Chelsea’s Davao airport proposal gets NEDA clearance

MANILA, Philippines — Chelsea Logistics Holdings Corp. of businessman Dennis Uy is set to negotiate with the Department of Transportation (DOTr) the terms of its plan to modernize the Davao International Airport after the proposal secured a clearance from the National Economic and Development Authority -Investment Coordination Committee (NEDA-ICC).

Chelsea’s unsolicited proposal to modernize the Davao International Airport was approved by the NEDA-ICC last week.

The approval follows the grant of original proponent status to the project on October 2018 and endorsements from the Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Davao City Council and Davao City Development Council this year. 

“We thank NEDA for granting us the clearance before the year ends. This is an early Christmas gift not only for us at Chelsea, but for all Filipinos,” Chelsea president and CEO Chryss Alfonsus Damuy said.

“Our next step is to negotiate with the Department of Transportation within the parameters set by the NEDA ICC approved on Dec. 20. Once we have completed the negotiations, we shall seek a formal approval from the NEDA board chaired by President Duterte and then undergo a Swiss challenge as required under the BOT Law,” Damuy said.

Chelsea said the modernization of Davao International Airport is expected to bring the economic growth of Davao Region and Mindanao to a higher level through increased trade and tourism activities.

The proposal covers reconfiguration and expansion of the terminal building, construction of parallel taxiway, improvement of airside and landside facilities, installation of modern airport IT systems, and all activities needed to improve airport services.

The Davao International Airport is the primary gateway to Mindanao and the third largest airport in the country.

Aside from its offer for the Davao International airport, Uy’s Udenna Infrastructure Corp. has also submitted unsolicited proposals for the expansion, augmentation, operations, and maintenance of Bacolod-Silay Airport and the Busuanga Airport in Palawan.