Diversified conglomerate San Miguel Corp. (SMC), which has been keen on developing major airports for billions of pesos, plans to open the new terminal at Godofredo P. Ramos Airport in Caticlan in “less than three years” as it sought to meet demand for a bigger gateway to Boracay Island.
SMC chair and CEO Ramon Ang told reporters on Monday that they were experiencing right-of-way issues for the new terminal, which can cater to 7 million passengers annually.
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“It’s a good thing that San Miguel is already buying these [private properties],” Ang said at the Economic Journalists Association of the Philippines-SMC Aviation Forum.
Ang pointed out that had the government bought these properties, then the terminal would be delayed due to extensive approval processes.
“We are about to award a contract to a contractor this year … and it should be finished in less than three years,” he said.
“Everything you’re seeing at the Caticlan terminal now is just temporary,” he added.
The new Caticlan terminal will also have eight passenger boarding bridges to accommodate the expected increase in capacity once the project is completed, according to Ang.
Link to the mainland
Back in 2011, SMC said it would spend $300 million to modernize the Caticlan airport, the main gateway to Boracay Island.
A 1.9-kilometer toll bridge would also be built to connect Caticlan to the main island. Currently, a 15-minute boat ride from the Caticlan jetty port separates tourists from the Boracay community.
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According to Ang, the bridge plan, an unsolicited proposal that was conceived back in 2016, would push through “soon” to likewise help address the garbage problem on the island.
“The bridge would help dispose of and transport trash from the island every day,” he said.
To recall, former President Rodrigo Duterte shut down Boracay Island for six months in 2018 to give way to rehabilitation after calling it a “cesspool” due to the accumulating garbage. This displaced thousands of workers.
Other airport projects
SMC is set to take over the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) on Saturday after bagging the P170.6-billion contract to rehabilitate the country’s main gateway that has been labeled one of the worst in the world.
It is also currently developing the P740-billion New Manila International Airport in Bulacan. Project completion was delayed by a year to 2028 due to supply chain issues, mainly in the procurement of sand. This has been a problem in the industry since the government stopped the Manila Bay reclamation, Ang said last month.
Ang also clarified that they would not be pursuing other airport ventures to focus on SMC’s current projects. INQ