DOTr to invite bidders for regional airports project

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) is looking to issue the invitation for the bidding of the unbundled regional airports project under the public-private partnership (PPP) program this quarter.

Roberto Lim, DOTr undersecretary for the air sector, told reporters the department hopes to issue the invitation for the project within the first quarter of the year.

“The airports are now unbundled. From two (bundles), it will now be five (projects),” he said.

The Aquino administration rolled out the regional airports project but was unable to bid this out.

When the project was offered for bidding during the previous administration, it had two bundles. Bundle 1 was composed of the Iloilo Airport and Bacolod- Silay Airport while Bundle 2 covered the Davao Airport, New Bohol (Panglao) Airport and the Laguindingan Airport.

All five projects have a combined cost of P108.18 billion.

The winning private firm for each bundle would handle the operations and maintenance of the airports as well undertake the expansion of the facilities.

Groups pre-qualified by the previous administration to bid for the project are the Philippine Airports Consortium, Maya Consortium, GMR-Megawide Consortium, San Miguel Holdings Corp.-Incheon International Airport Corp. Consortium and Filinvest-JATCO-Sojitz Consortium.