Filinvest still keen on airports project

A FILINVEST-led consortium is open to vying for the development of five regional airports under the public-private partnership (PPP) scheme, which have recently been unbundled by the government.

The Filinvest-Jatco- Sojitz consortium, composed of Filinvest Land, Inc., Japan Airport Terminal Corp. and Sojitz Corp., was among the five earlier prequalified by the previous government to bid for the regional airports project.

“Filinvest is still interested,” the Gotianun-led listed property developer said in an official reply when asked whether it is still keen on submitting new offers once the government starts bidding the five regional airports, one by one.

“[ W]ill await the new terms of reference for further details from the government on the bidding,” the company added.

Three of the five prequalified bidders — the Philippine Airports Consortium, which includes Metro Pacific Investments Corp. ( MPIC), Aeroports de Paris and ADP Ingenierie; San Miguel Holdings Corp.Incheon International Airport Corp. Consortium; and the GMR- Megawide Consortium earlier expressed renewed interest to join the government auction.

The Department of Transportation’s (DoTr) Office of the Undersecretary for Aviation & Off ice of Undersecretary for Legal and Procurement said in an email response to BusinessWorld that a “fresh invitation to prequalify and bid will be issued” for the projects.

“Pre- qualified bidders in the bundled projects will not be automatically pre- qualified in the unbundled projects. Thus, they will also have to submit prequalification documents. These will be formalized through a bid bulletin to be issued by the PBAC for the projects,” it added.

Transportation Undersecretary for Aviation and Airports Roberto C. Lim earlier said that the government will bid out the regional airports projects individually.

Rolled out during the Aquino administration, the regional airports project was previously bundled into two packages — the first with the P20.26-billion Bacolod- Silay Airport and the P30.40- billion Iloilo Airport, and the second comprising the P40.57-billion Davao Airport, the P14.62-billion Laguindingan Airport and the P2.34-billion New Bohol (Panglao) Airport. The bidding did not push through.

Mr. Lim said the DoTr is looking to issue fresh invitations for firms interested to bid within the first quarter of 2017.