SMC’s proposed P700B airport hub in Bulacan up for NEDA Board decision

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Conglomerate San Miguel Corporation’s (SMC) unsolicited proposal to build a P700-billion airport complex in Bulacan has been forwarded to the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Board for deliberation, according to Transport Secretary Arthur Tugade.

“A formal proposal was submitted to us, and we have gone over the proposal, the completeness of the proposal, and by the end of last week, we have forwarded the proposal to NEDA for final approval,” Tugade told reporters October 28 on the sidelines of the First Philippine Aviation Day.

SMC’s proposed New Manila International Airport (NMIA) in Bulakan, Bulacan will sit on an area of about 2,500 hectares, consisting of a 1,168-hectare airport complex and a 1,332-hectare city complex. It also envisions a passenger terminal with a capacity of 100 million passengers yearly which can be later expanded.

The airport complex will also have four parallel runways, with provisions for another two runways. There is also a plan to provide transportation access, which includes a new shoreline expressway, to connect the site to different parts of Metro Manila.

Construction of NMIA is scheduled for six years, and operation and maintenance is for 50 years.

SMC is proposing to make the Bulacan airport as an international gateway to eventually replace the country’s congested main air hub, Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in Manila.

According to the timeline for reviewing unsolicited projects posted on the Public-Private Partnership Center website, the proposal submitted by the implementing agency will be evaluated by NEDA Board’s Investment Coordination Committee. The unsolicited proposal, if approved, will also undergo a Swiss challenge where other companies can submit competing offers.

Tugade said DOTr is also waiting for the formal proposal from a private company to develop an international airport in Sangley Point Cavite.

All Resources Reclamation Corp. (ARRC), together with partners Belle Corp. and China Communications Construction Co., had earlier submitted to the government a full feasibility study on an airport, seaport, and mixed-use development project in Sangley Point, Cavite.

Another unsolicited proposal from foreign and local contractors, which is being handled by the Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA), seeks to develop Sangley into an international airport and seaport. A 2013 executive order directs PRA to convert Sangley Point into an international logistics hub with a modern seaport and airport.

During his speech at the same event, Tugade noted that while unsolicited proposals are welcome, the projects should not require state subsidies nor force airlines to transfer operations.

DOTr Undersecretary for Aviation Capt. Manuel Antonio Tamayo earlier said they had set aside the unsolicited proposals of SMC and ARRC for the medium term to focus on short-term measures to alleviate congestion at NAIA and develop Clark International Airport.

Tamayo earlier said that DOTr and attached agency Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines intended to develop Sangley Airport.

 Image courtesy of khunaspix at FreeDigitalPhotos.net