Compliance to post-qualification process by the lone bidder for the $10-billion Sangley Point International Airport project will likely face delay due to the slowdown of business operations in China caused by the 2019 novel coronavirus (nCoV).
Jonvic Remulla, Cavite governor, said the travel ban and lockdown in China had slowed down business which may affect the ability of the the Chinese partner in the consortium that won the bid for Sangley airport to comply with the post-qualification process.
“We have a few more documents that we are requesting the sole bidder to submit, mostly concerning the financial commitments of both consortium members. The difficulty we are having is that China is in total lockdown. All business there has slowed down (to) a turtle pace,” Remulla said.
The local government of Cavite Public Private Partnership Selection Committee (PPP-SC) is evaluating the bid submitted by the consortium of Lucio Tan-led MacroAsia Corp. unit MacroAsia Properties Development Corp. and China Communications Construction Corp. (CCCC).
The post qualification requirements are to be complied with prior to the issuance of notice of award.
Early this month, President Duterte issued a temporary travel ban on foreigners coming from China and Special Administrative Regions to the Philippines. The government also bans Filipinos from travelling to China, Hong Kong and Macau, after the World Health Organization declared the nCoV acute respiratory syndrome as a global health emergency.
But Jesse Grepo, Cavite government secretary for PPP said they still target to award the project in the first quarter.
The project award has already been pushed back from January to the first quarter.
MacroAsia-CCCC will be the joint venture partner of the provincial government of Cavite for the development and reclamation of Sangley Airport.
