When the Duterte administration vowed to address the country’s massive lack of infrastructure, not a few critics dismissed it as another one of those campaign promises that never really get done.
More than two years into the present administration, it appears that something positive is happening in this regard. We are referring to the aviation sector, where several airport projects have started or are beginning to take shape.
Just last week, two unsolicited airport proposals worth almost P53 billion advanced nearer to final approval. The Department of Transportation (DOTr) announced that presidential ally Dennis Uy’s Chelsea Logistics Holdings Corp., which made a P49-billion unsolicited offer to develop the Davao International Airport, was awarded an original proponent status (OPS).
Mega 7 Construction Corp. also won an OPS for its P3.8-billion proposal for the Kalibo International Airport. Both firms offered to operate, maintain and further develop the regional airports through a 30-year concession period.
The OPS was awarded through the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines. Projects passing the OPS stage are endorsed to the National Economic and Development Authority, whose board, chaired by President Duterte, will give final approval.
After this comes a Swiss challenge, a process where rival companies are allowed to submit better terms. The original proponent, however, has the right to match the better offer and win the project.
Other unsolicited airport projects that have won OPS under Mr. Duterte include the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Consortium’s P102-billion redevelopment plan for Manila’s congested Naia, and San Miguel Corp.’s P800-billion proposal to build a new international airport in Bulacan province.
Upon full completion, the Bulacan airport alone will have up to four parallel runways and a capacity of more than 100 million passengers a year.
Last month, a subsidiary of conglomerate Aboitiz Equity Ventures Inc. also bagged an OPS for its offer to operate and develop the New Bohol International Airport.
The new airport on Panglao Island is intended to replace the current airport in Tagbilaran City, which is currently serving less than a million passengers a year.
The positive development in the aviation sector follows the DOTr’s commitment to pursue a so-called multi-airport strategy for Metro Manila and nearby areas, reiterated in the wake of the recent Xiamen Air incident that paralyzed Manila’s main gateway for more than a day and a half.
Under the multi-airport approach, the DOTr will allow the construction of new airports to support Naia and Pampanga’s Clark International Airport, where capacity expansion is also underway to make it a viable alternative international airport for travelers from the North.
Under this policy, the DOTr allows unsolicited airport offers, as long as these require no subsidies and guarantees from the national government.
The idea of having multiple airports, according to Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade, is something that the world’s biggest economies do.
Ideally, there should also be a train service linking these airports. Such railway links are likewise being pursued by the government as part of the air transport roadmap of the Duterte administration.
Provincial airports are very important if the country is to develop regional economies, and boost tourism in particular. A frequent complaint among local and foreign tourists, for instance, is the lack of direct flights to the country’s major tourist spots, where inefficient and time-consuming connecting flights are usually the norm. With new airports also come investments in such facilities as hotels and other tourism accommodations.
As the economy around the airport becomes vibrant, businesses come in to tap the growing markets there. Aside from generating jobs, these developments will also help decongest Metro Manila.
The government, with the help of the private sector, should now ensure that the airport projects proceed as scheduled, and roads and railways connecting those airports to the business centers and tourist spots are constructed. Regional development will surely follow.