Bulacan airport hinges on PRRD’s approval – DOF

The fate of San Miguel Holdings Corp.’s (SMHC) unsolicited proposal to build an international airport in Bulacan will be up for President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s decision, the Department of Finance (DOF) said yesterday.

Following the meeting of the Investment Coordination Committee (ICC), Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III said that while there is no final concession agreement yet for the project, the airport proposal will be resubmitted to the chief executive soon.

Dominguez said that SMHC’s 1735.63-billion aerotropolis proposal in Bulakan, Bulacan has been “discussed at length,” along with other airport project in the north covering the operations and maintenance of Clark airport.

“There were two airport projects that were discussed, and they were discussed at length,” Dominguez said, while pointing that yesterday’s meeting was not held to decide on the concession agreement submitted by SMHC.

“This [meeting] is not to approve the concession agreement, this meeting is to validate whether what was submitted is what was approved prior, that’s the purpose of this meeting. There is no concession agreement yet,” the finance chief added.

Dominguez, meanwhile, said that the National Economic and Development (NEDA)-ICC sees “no problem” with Clark airport’s operations and maintenance project.

Asked what is the next step after the NEDA-ICC meeting yesterday, Dominguez said that SMHC and Clark Airport proposals will now go to the NEDA Board, which is chaired by President Duterte.

“Both will be discussed with the NEDA board,” Dominguez said. In August, President Duterte approved the unsolicited proposal of SMHC, but with condition that the final examination of the concession agreement needs to be undertaken before the airport project gets its final green light.