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Five groups have shown interest in the Php 171 billion (US$3.58 billion) North-South Railway Project (South Line) of the Philippine Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC).

The groups that purchased the prequalification documents of the project are:

• San Miguel Holdings Corporation;
• Metro Pacific Investment Corporation;
• AC Infrastructure Holdings Corporation;
• IL&FS Transport Networks Limited; and
• Fluor Daniel Pacific Inc.

The winning bidder will design, construct, install, commission, finance, operate, and maintain the existing 56 km commuter rail line from Tutuban, Manila to Calamba City, Laguna. It is also expected to do the same for the 478 km long haul rail operations from Tutuban to Legazpi City with the possible spur lines extension of 58 km from Calamba City to Batangas City and 117 km from Legazpi City to Matnog, Sorsogon.

The deadline to submit the qualification documents was delayed in late January, from 1 February 2016 to 31 March, 2016. Prior to this, the deadline was extended from 1 December 2015 to 1 February 2016 and previously it was extended from 15 October to 1 December.

In early December we reported that the Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica) granted a $US 2 billion loan to fund the Philippines government's portion of the project.

As of February 1, 2016, fourteen PPP projects are under procurement worth US12.36 billion. The government has already awarded twelve PPP projects and three of them are already completed namely the Muntinlupa-Cavite Expressway, Automatic Fare Collection System and PPP for School Infrastructure Project Phase I.

We have recently reported about the following projects:

• Mactan - Cebu International Airport New passenger terminal
• Manila ITS south terminal
• LRT Line 2 Operations and Maintenance (O&M)
• Road Transport IT Infrastructure Project Phase II
• Regional Prison Facilities
• Philippine airport package B  and package A
• North-South Commuter Railway (South Line)
• New Centennial Water Source Project
• Laguna Lakeshore expressway and dike
• Development of the Davao Sasa Port
• Bulacan bulk water supply
• Davao Light Railway Transit (LRT) system
• Civil Registry System-IT PPP Project (Phase II)
• NLEX-SLEX Connector road