Powerhouse consortium bids for Sangley airport

MANILA, Philippines — A consortium of local and foreign companies has submitted an unsolicited proposal for the development of the Sangley Point International Airport (SPIA) project after the Cavite provincial government’s second attempt to bid out the project failed last month.

The unsolicited proposal was submitted to Cavite Gov. Jonvic Remulla last week, with the so-called SPIA Development Consortium seeking to form a joint venture with the province of Cavite for the development of the massive airport project.

The SPIA Development Consortium is composed of domestic and foreign companies with successful track records in developing, investing and managing large scale, high-value infrastructure projects, including international airports.

A key member of the consortium is the Yuchengco Group of Companies, a major Philippine conglomerate engaged in construction, infrastructure development, banking, insurance and automotive services, among others.

It also includes Cavitex Holdings Inc., chaired by businessman Luis Virata. Cavitex Holdings was responsible for the development, design and construction of the Manila-Cavite Expressway project, a 14-kilometer-long controlled-access toll expressway linking Manila to Cavite province.

The other local company is Lucio Tan’s MacroAsia Corp., which will provide management and technical services for the aviation support and logistics component of the project.

MacroAsia will be a non-equity member of the consortium.

MacroAsia and state-owned China Communications Construction Co. Ltd. had won the first bidding for the SPIA project in 2019, submitting the sole bid.

However, the airport deal awarded to the tandem was terminated last January due to the various deficiencies in the submission of requirements to conclude the joint venture agreement, prompting the provincial government of Cavite to start anew with its search for a partner for the SPIA project.

As previously reported by The STAR, the Cavite provincial government declared a second failed bidding when it did not receive any bids for the airport project after the deadline last Oct. 20.

Powerhouse... From B1

Joining the local firms in the SPIA Development Consortium are renowned global companies Samsung C&T Corp. of South Korea, Munich Airport International GmbH, and the London-based design and engineering firm Arup Group.

Samsung C&T built the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur, the iconic Burj Khalifa in Dubai, Terminal 1 of the Incheon International Airport, and the extension of the Changi International Airport. It also built the Incheon Bridge and the Yeongjong Bridge, which are the main access and support infrastructure to Incheon International Airport.

Munich Airport International GmbH, on the other hand, is the management services arm of Munich Airport, Europe’s only five-star rated airport and certified best airport for the past 14 years.

The consortium said that collectively, they “have the necessary legal, technical and financial qualifications to implement the project and carry out sound viable business strategies and financing plans that will lead to the project’s successful development.”

The consortium said it is ready to commence full project development activities as soon as the project award is granted.

“We share the vision of delivering SPIA as a modern, world-class, efficient, and green international hub airport and new main gateway to the country that Caviteños and all Filipinos will be truly proud of,” it said.

The proposed partnership with Cavite province will encompass the development, design, financing, construction, operation and maintenance of the Sangley airport project.

The airport is seen to provide an alternative to, and ease the congestion at, the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, as well as boost economic growth and enhance the local tourism and aviation industries.

Sangley airport is envisioned to become a fully-modernized, world-class and green airport that is designed to expand as demand for air transport services increases in the next 30 to 40 years, and as operations at NAIA are eventually phased out to allow for a redevelopment of the site and its surrounding areas.