Collapse won't affect Philippine deal: Citra

Collapse won't affect Philippine deal: Citra

JAKARTA (JP): PT Citra Lamtoro Gung Persada does not expect
the recent collapse of a part of the partially-constructed
tollway between Tanjung Priok and Pluit in North Jakarta to
affect its contract to build a toll road in the Philippines, an
executive said yesterday.

Company Director Bambang Soeroso told reporters during a visit
by members of the House of Representatives that his company is
prepared to supply the Philippines with full details of the
accident, which resulted from a shift in the scalfolding
supporting the tollway.

The Tanjung Priok-Pluit tollway project belongs to PT Citra
Marga Nusaphala Persada, which is 4.4 percent owned by Citra
Lamtoro Gung Persada.

Minister of Public Works Radinal Moochtar said recently that
two teams, one from Citra Marga and another from the public works
ministry, have been assigned to investigate the cause of the
mishap.

Citra Lamtoro, in cooperation with the Philippine National
Construction Corporation and the Asian Infrastructure Group, is
to develop the 83-kilometer Metro Manila Skyway Project, which
will consist of the 47-km Metro Manila Expressway and the 36-km
Metro Manila Skyway.

The agreement to construct the Philippine project was signed
last month by Citra Lamtoro Gung's president, Siti Hardiyanti
Rukmana, who is also president of Citra Marga, and Philippine
Nationale Construction Corporation's chairman, Victorino Basco,
in the presence of Philippine President Ramos.

Under the agreement, Citra Lamtoro is to make the study, the
plan and to construct and to raise funds for the project, while
the Philippine National Construction Corporation will manage the
operation of the tollway.

Total investment in the Metro Manila Skyway Project, which
will be completed in four stages, will reach US$1.6 billion. The
first stage, construction of which is to start at the end of this
year and will be completed in 1997, will be cost $500
million. (31)