Sangley airport proponents get fresh 90-day extension

MANILA, Philippines — Lucio Tan’s MacroAsia Corp. and its Chinese partner will get a fresh three-month extension for the submission of their post qualification requirements for the Sangley Point International Airport (SPIA) project, which is among the many projects being delayed due to the coronavirus disease 2019 or COVID-19 pandemic.

Cavite Gov. Jonvic Remulla said in a mobile message that he is inclined to approve the extension due to the outbreak.

The Cavite government public-private partnership selection committee has recommended the issuance of the 90-day extension as requested by the consortium of MacroAsia and China Communications Construction Co. Ltd. (CCCC), to Remulla.

“The public-private partnership selection committee is constrained to recommend to the provincial governor to grant the request for extension of 90 days or until Sept. 9 within which to submit the lacking documents in view of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic we are all facing,” Jesse Grepo, legal officer of the public-private partnership selection committee, said in a text message.

Grepo pointed out that the endorsement comes with a “firm reminder that the consortium must submit the said documents on or before the said period granted.”

The MacroAsia-CCCC consortium has already failed to meet its deadline for the second time last June 11 due to the challenges brought about by the outbreak.

The consortium was given last April a two-month extension or until June 11 within which to submit their post qualification documents, but MacroAsia late last month said it would need more time to submit the post-qualification requirements.

The SPIA is one of the highly anticipated airport projects in the country, as it is expected to help decongest the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila once developed.

However, the project has yet to advance given the challenges faced by MacroAsia and CCCC brought about by the pandemic.