San Miguel, Ayala also eye Naia PPP project

Two more conglomerates— San Miguel Corp. and Ayala Corp.—are interested in participating in a P74.6-billion contract to modernize and operate Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport, the country’s busiest air gateway.

Metro Pacific Investments Corp. chair Manuel V. Pangilinan said last week they were also keen on looking into what could be the Philippines’  most coveted airport public private partnership (PPP) deal.

Ramon Ang, president and chief operating officer of SMC, said Wednesday that they planned to join the bid.

“We will join all the bidding [of PPPs] to support the government,” Ang said.

Rene Almendras, Ayala managing director and CEO of AC Infrastructure Holdings, said the group was studying the project.

“We are definitely looking at it,” Almendras said. “I met a few foreign partners abroad. So there are many people who will be looking. We want to make sure we put a good team. It’s a complex project, an international gateway.”

The Naia development project was initially planned under the Aquino administration. The National Economic and Development Authority board approved the project only last week. Details on what the project involved were few at this stage.

In its initial version under the Aquino administration, the Naia development project was aimed at transforming the Philippines’ main gateway “into a world-class modern airport facility.”

The private partner was also expected to upgrade existing terminals to increase capacity and handle operations and maintenance activities.

Apart from the Naia PPP, the government also plans to pursue a PPP to develop and modernize the Bacolod-Silay, Iloilo, Davao, Laguindingan and New Bohol airports in a deal that has lured San Miguel Corp., Metro Pacific, Aboitiz, JG Summit and Megawide Construction Corp. apart from international players.

In 2013, most of the country’s largest conglomerates participated in a bidding for the contract to expand and operate the Mactan Cebu International Airport, which was bagged by a consortium between Megawide and India’s GMR Infrastructure. Miguel R. Camus