Tour of Navy vessels

By ERNIE PENAREDONDO

The Philippine Star, Friday, August 13, 2010

A young cancer patient shares a meal with Navy officers at the
Philippine Naval Base in Sangley Point, Cavite yesterday.
Children with cancer and chronic illnesses were treated to
aircraft and boat rides and a tour of Navy vessels during an
activity organized by Canon Marketing Inc. in cooperation with
SM Supermalls and the Kythe Foundation.

If ever, Navy wants lease payments in kind

BY VICTOR REYES

Malaya, Friday, August 13, 2010

THE Philippine Navy prefers equipment, instead of cash, as
payment for the planned long-term lease of its headquarters
in Manila and the Bonafacio Naval Station in Fort Bonifacio.

"The proposal of the Navy is goods, items already, and not
money…It should be Navy assets because under the Philippine
laws, it’s hard to procure," Armed Forces chief Lt. Gen.
Ricardo David told reporters in Camp Aguinaldo Wednesday
night.

David said accepting equipment from the firms willing to rent
the Navy properties will also spare officials of complications
of procurement like cases that may be filed by losing bidders.

David said there are instances when a losing bidder would
claim corruption, file a case before the courts, and
subsequently get restraining orders, delaying the acquisition
of needed equipment.

Navy spokesman Lt. Col. Edgard Arevalo said they prefer to be
paid "in kind because we will be avoiding long processes like
the bidding process."

Nevertheless, Arevalo said there is still nothing definite on
the lease of the Navy properties, adding discussions are ongoing.

He said the Navy is just part of a AFP technical working group
discussing the possible lease.

Navy chief Rear Adm. Danilo Cortez said at least three firms
have shown interest in renting Navy properties but would not
give details.

Cortez would not say how much they expect to be generated from
the lease.

President Aquino, in his state of the nation address last month,
said the government could get about $100 million from the planned
lease.

Three private firms keen on leasing Navy properties

By Mario J. Mallari

Tribune, Friday, August 13, 2010

At least three private firms have expressed interest in leasing
the Navy real estates, Navy chief Rear Admiral Danilo Cortez
disclosed yesterday.

“There are a lot that are presenting intention to participate to
the proposal (to lease the Navy headquarters. We have received
(such interest from) three private firms,” Cortez told Camp
Aguinaldo reporters.

In his first State of the Nation Address last month, President
Aquino mentioned that a private consortium is willing to shell
out $100 million for the relocation of the Navy headquarters plus
monthly increments.

“We have to get the most of it from our real estate,” Cortez said.

The Jose Andrada Naval Station, which serves as the headquarters
of the Philippine Navy, is occupying 1.13 hectares of prime land
along Roxas Boulevard in Manila, adjacent to the Cultural Center
of the Philippines Complex in Pasay City.

Aside from the Navy headquarters, also being considered for lease
are Navy prime lots in Fort Bonifacio in Taguig City and other
camps in Cebu and Palawan provinces.

The Navy leadership came up with the idea to lease its properties
to help generate funds to finance its eyed modernization.

“For the improvement of the Navy and modernization, they (proposals)
are okay to us,” Cortez said.

He said during talks with Navy personnel, the idea was welcomed as
“we will be transferring to a better building (that is) more
comfortable and modernize our equipment.”

Navy spokesman Lt. Col. Edgard Arevalo said one of the options that
were broached in the proposal to lease the Navy properties is the
direct acquisition of items from the private consortiums instead of
paying rentals.

“One option is for them to pay rentals…another option is they will
give us just in kind…so they will not be giving us money,” he
explained.

Arevalo, though, admitted that the Navy leadership is more keen on
receiving items instead of cash.

“The better option now being studied is in kind because that is faster
and it might lessen the thoughts of other people, their apprehensions
about how the amount will be received,” he said.

SM in Bonifacio South bid

BY BEN ARNOLD O. DE VERA

Manila Times, Friday, 13 August 2010

State-owned Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) on
Thursday announced that it is looking for a joint venture partner
in developing a portion of the southern section of Fort Bonifacio
after receiving an unsolicited proposal from the SM group of
companies.

BCDA published a notice of invitation for comparative proposals
for the privatization and development of the 33.1-hectare Bonifacio
South property covering the Philippine Army Support Command (ASCOM)
and Special Services Unit (SSU) and the Philippine Navy’s Bonifacio
Naval Station (BNS) and Philippine Marine Corps (PMC).

BCDA said these areas are not part of the properties that President
Benigno Aquino 3rd earlier said would be leased to generate funding
for the modernization of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

BCDA said SM Land Inc. has submitted an unsolicited proposal to
develop the area, with an investment commitment of at least P20
billion.

The company’s proposal offers upfront cash worth P2 billion upon
the signing of the joint venture contract as well as secured annual
revenues for 20 years totaling P25.9 billion—f for a present value
of P36,900 per square meter.

It also pledged to replicate military facilities that would be
affected by the disposition.

SM Land’s proposal will be subject to competitive challenge under
Annex C of the National Economic and Development Authority’s (NEDA)
Joint Venture Guidelines.

Under the master plan for Bonifacio South, the BNS/PMC/ASCOM/SSU
lots would be developed into a medium- to high-density residential
and mixed-use complex, with a maximum allowable gross floor area of
1.355 million square meters.