[ad_1]
MANILA – Corporación San Miguel (SMC) has clarified that it is not interested in obtaining any share of the income generated by the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), adding that its proposal is purely for the operations and maintenance of the airport is to ensure that it works better more efficiently until its PHP740 billion Manila International Airport project in Bulacan is completed.
This, after the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) revoked the original proponent status of NAIA previously granted to construction company Megawide Corporation.
“Our interest in NAIA is not intended to replicate what Megawide had in mind for NAIA. Our proposal is only due to the need for it to function effectively and safely for the Filipino people until our Bulacan airport project is completed. And until our airport is ready, that task must be done. We also let the government decide what to do with the NAIA going forward, ”SMC President and Chief Operating Officer Ramon S. Ang said in a statement on Friday.
“Unlike all the proposals that required a revenue share from the NAIA, including passenger fares and rental rentals, we are not interested in revenue. We want to improve NAIA for passengers. We want it to be run more efficiently, service levels to improve until the new airport is operational. All proceeds will go to MIAA, ”he said.
Ang added that this was actually part of his original proposal for the Bulacan airport development.
While developing its airport project, SMC said it can spend on the improvement and operation of NAIA at no cost to the government and with no revenue sharing.
However, the Department of Transportation had requested from the beginning to remove this part of the proposal for the Bulacan airport project.
Previously, a consortium of the nation’s largest corporations had been approved to rehabilitate and operate the aging NAIA, which has been operating well above capacity for many years.
However, this did not materialize and Megawide was later granted original proponent status.
Ang said his proposed 10-year concession is designed to give the government a freer hand to do whatever it wants with the NAIA once the Bulacan airport is finished and operational.
Ang believed that with a new and much larger world-class gateway with four lanes north of Manila that is easily accessible via a new and existing infrastructure network, the government could better benefit from the sale or redevelopment of the NAIA property.
He said the 646-hectare NAIA complex, which is about 2.5 times the size of Bonifacio Global City, could generate up to PHP2 trillion or more for the government, which it can use for a variety of purposes.
The government can then earn more and even create more jobs once new commercial or residential developments emerge in the area. Revenues from these new developments will likely be higher than those from airport fees, he added. (PR)
[ad_2]
