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The Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) has denied GMR-Megawide’s motion to overturn the revocation of its original proponent status (OPS) in the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) rehabilitation project
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Megawide said it was formally informed of the MIAA Board’s decision through a letter on January 25
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It said it respects the decision and was “ready to move on to other projects of equal significance”
The consortium of Megawide Construction Corp. and GMR Infrastructure Ltd. failed to convince the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) to reconsider its decision on the joint venture’s proposal to rehabilitate Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).
This as MIAA denied the motion filed by the consortium seeking to overturn the revocation of its original proponent status (OPS) for NAIA’s modernization.
Megawide, in a disclosure, said they were formally informed of the MIAA Board’s decision through a letter on January 25, 2021.
“While we believe that we have met all the requirements of the government to undertake the rehabilitation of NAIA, we respect their decision on this matter, and we are ready to move on to other projects of equal significance,” Megawide said.
It added: “We truly wish the government and other interested parties success in the transformation of NAIA. With its location at the heart of the capital region, it remains a vital airport for Metro Manila and the Philippines. We sincerely hope for its full rehabilitation for the benefit of Filipinos and the entire Philippine airport system.”
MIAA last December revoked the OPS of the consortium in the P109-billion unsolicited proposal to rehabilitate NAIA. In a letter dated December 15, MIAA informed GMR-Megawide of the MIAA Board’s decision, arrived at in a meeting on December 4 and subsequently affirmed in a meeting on December 15.
READ: Megawide stripped of original proponent status in NAIA rehab
The letter made no mention of the reason for the revocation.
The consortium submitted the unsolicited proposal in 2018 and was granted OPS in July 2020 after the government terminated negotiations with NAIA Consortium, which had also proposed to rehabilitate the country’s main gateway.
However, in August 2020, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) said the consortium still needed to address issues over its financial capacity and joint liability in order for the project to proceed.
The National Economic and Development Authority-Investment Coordination Committee (NEDA-ICC) had also noted pending compliance with certain requirements of the Build-Operate-Transfer Law.
On November 11, 2020, Megawide said GMR agreed to a 40% equity participation in the project. Megawide said this would ensure “solid financial capability and delivering unparalleled global experience in airport design, construction and operations.”
Later in November, the consortium submitted the last additional requirements for its unsolicited proposal, which included its statement of joint solidary liability as required by NEDA.
Aside from GMR-Megawide, San Miguel Corp. and Philippine Airport Ground Support Solutions, Inc. have also submitted separate proposals, but only to operate and maintain NAIA.
