Clark accepting 'unsolicited proposals'

CLARK FREEPORT, Pampanga – The Clark International Airport Corp. (CIAC) has announced it is again accepting “unsolicited proposals” from firms interested in developing a new world-class international passenger terminal at the Diosdado Macapapagal International Airport (DMIA) whose target completion has been slated on March 31, 2010.

CIAC officials said that from the initial P6.5-billion, the minimum bid this time has been reduced to only P4 billion.

CIAC president and chief executive officer Victor Jose Luciano said entertaing unsolicited proposals is only one of several options being pursued to make sure the terminal project is started soon.

Amid the scrapping of the bid of the US-based Admiral Energy LLC which had failed to “show sufficient proof” of its track record and experience in operating international passenger terminals, Luciano told The Star he is confident the DMIA will have a state-of-the-art passenger terminal by March 31, 2010.

CIAC gave last Friday the green light for its joint venture selection committee (JVSC) to accept proposals from firms, as part of the various options it has taken to see to it that the terminal project is started soon.

But CIAC vice-president for administration and finance Romeo Dyoco, chairman of the JVSC, said “CIAC is currently studying various options for the construction of a new terminal for DMIA”.

“The options are the unsolicited proposal via a joint venture; a joint venture between a private group through a second bidding; and by securing funds through the overseas development assistance (ODA) or through other loans and equity so as to facilitate the project,” he said.

Dyoco said the CIAC board instructed the JVSC “to pursue Annex C under the JV (joint venture) Guidelines on Competitive Challenge Procedure which would simplify and fast track the development of the Terminal 2 project for DMIA.”

“The CIAC has simplified some requirements so as to facilitate and attract investors for the project,” he noted.

He said under Annex C of the JV Guidelines, “the capacity of the Terminal 2 has been reduced to a minimum requirement of three million passengers per year instead of the previous seven million passengers capacity for the new terminal project of the airport”.

“Under the project, Terminal 2 will occupy 11.9 hectares of land inside 2,500-hectare Clark Civil Aviation Complex,” he added.

He also said that “the minimum investment for the terminal 2 project has been reduced to P4 billion from the previous P6.5 billion and this is “meant is to attract investors for the Terminal 2 project.”

“Under the joint venture scheme, CIAC has a 30-percent stake while the proponent will have 70 percent ownership. There is a competitive challenge among potential investors who will be obliged to produce the best offer to build, design, finance, equip and operate the Terminal 2 before 2010,” he added.