Atty. Cecilia Pallarca-Pico (seated, center) represented the construction sector at the roundtableFirst Balfour legal counsel Atty. Cecilia Pallarca-Pico joined industry leaders in a Makati Business Club (MBC)- hosted roundtable discussion about resolving right-of-way (ROW) issues in infrastructure projects.

Attended by executives from the Philippines’ top infrastructure firms including former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary and Metro Pacific Tollways CEO Rogelio Singson, D.M. Consunji Inc. president Jorge Consunji and AC Infrastructure managing director Noel Kintanar, the forum became a venue for sharing experiences, pain points and recommendations in the implementation of construction projects in relation to ROW issues.

Representing the construction sector, Pallarca-Pico shared First Balfour’s experience in facing ROW issues resulting in project delays and prolongation costs.

According to Pallarca-Pico, “there needs to be greater collaboration and transparency among the different stakeholders to ensure that the acquisition of ROW is not limited to the efforts of the implementing agency alone.” This was echoed by Singson who shared the success of DPWH in obtaining ROW through a collaborative approach among the different government agencies and the private sector.

Organized with the aim to come up with a united position in advocating ROW reform to legislators, specifically on the amendments to RA 10752, the discussion arrived at a number of proposals that will help increase ROW efficiency, thereby accelerating the delivery of the country’s much-needed infrastructure. These include designating an infrastructure czar that will expedite ROW and other infrastructure bottlenecks, creating special courts to ensure the speedy resolution of ROW cases, giving private sector proponents a bigger role in the process of expropriation—the claiming of privately-owned property to be used for infrastructure projects—and rationalizing valuation and relocation for affected stakeholders.

Among the other attendees of the roundtable discussion were ACCIONA regional director Ruben Camba, Macquarie Group president Eric Yaptangco, Aboitiz InfraCapital external affairs adviser Ferdie Tolentino, San Miguel Corporation legal counsel John Medina, JG Summit Holdings Inc. external affairs director Jose Luis Aliling, Philippine Constructors Association executive director Barry Paulino and TYLin International business development director Martina Dampf.

(Story/Photos by:  Dolly Pasia-Ramos)