If the Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA, formerly Philippine Estates Authority) and a private investor have money to reclaim 635 hectares of Manila Bay for development into a business district, I suggest that that money be realigned to build a modern international airport at Sangley Point to replace the congested, dangerous and “worst airport” we have at present. Instead of reclaiming a portion of the bay, which will eventually eradicate a nearby bird sanctuary, the reclamation must be done beside the present Sangley runway at the Naic side. I think a reclamation project in that area will not destroy the Las Piñas-Parañaque Coastal Lagoon.
Sangley’s 138 hectares plus the planned 635 hectares to be reclaimed will be a little bigger than half of Changi in Singapore and that of Chek Lap Kok in Hong Kong. A total area of 773 hectares is more than enough to host a modest but modern, safe and accessible airport of world standard. If we start working on it today, then perhaps in five years, or before President Aquino steps down, the Philippines shall already have a new international airport that Filipinos can be very proud of.
Half of the present MIAA facilities can be operated as a domestic airport and half as a commercial center to complement that of Megaworld. And to avoid traffic congestion, the domestic airport must be linked to Sangley from Terminal 3 via Pagcor Entertainment City by a monorail on a viaduct or a tunnel. Fast-craft ferries can double as Manila Bay Tour and serve the transportation needs of the new airport from the MOA harbor, which could also be developed into a central transport terminal for the convenience of passengers.
—RONNIE V. AMBE,
gvaroni@yahoo.com