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Keep Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) in operation until the completion of a massive new “airport city” in the province of Bulacan.
This was the message from San Miguel Corp. (SMC) magnate and president Ramon S. Ang when the food, beverage and infrastructure conglomerate launched a new offering to operate and maintain Naia through a 10-year concession.
SMC, which plans to begin construction of its P735 billion New Manila International Airport (NMIA) in Bulacan early next year, is also upping the ante by promising that it will not take part of Naia’s revenue during the contract period. .
“Unlike all the proposals that required a revenue share from the Naia, including passenger fares and rental rentals, we are not interested in revenue,” Ang said in a statement on Friday.
“Our proposal arises solely out of the need for it to function effectively and safely for the Filipino people, until our Bulacan airport project is completed,” Ang added.
“And until our airport is ready, that task must be done,” he said.
SMC’s NMIA, which aims to have a passenger capacity of more than 100 million a year, three times Naia’s current design capacity, will be one of the largest infrastructure projects in the country.
The eventual closure of Naia will also provide a major boost to SMC’s airport project, which will face less competition in the battle for the skies over Manila.
In the statement, Ang emphasized that Naia’s final fate would be left to the government.
However, he touted the benefits of the shorter 10-year concession period that “will give the government a freer hand to do whatever it wants with the Naia, once the Bulacan airport is finished and operational.”
SMC reiterated that the Naia complex, which spans 646 hectares, could be sold for up to P2 billion to the Philippine government.
SMC, which first installed Bulacan Airport in 2016, had asked the Department of Transportation to cancel Naia’s operations within 24 months of opening its new gateway.
That provision was not accepted as the department cited a policy of not providing any guarantees.
SMC emerged as a contender for Naia after the influential board of the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) abruptly revoked the consortium leader status of Megawide Construction Corp. and GMR Infrastructure, a leading airport operator, last 15 from December.
The company, which is proposing to rehabilitate Naia for a sum of P109 billion at no cost to the government, received no clear reason for the revocation of its original proponent (OPS) status, which gives the incumbent a crucial advantage: the right to match. the best offer during the mandatory Swiss Challenge and win the project.
MIAA Board Chairman and Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade suggested during a Senate hearing Thursday that the decision was not yet final and would be confirmed at the next MIAA board meeting.
Megawide-GMR received its OPS last July after the Naia Consortium, the group of tycoons that first launched Naia’s rehabilitation in 2018, withdrew when the global health crisis hit the aviation sector.
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