Great expectations often lead to major disappointments—and this has been the case so far with the Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT 1) expansion plan.
Nevertheless, according to Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) Secretary Joseph Abaya, the rebid of the P60-billion LRT 1 expansion project could be held before the end of the year.
“The 11.7-kilometer project, to be undertaken under a public-private partnership (PPP) scheme, hit a snag on August 15 after three bidders withdrew and one submitted a non-compliant offer,” reports Miguel R. Camus in the Philippine Daily Inquirer.
The report also revealed that “the bidders were worried about a burdensome real property tax, which was estimated at PHP2 billion.” Plus, the LRT 1, which has been operating since the 1980s, is not exactly in prime condition anymore.
According to Abaya, the bid terms had been tweaked and that the DOTC “hopes to get an approval within the month from the board of the National Economic and Development Authority, which is chaired by President Noynoy Aquino.”
Photo by Mithril Cloud via WikiCommons
