San Miguel to hire OFWs for Bulacan airport

San Miguel Corp. seeks to hire displaced locals and returning overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) for the construction of its P734-billion airport project in Bulacan.

Sixty former residents of Taliptip village in Bulacan who were removed from their homes to accommodate the airport will be prioritized, the company said in an e-mailed statement on Wednesday.

San Miguel is coordinating with the government to design courses that would suit the airport’s construction needs.

The airport is expected to generate “hundreds of thousands” of jobs in the next two years when construction work begins, San Miguel President and Chief Operating Officer Ramon S. Ang said in the statement.

Aside from hiring displaced residents, the company would also tap returning migrant Filipinos who lost their jobs amid a global coronavirus pandemic.

“With this world-class airport project, those who will opt to stay home will no longer be separated from families and will have a viable option,” Mr. Ang said.

San Miguel is looking to build an “aerotropolis” on a 2,400-hectare land in Bulacan that will have four parallel runways, eight taxiways and three passenger terminal buildings.

It will be an alternative to the main Manila gateway in Pasay City, the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, which has been running at overcapacity for years.

San Miguel posted a P7.59 billion net loss in the first half after earning P13.23 billion a year earlier, as its fuel unit became unprofitable amid volatile crude prices during the pandemic.

San Miguel shares gained 1.3% or P1.30 to P101.60 each at the close of trading Wednesday. — Denise A. Valdez