The Development Center for Finance successfully conducted its annual Project Finance Seminar on July 20, 27, and August 3, 2024 via Zoom. It was attended by forty-seven (47) participants from corporations in various sectors like government, banking, energy, property, and service.

Mr. Lawrence G. Velasco, former Chief Finance Officer of Manila Water Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd. (international operations arm of Manila Water Company), and a former Director of the Project Development Services of the Public-Private Partnership Center of the Philippines, served as the key resource speaker throughout the three-day seminar. With his extensive experience in project finance, Mr. Velasco effectively explained and demonstrated project finance principles in action.

On Day 1, Mr. Velasco covered the distinction between corporate finance and project finance, capital budgeting concepts and techniques, and cost of capital. This session provided participants with a solid foundation in finance concepts relevant to project finance.

On Day 2, Mr. Velasco continued the discussion of capital structure and formally introduced the participants to the complexities of Project Finance, such as the common features of project finance, the different players in a project finance deal, and risk identification, allocation, and management.

On Day 3, Mr. Velasco explained and demonstrated how to perform a financial evaluation of a project finance deal. He also shared the various sources of financing for project finance transactions. The seminar concluded with a case study, allowing participants to see how the concepts learned during the sessions are applied.

Here is some feedback from seminar participants:

“I’d like to really commend how the session was conducted – it had the right blend of theoretical discussion and application (practical examples). At first I worried that the approach would be academic but I found this session really relatable and questions are answered appropriately – i.e. the responses are what you expect in real corporate setting.”

“Although I am a novice in finance, I find the lecture interesting especially when Dr. Velasco applies the topics into the real world/current situation. It makes learning more relatable and understandable.”

“Sir Lawrence provided comprehensive answers to our questions and facilitated an engaging Q&A session. I enjoyed the Q&A because Sir Law created a welcoming atmosphere where all questions were encouraged. He gave realistic answers and insights that are applicable in real-world scenarios.”

“This is the first time na nag attend ako ng seminar na advanced ang materials. Saludo po ako sa buong team”