The Department of Transportation (DOTr), taking into account the indicative timeline for the proposed improvement of the Iloilo International Airport (ILO), is eyeing to award the project to a private partner in the first quarter of 2025.
“The Department of Transportation (DOTr) shares the desire of the people of Iloilo City and the province for a renewed, modernized, expanded, sustainable and future-proof ILO. We likewise acknowledged the importance of a revitalized ILO to sustaining economic growth and activity in the city and province of Iloilo and the greater Region VI,” Transportation Assistant Secretary for Aviation and Airports Enrique Antonio Esquivel III said in a letter addressed to Mayor Jerry Treñas.
Esquivel, in his letter dated May 6 and released to the media on Tuesday, provided the city mayor with updates on the proposed privatization of the airport.
He said the original proponent, in the form of an unsolicited proposal (USP) under the Build-Operate-Transfer Law, was the Prime Asset Ventures Inc. (PAVI), a unit of the Villar Group of Companies.
However, with the enactment of Republic Act 11966 or the PPP (Public-Private Partnership) Code in December last year and the effectivity of its implementing rules and regulations in April this year, the USP is already subjected to the provisions of the code.
Hence, he said that currently, the proposal of the PAVI is under a negotiation period for 80 days and can be extended up to 150 days since it started on April 26.
Once the negotiations are completed, the documents will be submitted to the DOTr Secretary and the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) Board for approval before proceeding with the “comparative challenge period.”
“We envisage the award of the project to the private sector within the first quarter of 2025,” Esquivel said.
The PPP website said the improvement of the airport includes the expansion of the passenger terminal building (PTB) with facilities as per the International Civil Aviation, construction of an apron adjacent to the new PTB extension, renovation/maintenance of the existing terminal building, installation of required equipment at the PTB and operation and maintenance of the PTB and facilities during the concession period.
Treñas, when asked for comment, said he is “asking DOTr that the process will move forward soon.” (By Perla Lena, PNA)
