The Iloilo International Airport located in Cabatuan, Iloilo is up for PHP30.40-billion massive rehabilitation and improvement soon as part of the 14 projects implemented through the public private partnership (PPP).
The 14 PPP projects have an estimated value of PHP556.56 billion include five regional airports, a prison facility, a port modernization and water project, expressway dike, two information technology (IT) projects and three rail projects.
Earlier, Senate President Franklin M. Drilon told the Ilonggos that the PPP projects are exempted from election ban by the Commission on Elections (Comelec).
Drilon said the five regional airport projects under the PPP are being offered in two bundles. The first covers the PHP20.26-billion Bacolod-Silay Airport and the PHP30.40-billion Iloilo Airport. The second bundle includes the PHP2.34-billion New Bohol (Panglao) Airport, PHP40.57-billion Davao Airport and the PHP14.62-billion Laguindingan Airport in Misamis Oriental.
The Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) has already started the bidding process and moved the date for the submission of bids, originally set on Feb. 29, to 30 calendar days from the issuance of the final concession agreement and instructions to bidders.
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The agreement stipulated that the winning bidders for each bundle will operate and maintain the airports for 30 years. The private sector partner will also improve and expand the airports’ facilities.
The groups pre-qualified to bid for the airport projects are the San Miguel Holdings Corp.-Incheon International Airport Consortium, Philippine Airports Consortium, Maya Consortium, GMR Infrastructure and Megawide Consortium, and the Filinvest-JATCO-Sojitz Consortium.
The projects are the PPP program’s second airport deal. In 2014, the government awarded the PHP17.52-billion Mactan-Cebu International Airport Passenger Terminal Building project to GMR Infrastructure and Megawide Consortium.
On the other hand, Malacanang assured that the resignation of PPP Center executive director Cosette Canilao and the Comelec ban would not affect the awarding of projects under the PPP. An Ilongga, Canilao is set to step down from her post effective March 8, to address pressing family concerns. (PNA)
