Gotianun, Gokongwei offer to spend P839B to develop Clark

The Gotianun and Gokongwei groups have submitted a new unsolicited proposal to redevelop the Clark International Airport, committing to invest P839 billion or about four and a half times bigger that the capital outlays previously proposed to build an alternative international gateway to the metropolis.

The Filinvest Development Corp. and JG Summit Holdings consortium has appointed Changi Airports International (CAI)—part of the group that operates Singapore Changi Airport—as technical partner for this project.

In a statement yesterday, the consortium said the new proposal, which seeks to redevelop Clark through a joint-venture agreement, had been submitted to the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) and the Department of Transportation (DOTr).

The new investment commitment is larger than the P187-billion outlay proposed when the consortium submitted its original unsolicited proposal for Clark last year. The amount is also bigger than the P700-billion airport project in Bulacan proposed by conglomerate San Miguel Corp., which has already obtained an original proponent status for its project.

“This proposal is different from the one earlier submitted by the consortium as it does not include the construction of the second terminal building but instead proposes the long-term development of the airport into the country’s second international gateway and also includes the operation and maintenance of the existing and new terminals under a joint venture with BCDA,” the Filinvest-JG Summit consortium said.

Based on the latest proposal, the consortium will build future capacity augmentation, expand airport facilities including terminals and runways, among others, as well as operate and maintain the existing and new passenger terminals.

The consortium also proposes to develop, operate and maintain the commercial assets of the Clark International Airport, which include facilities for general aviation, fixed-base operations and real estate.

The creation of a new, world-class passenger terminal in the airport is projected to add passenger capacity of eight million a year from the existing 4.2 million passengers a year, or a total of 12.2 million passengers annually. The ultimate target is 80 million a year upon completion of the fourth phase under the latest master plan.

The development of the Clark International Airport is a joint project of the DOTr and BCDA. The airport, as mandated by Executive Order 14 issued this year, was declared to be an alternate global gateway in the country and assist in the decongestion of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

Earlier this year, DOTr and BCDA commenced the bidding for the selection of the engineering, procurement and construction contractor for the Clark International Airport Expansion (Phase 1), wherein 12 local and foreign firms bought the bid documents.

The deadline for submission of the bid documents is on Dec. 5 and the notice of award to the winning bidder is to be issued on Dec. 15 this year.

The consortium’s technical partner, CAI, is a leading consultant in the global aviation market. It has provided aviation solutions for more than 50 airports in over 20 countries.

Construction and engineering firm Megawide Construction Corp. and partner GMR Infrastructure of India, which jointly operate the Mactan Cebu International Airport, said they have also submitted an unsolicited proposal to the Duterte administration in July last year.