12 companies keen on Sangley airport project
AT LEAST 12 firms have so far expressed interest in bidding for the P553-million Sangley Airport Development Project, which is expected to help decongest the country’s main gateway.
The government on Thursday held a pre- bid conference for the Sangley airport project in Cavite, which was attended by representatives of D. M. Wenceslao and Associates, Inc., Emeco and Partner, BSP Construction Company, Grandby Trading and Construction, Solar Surveying Corp., JD Legaspi Construction, CAVDEAL, San R Mining and Construction Corp., Tokwing Construction Corp., MR7 Corp., C.B. Garay and Holcim, a list from the Department of Transportation (DoTr) showed.
Phase 1 of the project involves the rehabilitation and asphalt overlay of the existing 2.4-kilometer runway, as well as the construction of ramp, drainage system, four hangars with a floor area of roughly 1,600 square meters (sq.m.) each, construction of an 800 sq.m. passenger terminal building and with offices and vehicular parking area and other building facilities.
In its Dec. 28 invitation to pre- qualify to bid published in newspapers, the DoTr said bid documents will be issued until Jan. 23, 2017, which will also be the date for opening of bids.
The project will transfer general aviation services from the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) to Sangley, with the intention of immediately decongesting air traffic in the country’s main gateway.
The approved budget for the contract is P552.867 million — included in the P3.35- trillion budget for 2017 — with a project duration of 270 days.
Earlier in December, the Tieng- Sy consortium that earlier proposed a $50-billion project to develop an airport and economic zone off Sangley Point, said they submitted to the government a similar proposal to use the Danilo Atienza Air Base in Cavite to immediately decongest the NAIA, while awaiting the construction of a new airport.
All-Asia Resources & Reclamation Corp., (ARRC) — which teamed up with the Sy family’s Belle Corp. — said the company resubmitted to the government its P1-billion proposal to redevelop the air base, an unsolicited proposal seen as “more immediate” which was previously part of its Philippine Global Gateway project submitted to the government on Aug. 1.
Their proposal, however, envisioned Sangley Airport as a “general aviation and scheduled/ low cost airport” — freeing up muchneeded capacity at NAIA.
But as far as DoTr is concerned, DOTr Undersecretary for Aviation and Airports Roberto C. Lim said they did not receive such a proposal but merely a description of what ARRC intends to do with the airport in Sangley.
In a chance interview on Thursday, Mr. Lim said the DoTr just received a 30-page description of the consortium’s “plan and concept” — which does not qualify as unsolicited proposal under the BuildOperate-Transfer law.
ARRC’s plan also did not include, among others, feasibility studies and draft concession agreement — “so it is being considered as letter of intent, letter of description of their plan or concept for the place,” he added.
“I’ve not seen any proposal for Sangley. If they are seriously interested... maybe the best way is for them to really submit [to us],” Mr. Lim said.
The main gateway, the NAIA, suffers from congestion, with 36.68 million people passing through the country’s four terminals, well over its designed capacity of 30.5 million passengers per annum, the Civil Aviation Authority of Philippines said in June.