Dennis Uy’s unsolicited offer for Bacolod-Silay airport gains traction

MANILA, Philippines — The unsolicited proposal of Davao-based businessman Dennis Uy to take over the Bacolod-Silay Airport has gained the upper hand over a foreign group’s offer.

The STAR learned from sources that Udenna Infrastructure Corp.’s unsolicited proposal for the expansion, augmentation, operations, and maintenance of Bacolod-Silay Airport is now being reviewed by the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP), which means it has been prioritized over the unsolicited offer of Canada’s Airtrav Inc.

“Priority is given to those who submit first a complete proposal,” the source with knowledge on the matter said.

The source, however, said the proposal of Airtrav would serve as an alternative if Uy’s proposal does not push through.

Both unsolicited proposals were submitted to CAAP last December.

CAAP’s review will determine if Udenna will be granted the original proponent status (OPS) for the project.

Securing an OPS will give it the right to match offers from other parties when a Swiss challenge is conducted for the project.

The Bacolod-Silay Airport was one of the five regional airports that were supposed to be offered under a bundled public-private partnership structure prior to a policy shift from the Department of Transportation (DOTr).

Uy, through Chelsea Logistics Holdings Corp., in October last year secured an OPS from the DOTr for its P49-billion unsolicited proposal for the Davao International Airport.

Aside from airports, Uy’s Chelsea in August last year submitted an P11.2-billion unsolicited proposal to the Philippine Ports Authority for the modernization of the Davao Sasa port.

Udenna, for its part, has secured an OPS from the DOTr for the development and management of a monorail system in Davao. Udenna is also part of a consortium that is set to become the country’s third telecommunications player.