SMC: Bulacan to get boost from airport project

MANILA, Philippines — Conglomerate San Miguel Corp. (SMC) intends to make Bulacan a seafood capital as it vows to clean up 12,000 hectares of coastal area as part of its P754-billion airport project.

SMC, in a statement yesterday, said the largest and most ambitious airport project in the country to date would have Bulacan’s fishing industry as one of its biggest beneficiary.

“This is a major investment for us, and a game-changer for our country. That is why it’s going to be a sustainable development,” SMC president Ramon S. Ang said.

The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Board approved Friday the concession agreement for San Miguel Holdings Corp.’s proposed Bulacan international airport.

“We thank President Duterte and his economic managers for bringing us another step closer to realizing this dream. Hopefully, once we complete all the government processes, we can begin actual work on constructing this world-class international gateway, capable of serving our nation for many generations,” Ang said.

SMC said the airport, which will be built on a 2,500-hectare coastal property, would be part of an envisioned township that features a residential zone, government center, and a seaport and industrial zone.  

Ang said his group plans to protect and revive some 12,000 hectares of coastal fishing areas around the planned airport to ensure environmental sustainability within and beyond the facility, as well as to revive Bulacan’s aquaculture industry.

“Fishing in Bulacan has slowly been dying the last few decades because of pollution from households and industries. Our goal is to clean up the coast and make Bulacan a seafood capital. After all, the airport is there to help support the local fishing industry. Maybe in the future, we can reach a point where seafood from Bulacan is exported to other countries, and tourists come in droves to sample them,” Ang said.

Among the measures the company intends to undertake include dredging the coastal areas and other bodies of water and clear them of years worth of garbage. The company said it would also work with local government to stop factories from dumping toxic wastes into the water.

Ang said that the airport’s operations would also heighten security along Bulacan’s entire coastline. In line with this, the company is willing to augment the Coast Guard’s efforts in conducting patrols to ensure no dumping of garbage and industrial wastes occur.

Apart from protecting coastal areas, Ang said generating employment and boosting local economies would be other key benefits of the project.

He said once the project is finally approved for implementation, some 100,000 local workers from Bulacan and neighboring provinces such as Bataan and Pampanga would immediately be hired.

 “That’s just the beginning. This is a massive project and over the next five years, we estimate that we will generate millions of direct and indirect jobs, to build and operate NMIA,” Ang said.

“While we’re still going through a long process, hopefully, in 2019, we can hit the ground running on actual construction,” he said.

The Department of Transportation is eyeing to complete the Swiss challenge process for the Bulacan airport project within the first quarter of next year.