The local government here is planning on entering into public-private partnerships (PPP) to improve the city’s transportation system and the operation of its hospital.

Mayor Jerry Treñas, who participated in the May 22-25 CityNet Benchmarking on Public-Private Partnership for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), cited South Korea as an example of the government tapping PPPs.

CityNet is an association of urban stakeholders committed to sustainable development in the Asia-Pacific region.

In an interview on Tuesday, Treñas said even streets, parks and health centers in South Korea are under PPPs.

“We are glad that we are not alone in doing this,” he said, citing completed PPP projects in the city like the ferry terminal. A market rehabilitation and housing project, meanwhile, are ongoing, he added.

Last month, the First Balfour under the Lopez Group expressed interest to operate an electronic vehicle bus rapid transit (BRT) in Iloilo City.

The company has requested the city’s Comprehensive Land Use Plan and Local Public Transport Route Plan (LPTRP) in preparation for the conduct of a feasibility study.

The proposed environment-friendly e-vehicle BRT uses electricity and other alternative fuels instead of gasoline or diesel.

In addition to transportation, the city government will also consider entering into a PPP for the operations of the city hospital.

“While we are constructing a hospital, eventually that will mean a lot of funds also for us once it operates. We are looking at how we can also get into some agreements,” he said in an interview.

In the same event, Treñas said Iloilo is a strong candidate to get assistance from the World Bank (WB) though CityNet worth USD1.2 million which will be given to six cities (about USD200,000 each city) for capacity building or infrastructure.

“The focus of CityNet is really disaster risk reduction, waste management, sustainable traffic,” he said. (PNA)