Binay wants PPP code amended for swift approval of healthcare projects

MANILA, Philippines — If she lands a Senate seat in the 2025 midterm elections, Makati Mayor Abby Binay has vowed to push for the amendment of the law institutionalizing public-private partnerships (PPP) in the country so that healthcare projects will be approved quickly.

Binay in a statement on Tuesday said that there is a provision in Republic Act No. 11966 or the PPP Code of the Philippines that requires proposals to go through the PPP Center first, which, according to her “delays the approval process and causes bottlenecks.”

Such delays are crucial, the local chief executive said, especially for local government units (LGUs) in rural areas that are trying to quickly establish health centers.

“The Philippine PPP Code needs to be amended to address certain issues that hinder the establishment of meaningful partnerships between local governments and the private sector that can radically transform healthcare service delivery,” she said.

READ: President signs PPP Code, Internet Transactions Act into law

“If you’ll think about it, our PPPs at the local level are okay. What discourages the LGUs and their private partners is the fact that LGU execs are already ending their terms of office and still, no approval coming from the PPP Center,” she added.

According to Binay, PPP Center should not be a stumbling block for projects.

If her proposed amendment is followed, LGUs would only have to provide the PPP Center a copy of the PPP agreement, and need not wait for the center to issue a clearance.

Any counterchecks can be done by existing institutions, like the Commission on Audit. Limiting delays, Binay said, would encourage LGUs to pursue PPP initiatives.

“The PPP Center should serve more as a repository of PPP information than a gatekeeper, so that LGUs won’t have to contend with unnecessary bureaucratic delays,” she said.

“There are other mechanisms like the Commission on Audit that will check if a PPP project is above board,” she added.

The PPP was considered as a key method of creating and implementing projects during the time of former President Benigno Aquino III and Binay’s father, former Vice President Jejomar Binay. The system works by having private companies do public projects at a minimal cost on the government side, with firms generating profit by operating the facility once it is finished.

However, several of the PPP projects under Aquino stalled after the change in administration in 2016, when former President Rodrigo Duterte too office.

READ: Where have all the projects gone?

Duterte’s successor, incumbent President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., then signed the PPP Code into law, after he certified the bill as urgent. Under the law, the comparative challenge period for unsolicited bids—or allowing other companies to challenge and submit a better proposal—was extended from 90 days to one year from the previous 60 days.

Civil society groups believe that the rigorous process that proposals go through will prompt companies to submit competitive proposals, and will bode well for the country’s infrastructure drive. However, there were also concerns that the lengthy period of waiting, along with having proposals to go through the PPP Center, will delay important projects.

Binay said the amendments will be key since she believes PPPs are important to fast-tracking healthcare projects, as the system was used in Makati City, giving residents access to different services through the Makati Life Medical Center.

According to Binay, the center has been offering round-the-clock outpatient services “with modern diagnostic and laboratory equipment to Yellow Card patients.”

A 24-hour emergency care, imaging services, elective and emergency surgical capabilities, and intensive care has been made available to residents.

“Thousands of Makati residents now have free access to top-tier healthcare services at the Makati Life Medical Center as a result of an innovative public-private partnership,” Binay said.

“In Makati, our approach to Public-Private Partnerships is focused on identifying collaborations that drive innovation, improve service efficiency, and directly enhance the lives of our residents,” she added.