In its meeting on December 16, 2015, the Philippine's National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Board chaired by President Benigno S. Aquino III, approved two PPP projects to move forward.

The NEDA Board approved to move forward with the Swiss challenge after the Department of Public Works and Highways' (DPWH) negotiations with the original proponent for the previously-approved NLEX-SLEX Connector Road Project. The approval was however, conditional on the proponent to agreeing to the lower project internal rate of return (IRR) of 10.87 percent instead of 12.09 percent, by lowering the opening tariff from Php100 to Php87.

This public-private partnership (PPP) project involves the construction of an eight-kilometer, four-lane toll road that will link the existing NLEX and SLEX, passing through Metro Manila and using the existing Philippine National Railway alignment as its route. The DPWH will implement the project, which has a total estimated cost of PhP23.2 billion and has a concession period of 35 years.

NEDA also approved the request for an additional PhP20 million (US$0.44 million) for the Right-of-Way (ROW) and resettlement cost for the Department of Justice’s Regional Prison Facilities PPP project, increasing its cost to PhP50.20 billion (around US$1.2 billion). The project involves the financing, construction, and maintenance of a new prison facility that will have a capacity to accommodate 26,000 inmates with provisions for both men and women, ranging from minimum to maximum security. The project has a concession period of 20 years exclusive of a three-year construction period.

Another project approved is the Manila-Quezon Avenue Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Project of the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC). The project, which will be funded through official development assistance (ODA), involves the provision of a 12.3-kilometer segregated BRT from Quezon Memorial Circle to Manila City Hall. The project is part of the Roadmap for Transport Infrastructure Development for Metro Manila and its Surrounding Areas. The project’s total estimated cost is PhP4.79 billion and has an approximate implementation schedule from 2015-2017 with operation stating in 2018.