Is this plan going to fly?
“Roberto Lim — undersecretary for aviation at the Department of Transportation — revealed that San Miguel Corp.’s ambitious plan to build a new international airport serving Metro Manila made a comeback, not along reclaimed land in Manila Bay as previously floated, but in nearby Bulacan province,” reports Miguel R. Camus in Philippine Daily Inquirer.
The report noted: “Lim shared some details on the diversified conglomerate’s recent unsolicited proposal. The project was in line with providing a nearby alternative to the aging Ninoy Aquino International Airport, which suffers from worsening congestion.”
It may be recalled that DOTr chief Arthur Tugade had said that “all unsolicited projects were welcome, but only if they met certain conditions.”
SMC envisions an “aerotropolis” spanning at least 2,000 hectares “near” Manila Bay in Bulacan with at least four runways.
SMC president Ramon Ang had mentioned earlier that the new airport project could cost at least US$10 billion.
The report explained, though, that “under the current process for unsolicited deals, the project would need to undergo a competitive challenge involving rival bidders.”
In any case, before that happens, SMC has to secure “several government approvals, including the final go-ahead from the board of the National Economic and Development Authority, chaired by President Rodrigo Duterte.”
Lim said that the DOTr hopes to make a decision about SMC’s project before the end of 2016.
