THE Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) has started its review of two separate proposals to operate, manage and expand the regional airports in Davao and Kalibo after receiving an endorsement from the Department of Transportation (DoTr), the DoTr said Tuesday.
Transportation Undersecretary for Planning Ruben S. Reinoso, Jr. said in a briefing that proponents Chelsea Logistics Holdings Corp. (CLC) and Mega7 Construction Corp. need the CAAP Board’s final approval before winning original proponent status as the two gateways are under its jurisdiction.
“In the case of other unsolicited proposals, most of these are under the jurisdiction of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines. On the part of the Department of Transportation, we have endorsed to the CAAP Board a favorable consideration of the unsolicited proposals,” he said.
“The CAAP Board met yesterday (Sept. 17), and agreed to consider the unsolicited proposal and sit down with the proponent to discuss the terms and conditions of the offer,” he added.
According to Mr. Reinoso’s recollection, Dennis A. Uy’s CLC has a P49-billion unsolicited proposal for the Davao airport, while Mega7 has a P12-billion unsolicited proposal for the Kalibo airport — both over a 30-year concession period.
Mr. Reinoso told reporters the target is to complete the review of the proposals by the end of the year, on orders from Transportation Secretary Arthur P. Tugade.
CAAP spokesperson Eric B. Apolonio said by phone on Wednesday that he confirms the discussions are ongoing, and that they have been told by Mr. Tugade to expedite the process. He declined to discuss the timetable for the review.
Mr. Reinoso said once proponents CLC and Mega7 come up with the final content of their proposals and these are deemed acceptable by CAAP, the Board is expected to “subsequently endorse it to the NEDA Investment Coordination Committee (ICC) for consideration.”
The unsolicited proposal route requires CLC and Mega7 to secure original proponent status from the DoTr, and then go through evaluation from the NEDA-ICC.
Once past through both hurdles, their proposals will then be subject to a Swiss challenge, under which other companies may make counterproposals, which the original proponents have the option to match.
The development and rehabilitation of regional airports is part of the government’s aviation road map, which ultimately seeks to offer multiple airport options for passengers. — Denise A. Valdez
