Sangley Airport Rehab Bid Nixed by Cavite Gov
Jan. 28—The Cavite provincial government has ended negotiations on the proposed P208.5-billion redevelopment of the Sangley Airport into an international gateway.
In a Facebook post, Cavite Gov. Jonvic Remulla said his office approved on Tuesday the recommendation of his government's Special Selection Committee to reject the proposal of Lucio Tan-led MacroAsia Corp. and its Chinese partner China Communications Construction Co. Ltd. to redevelop the former American air base.
"While it does cancel the [negotiations], the [project] will restart and hopefully have a successful negotiation with any qualified partner by October 2021," he added.
"I still believe that a new international airport is important for the country in the long run and it must be stressed that cancellation is not in prejudice of anyone applying again."
Remulla cited various deficiencies in the submission of requirements in closing the joint venture agreement on the proposed redevelopment as reason for the cancellation.
MacroAsia confirmed the governor's decision in a disclosure, saying it received a copy of the termination of the notice of award it received from the provincial government last year.
The award covered the first phase of the airport's redevelopment. This included the construction of the first of four runways and expanding the gateway's passenger capacity to 25 million out of the 130 million targeted.
Like San Miguel Corp.'s New Manila International Airport project in Bulakan town, Bulacan province, the Sangley airport project aimed to decongest the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.
The main gateway's own redevelopment remained uncertain after the government returned to Megawide Construction Corp. and its Indian partner GMR Infrastructure earlier this month their proposal to rehabilitate the airport over equity deficiencies.
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