Mass, sea & air transport

The planned Sangley Point International Airport (SPIA) in Cavite may finally happen, at least say sources in the business grapevine, pointing to the Remullas’ closeness to president-elect Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

While the project has previously suffered numerous setbacks, industry sources say it’s now moving forward, with its proponents determined to really push through with the development.

Last month, Cavite Gov. Jonvic Remulla said he is targeting to break ground on the massive development by the fourth quarter of this year.

On Monday, the Yuchengco Group’s House of Investments said its board of directors already gave the company the “authority to enter into the joint venture and development agreement with the provincial government of Cavite in the development of the Sangley Point International Airport as one of the consortium partners in the event of award by the province.”

The Yuchengco Group is one of the local partners of the consortium, together with Cavitex Holdings Inc. chaired by businessman Luis Virata, and Lucio Tan’s MacroAsia Corp., which will provide management and technical services for the aviation support and logistics component of the project.

The consortium’s proposal had been formally accepted by the Cavite government.

SPIA is being touted as the alternative to the 74-year-old NAIA, which the Duterte administration had considered closing down. Outgoing Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez said last month that shutting down our main airport and selling the 646-hectare property would raise much-needed revenue for the government.

Sen. Imee Marcos, who’s been dishing out unsolicited ideas recently, however, said the government should think twice before selling NAIA. We have yet to see if Marcos Jr. will listen to his manang.

We will also see in the coming months what’s really going to happen with all these airport developments, including San Miguel Corp.’s Manila International Airport in Bulacan, which received its strongest backing to date after the Dutch government approved an export credit insurance (ECI) for the project’s land development phase.

“The Dutch government, represented by Atradius Dutch State Business (DSB), extended the ECI to Royal Boskalis Westminster N.V. to cover its €1.5 billion contract for land development works at the airport project site in Bulakan, Bulacan,” SMC said in a recent statement.

We still have to wait a few years to see a new and modern airport in the Philippines, but I fervently hope it will finally happen because it’s really long overdue. Without which, our economy – and the tourism sector – won’t be able to reach their full potential.

Makati Subway

On land transportation, Makati Mayor Abby Binay said that after facing delays during the pandemic, excavation works for the Makati Subway project have resumed on the site where the first tunnel boring machine will be positioned.

The first phase of the project may be operational in three years, she said some weeks ago as she convened the Makati Business Development Council (MBDC) to assist the city government in charting its long-term economic development strategy.

The Makati Subway is deemed as an important transport infrastructure that will help decongest Makati and nearby cities.

Incidentally, this is the first time the MBDC has convened since the pandemic, and Mayor Abby expressed confidence that the council would help develop high-impact innovations and initiatives that will raise the city’s competitiveness.

“As we reconvene, we are tasked with facing the challenges of recovery and renewal in the coming years. The MBDC will be playing a critical role in providing advice and guidance on programs and initiatives that will help businesses in Makati to restart, rebuild, and grow,” she said.

Business executive Ed Chua said MBDC would work closely with the local government to advance digitalization efforts that would help the city retain its status as the premier business district.

“As we move into financial technology, that is where companies can help in the city’s development,” Chua said.

During the meeting, Mayor Binay said that aside from the Makati Subway, also in the PPP pipeline is the Makati Life Medical Center in District 1. Antonio Tiu’s Philippine Infradev is the private sector proponent of the Makati Subway project while Makati Life was conceived by Life Nurture Inc.

Metro Manila Subway

Going back to transport infrastructure, there’s also the Metro Manila Subway Project.

Listed Megawide Construction Corp., together with its joint venture partners from Japan, Tokyu Construction and Tobishima Corp. recently signed the contract for the Metro Manila Subway Project. The contract includes the construction of underground stations in Ortigas North and South, as well as the tunnels connecting the two locations.

“We thank the government for giving priority to this project that will be a game changer for the metro’s mass public transportation,” said Edgar Saavedra, Megawide chairman and CEO.

The Metro Manila Subway is a 33-kilometer underground rail line stretching from Valenzuela City to NAIA Terminal 3 in Pasay City, designed to reduce travel time between Quezon City and Metro’s main airport to just 35 minutes. Partial operability may be expected to start in 2025, with full operation slated in 2027.

I hope all these transportation projects really happen. We are way behind our neighbors in having efficient mass, sea, and air transport infrastructure and it’s really the commuting public who suffer the most because of this.

Iris Gonzales’ email address is [email protected].

Follow her on Twitter @eyesgonzales. Column archives at eyesgonzales.com