“[The regional airports] are already unbundled. We will bid them out one by one … from two [auctions], it will now be five,” Department of Transportation (DoTr) Undersecretary for Aviation and Airports Roberto C. Lim said in a chance interview late last week.
The DoTr and the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines earlier divided the five airports into two bundles, which are to be developed, operated and maintained by the winning concessionaire for 30 years. Based on the PPP web site, the regional airports are for “bid submission.”
The first bundle included the P20.26-billion Bacolod-Silay Airport and the P30.40-billion Iloilo Airport, while the second bundle comprises the P40.57-billion Davao Airport, the P14.62-billion Laguindingan Airport and the P2.34-billion New Bohol (Panglao) Airport.
Mr. Lim said the department is looking to issue fresh invitations for firms interested to bid by the first quarter of 2017.
The regional airports project was rolled out by the previous government but failed to go through bidding.
Metro Pacific Investments Corp. (MPIC) — through Philippine Airports Consortium which includes Aeroports de Paris and ADP Ingenierie — the Aboitiz-led Maya Consortium; San Miguel Holdings Corp.-Incheon International Airport Corp. Consortium; the Gotianun-led Filinvest-Jatco-Sojitz Consortium and the GMR-Megawide Consortium were pre-qualified by the previous government for the airport projects.
The DoTr said the law “does not allow automatic pre-qualification for the new round of bidding for the five regional airports.”
“There will be fresh invitations and notices,” Transportation Spokesperson Cherie F. Mercado said in a mobile phone reply when asked for details.
MPIC is one of three Philippine units of Hong Kong-based First Pacific Co. Ltd., the others being PLDT, Inc. and Philex Mining Corp. Hastings Holdings, Inc. — a unit of PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund subsidiary MediaQuest Holdings, Inc. — maintains interest in BusinessWorld through the Philippine Star Group, which it controls.
