1st PPP Under Duterte Draws More Interest from Top Dogs
The Philippines’ top businessmen could confront and contend with each other for the operations, maintenance, and upgrade of 5 unbundled regional airports in Davao, Iloilo, Bacolod, Bohol and Laguindingan.
On March 13, Ayala Corporation’s infrastructure group and Asia’s Emerging Dragon Corporation (AEDC) along with other local and international firms attended the pre-qualification conference in Mandaluyong City on President Rodrigo Duterte’s first public-private partnership (PPP) venture.
AC Infrastructure Holdings Corporation and AEDC will battle with a conglomerate led by San Miguel Holdings Corporation, Filinvest Development Corporation, Metro Pacific Investments Corporation (MPIC), Aboitiz InfraCapital Incorporated and Megawide Construction Corporation if the bidding pushes through.
Despite wanting to subsidize the projects, a couple of the investors find it difficult to partner with foreign airport operators due to size of the airports.
According to MPIC president Jose Ma. Lim, “Our foreign partner has notified us that they are pulling out of the airports because the unbundling resulted in the individual airports being too small,”
AC Infrastructure and AEDC have also expressed their interest in the auction of the P74.56-billion deal to develop the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).
The Department of Transportation (DOTr) has already opened the bidding process last January. Previously prequalified claimants in the bundled airport scheme are still considered prequalified in these unbundled deals provided that there are no changes in their technical, financial and legal capacities.
DOTr invites all interested bidders to take part in the auction of the 5 unbundled regional airport projects: the P30.40-billion Iloilo Airport,, P20.26-billion Bacolod-Silay Airport, the P14.62-billion Laguindingan Airport, the P40.57-billion Davao Airport and the P2.34-billion New Bohol (Panglao) Airport.
Deadline for the submission of the qualification documents is on May 11 and the bid proposals will be on December 8.
