By Emmie V. Abadilla
The Cavite provincial government is still struggling to comply with the state’s requirements for its proposal to build the P500-billion Sangley International Airport.
“They have no complete documentation . It’s not just the feasibility study, but they have to do some financial and economic model. They have to submit the financial and economic models,” Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia stressed.
The Cavite government has yet to inform the agency when they will complete the submission of documents, after NEDA returned their proposal.
Asked if NEDA gave a specific deadline to the Cavite government, Pernia responded, “It's up to them.”
Earlier, Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade remarked that the Cavite LGU could even team up with private sector proponents, such as the Solar Group to speed up the implementation of an international gateway in Sangley Point, Cavite. “It is possible. There is nothing illegal about that ,” Tugade reiterated when asked about the possible partnership between the provincial government of Cavite and the Solar Group for the Sangley airport project.
Even the national government was teaming up with the private sector for various infrastructure projects under the public-private partnership program, he pointed out.
The P500-billion Sangley International Airport proposal of the Cavite provincial government was still pending at the National Economic and Development Authority because of alleged incomplete documents, funding source issue and unclear implementing arrangement.
Sangley airport is an important alternative to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport. President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the transfer of domestic flights from Naia to Sangley Air Base to ease airport congestion in Metro Manila.
Aside from the Cavite provincial government, Solar Group’s All-Asia Resources and Reclamation Corp. submitted a similar unsolicited proposal to develop Sangly into an international airport in 2016.
AARC’s unsolicited proposal to build the Philippine Sangley International Airport was estimated to cost $12 billion.
A crucial portion of the ARRC development plan is the rehabilitation of the Danilo Atienza Air Base and its transformation into a general aviation airport that can serve as an emergency alternative to Naia during the project development phase.
ARRC proposed a concession period of 50 years for the Sangley International Airport.
Under the proposal, the project will start with the reclamation of about 2,500 hectares of land north of the Sangley peninsula which will be used for the development of the airport infrastructure and a commercial establishment to complement the project.