DOTr extends submissions for reg’l airports PPP

MANILA, Philippines -  The Department of Transportation (DOTr) is giving firms interested in the unbundled regional airports under the public-private partnership (PPP) program more time to prepare as it moved the date of submission of qualification documents to June.

“Please be advised that the schedule of the qualification documents submission date for the project is now on June 15,” the DOTr said in General Bid Bulletin 03-2017 dated April 24.

During the pre-qualification conference for the regional airports held last month, the DOTr said the qualification documents submission date was set on May 11.

The government is bidding out the development, operations and maintenance of the five regional airports in Davao, Laguindingan, New Bohol (Panglao), Bacolod and Iloilo.

When the PPP project was rolled out by the previous administration, it was offered in bundles. Bundle 1 was composed of the Iloilo Airport and Bacolod-Silay Airport, while Bundle 2 covered the Davao Airport, New Bohol (Panglao) Airport and the Laguindingan Airport.

The current administration has decided to unbundle the five airports to expedite completion of PPP selection and award.

During the previous administration, the government has pre-qualified the following groups to bid for the project: Philippine Airports Consortium, Maya Consortium, GMR-Megawide Consortium, San Miguel Holdings Corp.-Incheon International Airport Corp. Consortium, and Filinvest-JATCO-Sojitz Consortium.

Earlier, Metro Pacific Investments Corp. (MPIC) which is part of the Philippine Airports Consortium said its foreign partner Aeroports de Paris has decided to pull out as the unbundling of the project would not allow them to get the returns they need.

As such, MPIC said it was looking for a new foreign partner.

The PPP projects are expected to improve the regional airports services by allowing private sector partners to operate, maintain and improve the airports airside and landside facilities.

The government aims to develop international gateways in the different regions in the country.