$14-billion Bulacan airport approved

Bulacan airport

The next major international airport in the Philippines will be built in the coastal town of Bulakan in Bulacan province, in place of Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in Parañaque City. This will also dim other proposals like an airport in Sangley Point, Cavite or the expansion of Clark International Airport in Pampanga province.

The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) announced that its board headed by President Rodrigo Duterte approved eight major projects, including the P735.6-billion international airport project of San Miguel Corp.

The unsolicited project involves the construction, operation and maintenance of the Bulacan International Airport over an area spanning 2,500 hectares in the coastal town of Bulakan.

The unsolicited proposal involves the construction of a terminal, parallel runways and airport toll road, and will be able to accommodate 100 million passengers per annum by its opening year of 2023. It will also include an 8.4-kilometer airport toll road.

Once completed, the airport is expected to accommodate 100 million passengers per annum in its opening year. The unsolicited proposal has a project cost of P735.634 billion.

Bulakan, a first-class town, is located northwest of Obando and Valenzuela City and is only 35 kilometers north of Manila.

San Miguel’s proposal involves developing an “aerotropolis” on 1,168 hectares and a city complex on a 2,500-hectare area in Bulakan.

“We are pleased to see more infrastructure projects in the pipeline. As we roll them out, government shall keep working towards developing the country’s infrastructure to ensure easing of congestion in Metro Manila and spreading growth to the regions,” said Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto M. Pernia during the 6th NEDA Board meeting at the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas on April 25, 2018.

San Miguel's unsolicited proposal would be subject to Swiss Challenge which means other groups will be invited to make competing offers, with the proponent given the right to match any better proposal.

San Miguel said it would undertake the airport project on its own, without any government subsidy. The plan is to operate the airport under a build-operate-transfer scheme with a 50-year concession with the government.

San Miguel decided to push for the proposal amid the congestion at the existing main gateway. Seven conglomerates submitted a bid to redevelop NAIA, while SM and Solar Group proposed to build a new airport in Sangley Point, Cavite.

26 April 2018

 

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