The provincial government of Cavite yesterday said it has awarded to SPIA Development Consortium the original proponent status (OPS) for the $10-billion development project of Sangley Point International Airport (SPIA) in Cavite.
SPIA Development Consortium is composed of the Yuchengco Group of Companies (YGC), MacroAsia Corp., Cavitex Holdings Inc. (CHI) and three global firms.
In a statement, Cavite Governor Juanito Victor Remulla said the certificate of acceptance to the consortium was issued last January 7.
The OPS gives the consortium the right to directly negotiate the final terms and conditions of the joint venture with the province as well as the right to match the best counter proposal that may be received during the 60-day mandatory competitive or Swiss challenge process.
Last November, the consortium submitted the unsolicited proposal to form a joint venture with the province of Cavite for the SPIA project.
The partnership with Cavite province will cover the development, design, financing, construction, operation and maintenance of the Sangley airport project.
SPIA Development Consortium said in a statement that as soon as the project is awarded, it is ready to transform Sangley airport into a premium gateway that can provide an alternative to the congested Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), thus significantly boosting economic growth and enhancing the local tourism and aviation industries.
After the final planning, design and financial closing, the work would immediately begin with the construction of a 4.6-kilometer connector road from the Kawit Interchange of Cavitex that would lead to Sangley, with the time of completion estimated at two years, the consortium said.
The Philippine lead members of SPIA Development Consortium are CHI and YGC.
CHI is responsible for the development, design and construction of the Manila-Cavite Expressway project — a 14-km. controlled-access toll expressway linking Manila to Cavite that was eventually acquired by Metro Pacific Investments Corp.
YGC is a conglomerate engaged in construction, infrastructure development, banking, insurance and automotive services, among others.
MacroAsia, the country’s leading aviation support and services provider, will provide management and technical services for aviation support as well as the logistics component of the project. It is a non-equity member of the consortium.
Joining the local companies are global firms that include Samsung C&T Corp. of South Korea; Munich Airport International GmbH, the management services arm of Munich Airport; and the London-based Arup Group, acknowledged as the creative planning, design and engineering force at the heart of many high-profile development projects in the world.
The long-delayed Sangley Airport project is envisioned as a fully modernized, world-class and green airport that is designed to meet an anticipated increase in demand for air transport in the next 30 to 40 years, and as operations at NAIA are eventually phased out to allow for a development of the site and its surrounding areas.
