Megawide says no word yet on reported loss of OPS status for NAIA rehab bid

Megawide Construction Corp. has reportedly lost the original proponent status (OPS) for the bid to rehabilitate the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), but the company on Monday said it has yet to receive confirmation from the government.

Megawide managing director for transport Manuel Louie Ferrer said the company is awaiting feedback from the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) on its bid to take over the country's main gateway.

"'Yung balita sa amin mabilis rin nila na-revoke 'yung OPS namin pero hinihintay namin 'yung formal. Bali-balita lang po 'yun," Ferrer said in an interview on GMA Super Radyo DZBB.

Megawide in November belied reports that its rehabilitation bid was junked by the government, as it said it had fulfilled requirements to demonstrate its financial capability to finance the project.

Its updated proposal is pegged at P109 billion under a 25-year concession period, with the construction to be done in three phases —the improvement of airside congestion and terminals and the connection via bus rapid transit; the construction of a new terminal and additional taxi lanes; and the construction of an elevated railway.

The first two phases, pegged at some P20 billion, will take up to 10 years, which officials said could be fully funded by Megawide alone, assuring that the total amount could be met with the GMR Group partnership.

To recall, the government earlier cited the need for Megawide to prove that it could undertake the project and comply with the P32 billion required to comply with the Build Operate Transfer rules.

Despite the supposed revocation of the OPS, Ferrer on Monday said the company is still hoping to push through with the project, and it is only waiting for the go-ahead to proceed.

"Sa amin ho, kung mabigyan kami ng go signal, gusto namin masimulan kaagad kasi 'yung inconvenience ng passengers lalo 'pag Pasko diba, 'yung nakahintay ka sa labas bago pumasok sa terminal, ma-feel mo na 'yung inconvenience 'pagka-umulan or 'yung araw ramdam na ramdam mo 'yung situation sa labas, so 'yun 'yung gusto naming ayusin," he said.

Megawide, along with its partner Bangalore-based GMR Infrastructure Ltd., was granted the OPS for the NAIA rehabilitation in July, after talks with the NAIA Consortium -- made up of several of the country's largest conglomerates -- collapsed.

The original $3-billion unsolicited proposal of the Megawide consortium was submitted in March 2018, but was set aside in favor of the NAIA Consortium whose proposal was received by the government first.

Ferrer in November said the company is optimistic that the Swiss Challenge for the project could be completed by March 2021.

Under the Swiss Challenge, other prospective bidders of the project can make competing offers with Megawide having the right to match such offers as having the OPS.

Shares in Megawide closed Monday at P9.25 apiece, up 9 centavos or 0.98% from last Friday's finish of P9.16 apiece.—Jon Viktor Cabuenas/LDF, GMA News