Gov't to drop talks with NAIA Consortium if no agreement is reached by April 30

The government may drop the discussion with the consortium eyeing to rehabilitate the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) if an agreement is not reached by April 30, Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade said Tuesday.

"Tumatagal na ang usapan kaya ang sinasabi ko gusto ka nang lagyan ng cap," Tugade said at a press conference. "By April 30, 'pag hindi pa tayo nagkasundo-sundo eh gagawin na namin itong proyekto."

In September 2018, the NAIA Consortium — composed of seven of the biggest conglomerates in the country — received the original proponent status (OPS) for its P105-billionn proposal to rehabilitate the country's premier gateway. 

The consortium counts as members JG Summit, Aboitiz InfraCapital Inc., AC Infrastructure Holdings Corp., Alliance Global Group Inc., Asia’s Emerging Dragon Corp., Filinvest Development Corp., and Metro Pacific Investments Corp.

"We will comply with the stated deadline of Secretary Tugade," NAIA Consortium spokesperson Jose Emmanuel Reverente said in a text message to GMA News Online.

The group submitted an unsolicited proposal on Feb. 12, 2018, with the project cost initially pegged at P350 billion. It has since modified its submission and reduced the cost to P105 billion with a 15-year concession period.

When asked what were the contentious issues on NAIA Consortium's proposal, Tugade declined to provide details as these were confidential in nature.

In a separate interview, however, Transportation Undersecretary for Aviation Manuel Antonio Tamayo told reporters that the consortium failed to provide concrete details on their proposal to put up a "people mover."

"Gusto nila maglagay ng people mover pero wala naman details," Tamayo said.

The Transportation official also noted that the consortium submitted the revised concession terms only on March 20.

"It takes time for them, remember they are seven," Tamayo said.

Tugade said if an agreement was not reached on the deadline he set, the Department of Transportation might take over the rehabilitation.

"There are ongoing improvements right now," he said, noting that the runway improvement was finished on March 15 ahead of the June deadline.

Pressed if the DOTr will open the similar proposal of Megawide Corp., which was set aside in favor of the NAIA Consortium, Tugade said, "We will cross the bridge when we get there."

The phase one of the consortium's proposal entails improving and expanding the terminals to increase the airport’s capacity to 65 million passengers. The project is expected to be completed in 48 months.

The second phase involves the development of additional runway, taxiways, passenger terminals, and associated support infrastructure.

The Consortium earlier tapped Changi Airport International, the operator of Singapore’s Changi airport—dubbed as one of the best airports in the world—to provide technical support for the project.

The group plans to tap foreign financing for the project, but details have yet to be finalized. —KBK, GMA News