Ambassador Elizabeth P. Buensuceso ( 5th from left) , Philippine Representative to the ASEAN Connectivity Coordinating Committee (ACCC), links hands the ASEAN Way with other ACCC members at the PPP Networking Forum.
The Philippines hosted the first ASEAN Public- Private Partnership (PPP) Networking Forum in Manila last December 16-17, 2014.
The Forum brought together members of the ASEAN Connectivity Coordinating Committee (ACCC), ASEAN national coordinators, PPP focal points and officials responsible for infrastructure projects from the ten ASEAN Member States (AMS).
The keynote address was delivered by Hon. Arsenio M. Balisacan, Secretary for Socio-Economic Planning and Director General, National Economic and Development. The forum discussed PPP initiatives and Best Practices and Principles in the ASEAN region. Speakers included Ms. Cosette V. Canilao, Undersecretary and Executive Director, Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Center (Philippines), Dr. Ir. Bastary Pandji lndra, Director, Direktorat Pengembangan Kerjasama Pemerintah dan Swasta (PKPS) (Indonesia), Dato’ Dr. Tan Yew Chong, Deputy-Director General (Development II), Public-Private Partnership Unit of the Prime Minister’s Department (Malaysia), Mr. Chombhala Chareonying, Deputy Permanent Representative, Permanent Mission of Thailand to ASEAN, and Mr. Tran Viet Dung, Acting Head of PPP Office Ministry of Planning and Investment (Viet Nam)
The Session on ASEAN PPP Guidelines/Principles was led by Dr. Fauziah Zen, Economist, ERIA (Putting PPP Right in ASEAN), Mr. James Balingall, Head of International, Infrastructure UK (An Holistic Approach to PPP Planning, Contract, Policy and Law), Mr. Ian H. Hawkesworth, OECD Directorate for Public Governance and Territorial Development (Reflections on the Development of OECD PPP Guidelines), and Mr. John Grant Hauber, Principal PPP Specialist, Southeast Asia Regional Department, Asian Development Bank (Putting the ASEAN PPP Principles into Action).
The Forum also centered on the issue of developing PPP Projects where ASEAN Member States were provided a comprehensive understanding of project pipeline development and practical approaches to improve the attractiveness of ASEAN projects to attract funding from investors. Speakers for this session included H.E. Amb. Koichi Aiboshi, Ambassador of Japan to ASEAN, and Mr. Shuichi Tokuda, Director, Development Assistance Policy Coordination Division, International Cooperation Bureau who presented on Japan’s support for ASEAN Connectivity and PPP policies. Ms. Towfiqua Hoque, Senior Infrastructure Finance Specialist, Singapore Infrastructure Hub, The World Bank talked about building a PPP Pipeline for ASEAN Connectivity, and Mr. Christopher Ian Murray, Head of Execution, Infrastructure Asia for Macquarie Capital, shared his practical experiences on attracting foreign capital to Southeast Asian PPPs.
The forum also featured a special event at Session 4B where a Meet and Match activity was held where ASEAN Member States were given the opportunity to present there respective PPP project pipelines to financing institutions. Local and regional financial institutions were present to engage with government representatives of the ASEAN Member States.
Recommendations of the Forum, including the possibility of establishing Network of PPP units among member states, will be discussed in future meetings of the ACCC.
The Forum was organized by the Permanent Mission of the Philippines to ASEAN headed by Ambassador Elizabeth P. Buensuceso in collaboration with the ASEAN Connectivity Coordinating Committee (ACCC), the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Center of the Philippines and the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs with support from the ASEAN Regional Integration Support from the EU Programme (EU-ARISE) and Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA). END
