|
By Chino S. Leyco, Reporter
THE Department of Finance plans to initially bid
out more than half of the state-owed Food Terminal Inc. (FTI)
property in Taguig in the third quarter this year.
Finance Undersecretary Crisanta S. Legazpi said
the government is planning to auction off 70-hectares of the
120-hectare property, adding this will involve billions of pesos.
“Currently, we’re updating the previous
appraisal for FTI,” Legazpi told reporters.
The government had said the whole FTI property
is worth P15 billion.
Legazpi also said the finance department wants
to segregate the FTI property given existing short and long term
leases of some private companies with the government.
“We understand that there are some
[lease-holders] interested in acquiring it,” she said.
Legazpi said the government decided to segregate
the property due to difficulties in selling the FTI asset as a
whole.
The terminal is an agro-industrial-commercial
estate and one of the largest industrial complexes in Metro Manila.
More than 300 firms from light to medium scale
industries put up their plants and facilities in the complex. They
are engaged in various lines of production and services like
electronics, food, transport, garments, and general warehousing.
The finance department expects the sale of FTI
will generate half of its programmed revenues from the sale of state
assets this year.
Legazpi said the government expects to raise P30
billion from the government’s privatization program. This is lower
than the P90-billion windfall last year.
Aside from FTI, other government assets that
will be auctioned off include the Old Penitentiary lot in Muntinlupa,
as well as the state’s stake in Manila Electric Co. and in San
Miguel Corp.
|
