DOTC sets bidding for Cebu airport project

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) has moved to next month the deadline for the submission of bids for the P17.5 billion Mactan-Cebu International Airport expansion project after failing to get the green light to amend the terms of the public private partnership (PPP) project last Wednesday.

In an advisory, DOTC Undersecretary Jose Perpetuo Lotilla said the submission of bids would be scheduled one week after the confirmation of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) of the revised concession agreement for the Mactan-Cebu international airport expansion project.

The NEDA Board chaired by President Aquino did not convene last Wednesday as the government focused relief efforts to help victims in provinces battered by super typhoon Yolanda last Nov. 8.

Lotilla, who chairs the agency’s prequalification bids and awards committee (PBAC), said the NEDA Board meeting is anticipated to take place within the next two weeks.

The PPP project aims to modernize the country’s second-largest aviation hub and the gateway to the Visayas with the construction of a new world-class international passenger terminal building with a capacity of eight million passengers.

The project also included the renovation of the existing terminal building that has been operating at over-capacity with 6.7 million passengers going through the 4.5-million passenger capacity structure in 2012.

 The prequalified bidders include AAA Airport Partners led by conglomerate Ayala Corp. and Cebu-based Aboitiz Equity Ventures together with Houston airport operator ADC&HAS; Filinvest-CAI Consortium of taipan Andrew Gotianun together with Singapore’s Changi Airport; Lopez-led First Philippine Airports together with New Zealand’s Infratil Asia Limited.

Other groups include the GMR Infrastructure and Megawide Consortium that includes India’s Delhi Airport; MPIC-JGS Airport Consortium composed of the tandem of infrastructure conglomerate Metro Pacific Investments Corp. and JG Summit Holdings of tycoon John L. Gokongwei Jr. together with Aeroports de Lyon of France; SM-led Premier Airport Group of retail magnate Henry Sy together with Switzerland’s Zurich Airport operators; and San Miguel-Incheon Airport Consortium of diversified conglomerate San Miguel Corp. and the operator of South Korea’s Incheon Airport.