MPIC, Megawide seeking partners for Sangley bid

MANILA, Philippines — Conglomerates Metro Pacific Investments Corp. (MPIC) and Megawide Construction Corp. are scouting for possible partners as they are set to compete in a bid to develop the Sangley Airport into a world-class international gateway together with the Cavite provincial government.

MPIC was part of the list provided by Cavite Gov. Jonvic Remulla showing the companies which were able to purchase bid documents for the Sangley Point International Airport project following the deadline to buy the documents last Monday.
Megawide, for its part, accessed the documents through another party that bought it in behalf of the company.

Now, both firms are on the lookout for potential partners as the deadline to submit offers draws near.

“If we decide to pursue, we will talk with potential partners. We bought bid documents and we will examine it, but we’re taking a serious look at it,” said MPIC chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan.

“We’ve accessed the bidding documents so we’re now looking at the terms. We’re also looking at potential partnerships,” Megawide chief business development officer Jaime Raphael Feliciano said separately.

MPIC, for its part, is assessing potential conflicts bidding for the Sangley Airport project might have with its existing proposal for the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), according to Pangilinan.

MPIC is a member of a consortium of seven conglomerates seeking to rehabilitate, operate, and expand the congested NAIA. Their proposal is now up for NEDA board approval.

“There is (a conflict) so we have to sort it out. You know airports are natural monopolies. I don’t think there are many airports in a particular city. Typically there is only one,” Pangilinan said.

Megawide, meanwhile, said it is still studying the terms of the Sangley Airport project, but indicated that “the timelines are quite challenging.”

“We’re reviewing the terms through different channels but definitely we’re interested specially we’re in Mactan already. We’re reviewing it through different means,” GMR-Megawide president Louie Ferrer said.

“It’s a new scheme so we have to study it properly. It’s a very interesting project because we believe it will really help the congestion problems in Metro Manila,” Ferrer said.
Remulla said last week that a total of seven companies bought bid documents for the Sangley Point International Airport Project. They were MPIC, Lucio Tan’s MacroAsia Properties Development Corp., Prime Holdings of real estate magnate and former Sen. Manuel B. Villar Jr., Philippine Airport Ground Solutions Inc., Langham Properties Inc., Chinese Communications Construction Co., and Mosveldtt Law Offices.  
The Aboitiz Group earlier said it was also looking at the terms and the modality of the airport project, while Ayala Corp. said its real estate subsidiary, Ayala Land Inc., has made general inquiries with the Cavite local government regarding the project.
The Cavite government is undertaking the project under the Public-Private Partnership Code, which will no longer require the approval of the National Economic and Development Authority for implementation.

Parties that purchased the bid documents are given until Nov.25 to submit proposals.

The winning bidder will undertake the construction of the airport and its facilities. It will also be the one who would choose who will operate and maintain the airport, according to Remulla.

Remulla said the winning bidder should be awarded before the year ends as the project is expected to break ground by January 15 next year.

The 1,500-hectare master-planned international airport hub will feature four runways, airside and landside facilities, and can accommodate up to 130 million passengers annually.
Its first runway is expected to be completed in three years or by 2022 as part of the project’s first phase. The second phase of development will follow with target completion on 2028.