AT LEAST TWO more port upgrade and rehabilitation contracts will go up for auction by year’s end, according to the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA).
In separate bid notices posted on the PPA’s website, the regulator is seeking interested parties for the rehabilitation and improvement of Virac port in Catanduanes for P120.07 million and for the improvement of San Carlos port in Negros Occidental for P351.93 million.
Interested parties can submit their bids for the two projects on or before Dec. 19, the PPA said.
The contractor will have 450 calendar days to finish the Virac port rehabilitation project, while the winning bidder for the San Carlos port will be given 630 days to complete the port improvements.
The San Carlos port project includes upgrades to the operations area and roll-on roll-off ramps, as well as the reconstruction of the wharf, according to the PPA.
San Carlos port in Negros Occidental is part of the PPA’s port masterplan.
The PPA awarded in August the contract for a port master plan which will help improve cargo movement and enhance agro-industrial development.
The master plan aims to determine and assess the feasibility of constructing ports at designated locations while also improving cargo movement and meeting the increasing demand for port services.
The PPA identified the ports in the master plan were Davila, Pasuquin, Ilocos Norte; Puerto Galera, Oriental Mindoro; Taytay, Palawan; Buenavista, Guimaras; San Carlos, Negros Occidental; Dumaguete, Negros Oriental; Lazi, Siquijor; Catbalogan, Samar; Zamboanga; and Cagdianao, Dinagat Islands.
The rehabilitation and improvement of Virac port includes clearing, demolition and reconstruction works on the roll-on roll-off ramps and the port operations area.
In the next four years, the PPA is setting aside about P16 billion to fund its infrastructure projects, including 14 flagship projects due to be completed during the period. — Ashley Erika O. Jose