DoTr studying Cavite province proposal for Sangley airport
THE Department of Transportation (DoTr) said it is considering a proposal by the Cavite provincial government to develop an airport in Sangley Point.
Undersecretary Ruben S Reinoso, Jr said that the agency is considering the Cavite proposal, adding that by considering the new proposal an earlier proposal by the Sangley Airport Infrastructure Group, Inc. (SAIG) is not deemed rejected, contrary to reports, as the department still has the option to consider its proposal if the Cavite proposal is rejected.
It was earlier reported that the DoTr had rejected the SAIG proposal, a consortium run by Solar Group’s Wilson Y. Tieng and the SM group’s Henry T. Sy, Sr. “We rejected the unsolicited proposal for Sangley Airport since government is considering the (Cavite proposal)… to develop the Sangley Airport as a government undertaking (by the province of Cavite) in collaboration with the Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA), Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) and DoTr,” Mr. Reinoso said in a message.
DoTr Secretary Arthur P. Tugade said in February the department had received a proposal for Sangley airport development from the Remulla political family of Cavite. Mr. Reinoso said that the latest version of the proposal is structured as a government undertaking led by PRA, CAAP, and the DoTr, as well as the province of Cavite.
SAIG is fronted by the All-Asia Resources and Reclamation, Corp. (ARRC) of Solar Group and the Sy family’s Belle Corp. Last month it submitted a $12-billion proposal for the Philippine Sangley International Airport (PSIA). It involves a 50-year concession and the reclamation of about 2,500 hectares of land north of the Sangley peninsula, which juts out into Manila Bay south of Metro Manila.
“Since the Provincial Government’s proposal and the Solar Group unsolicited proposal are not mutually exclusive, therefore, once the Provincial Government proposal is implemented, the Solar Group’s unsolicited proposal can no longer be implemented,” Mr. Reinoso said in a message, but did not disclose any details about the Cavite government’s proposal.
He said, however, that the approval of any proposal is contingent on the “timely submission” of additional requirements as well as clarification on the implementing arrangements (IAs) for the involvement of government agencies.
“If the documents and clarifications required are not submitted, DoTr may consider the unsolicited proposal of (SAIG); thus, DoTr is not absolutely rejecting the unsolicited proposal but is contingent on the final approval of the Provincial Government’s proposal.”
Sangley airport is being positioned as another gateway option for the national capital. The government has yet to evaluate the two proposals for the rehabilitation of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).The consortium of conglomerates Aboitiz Infra Capital, Inc., AC Infrastructure Holdings Corp., Alliance Global Group, Inc., AEDC, Filinvest Development Corp., JG Summit Holdings, Inc. and Metro Pacific Investments Corp., first submitted to the government on Feb. 13 a P350-billion proposal with a concession of 35 years, while the consortium of Megawide Construction Corp and GMR Infrastructure Ltd. weeks later submitted a different rehabilitation proposal worth $3 billion.
A gateway proposal that is moving forward is San Miguel Corp.’s Bulacan International Airport proposal which is currently under review by the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Board.
The government is also expanding Clark International Airport (CIA), with operations and maintenance (O&M) contracts set to be bid out within the year. — Patrizia Paola C. Marcelo