PSIREN

Daniel Backs Petroleum Tax Law
Our Reporter, Daily Champion
27 June 2010
Lagos — Presenting a paper at the Road and Transportation Congress of the 8th Nigeria Development Forum (NDF), held at the Nigeria Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), Victoria Island, Lagos, the Governor said the paucity of fund available for the sector necessitated alternative funding, adding that the step taken by the Federal government was laudable and should be supported.

European Commission turns blind eye to failing public-private partnerships, says new report (Brussels, 23 March 2010) -- A new report by the Public Service International Research Unit cautions the European Commission against enthusiastically endorsing public-private partnerships, contending that PPPs, as they are known, do not supplement public spending – they absorb it. The European Commission outlines high hopes for developing public-private partnerships in its EU 2020 strategy.
 

What drives public service reform, and who resists it? This article, published in Development and Change, identifies the leaders, supporters and resisters of public service reform, drawing principally on research from Ghana, Zimbabwe, India and Sri Lanka. It finds that reform was often constrained by a lack of political commitment and by the interests embedded in existing organisational arrangements. Some reforms in the social sectors could be introduced quickly and without real political support, as long as there was little organised political resistance.

This paper presents some initial findings from a survey of public sector workers, in a number of countries in Europe, Africa, North America, Latin America and Asia, and how they have been affected by policies of liberalisation in relation to wages, working conditions and other forms of socio-economic security.  This survey was a joint initiative between the International Labour Organization (ILO) and Public Services International (PSI), an international trade union.  The aim of the survey was to explore three themes: workers’ socio-economic security; quality and accessibilit

In 1998-99, Mactan Rock Industries, Inc., proposed two small projects to provide residents of Metro Cebu with additional 20,000 to 30,000 cubic meters of potable water a day through a BOT scheme.  Mactan Rock claimed that the cost of the projects was "not so high" that financing would not be a problem, and that it would use an environment-friendly technology already widely used in Malaysia and other countries.  The proposed Mactan Rock project would establish ponds to store water for processing.

The Mananga River rehabilitation project involved the construction of the 79-meter high dam including transmission lines and a water treatment plant. It was aimed at increasing water supply for Cebu, the Philippine's second largest commercial and industrial centre.  It was expected to yield an additional 100,000 cu.m. of water per day for Metro Cebu upon its completion in 2007. Mananga River is in Barangay Maghaway, Talisay.  In 1995, Malaysian firm Johan Holdings Bhd first proposed to undertake the project under the build-operate-transfer (BOT).

March 2010  -  The bidding and awarding of bulk water project to Rio Verde Water Consortium Inc., (RVWC) in December 2004 declared by Commission on Audit (COA) to be tainted with fraud and other irregularities. RVWCI was awarded the 25-year contract to undertake Bulk Water Supply Project (BWSP) of COWD (Cagayan de Oro Water District). RVWCI has committed to produce at least 50,000 m3/day by the end of 2006, and double and triple that capacity by the end of 2010 and 2015, respectively.

(Cebu, Philippines)   In September 2004, the Metro Cebu Water District/MCWD Employees Union (MEU) declared their strong opposition to the take-or-pay Carmen Bulk Water Supply contract, as proposed by the Ayalas. MEU cited several lopsided provisions of the draft agreement, which they described as a 'backdoor method of privatization':
 

Feb 28, 2010 - If the Cebu Bulk Water Supply Project (CBWSP) proposal for a joint investment with Cebu Province is finalized, it will serve as the pilot program for the province. Under the unsolicited proposal, Manila Water will supply 35 million liters per day (mld) of potable bulk water, sourced from the Luyang River of the Municipality of Carmen.
 

13 Sep 2009, NEW DELHI: The government seems to be making a strong headway in its attempts to extend the scope of the public-private partnership (PPP) beyond infrastructure projects, with the Planning Commission close to finalising draft agreements for projects in areas such as school education, electricity transmission and urban water supply.
 

(May 09) BAPPENAS documents papers on Strategy for PPP infrastructure investments in Indonesia

May 2009 - "Maynilad signed a Memorandum of Understanding with PDAM Tirtanadi Provinsi Sumatera Utara of Indonesia (PDAM Tirtanadi) and Environmental Cooperation – Asia (ECO-Asia) to implement activities that will assist PDAM Tirtanadi in expanding water service to low-income communities in Medan, Indonesia PDAM Tirtanadi and the Municipality of Medan are designing a master plan that will connect some 14,000 low-income households in the said municipality.

(August 13, 2009, Yessar Rossendar) – A bill before the Indonesian House of Representatives would, if passed, radically change the electricity sector by allowing state power utility PT PLN to charge higher rates in areas provided with “quality services.” “PLN will be able to charge higher rates for quality services in designated areas, and vice versa,” Jacobus Purwono, the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry’s director general of electricity and energy utilization, said on Thursday.

In July 2009, PLN announced it had secured full funding of $4.13 billion for 9 power plants in Java at Paiton, Suralaya, Labuan, Indramayu, Rembang, Pelabuhan Ratu and Teluk Naga. The China Export Import Bank (China Eximbank) has been the sole provider of dollar-denominated loans for the nine projects throughout Java Island, with the Indonesian government guaranteeing repayment. Outside Java, 20 of the 22 fast-track projects have secured full funding of Rp 10.26 trillion ($974.7 million), or 84 percent of the program’s funding requirements.