entry-exit point is also located in the town.

The DPWH’s PPP menu listed the following objectives for the ICAEX:

– Reduction of travel time between the provinces of Aklan, Capiz, and Iloilo;

– Elimination of congestion on existing highways by avoiding chokepoints in población areas;

– Enhancement of the logistics network to ease the delivery of goods from source to destination;

– Improvement of emergency response delivery in times of flooding due to inclement weather; and

– Provision of tourism development opportunities for various attractions on Panay Island.