Sangley airport proposal still on the table — DOTr
The unsolicited proposal from the Tieng-led All-Asia Resources and Reclamation Corp. (ARRC) to build a new international airport in Sangley remains on the table even as the offer of the local government of Cavite has already secured approval from the Department of Transportation (DOTr).
“It’s still on the table. It really depends on the provincial government. But as I said, we are prioritizing the government proposal over the private sector unsolicited proposal,” Transportation Undersecretary for planning Ruben Reinoso said.
The DOTr gave the P552.018 billion proposal of the Cavite provincial government to develop an international airport in Sangley the green light last July.
The approval process, however, will still be defined as soon as the Cavite provincial government has determined the legal framework for its implementation.
“We have not been informed on what legal framework they will use. They can opt to adopt several, it can be local government code, it can be BOT (build-operate-transfer) law. But up to this time we are not yet advised,” Reinoso said.
Asked if a deadline has been given to the Cavite government for its proposal, Reinoso said: “We have not discussed that yet because we wanted to move forward with the very advanced proposal of Bulacan and expansion of rehabilitation of NAIA.”
The group of businessman Wilson Tieng’s ARRC submitted last March a $12-billion proposal to finance, construct and develop a new airport to be called Philippine Sangley International Airport in Sangley, Cavite.
The proposal seeks to make a regional airport hub which could accommodate about 120 million passengers per year,
entailing an investment of $12 billion for development cost alone and a concession period of 50 years.
The project would begin with the reclamation of about 2,500 hectares of land north of the Sangley peninsula, which will be used for the development of airport infrastructure and a commercial establishment.
The proposal, however, was overtaken by the Cavite government’s offer.
“It was set aside because we prioritized the government proposal,” Reinoso said.
The DOTR’s Office of the Undersecretary for Legal Affairs and Procurement, the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Legal Affairs and the Legal Service had earlier recommended that the agency refrain from signing a memorandum of agreement with the Cavite provincial government allowing it to embark on the proposed international airport development project.
In a memorandum issued last June 15 to Reinoso, in response to his request for a legal review of the proposed memorandum of agreement for the project, DOTr legal experts cited the lack of technical capability of the Cavite provincial government to implement an international airport development project in rejecting the proposal.
“This office is of the view that PGC (Provincial Government of Cavite) lacks the technical capability to implement the proposed Sangley International Airport project. As a matter of fact, the MOA itself is bereft of any provision or proof showing the technical capability of PGC,” the two-page memorandum said.