Gov’t says other groups can do Naia rehab

Other investors are ready to step in as the Naia (Ninoy Aquino International Airport) Consortium withdraws from its P102-billion offer to modernize and operate Manila’s Naia, Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade said on Wednesday.

Tugade confirmed to the Inquirer there were other private sector proponents keen on upgrading Naia with terms favorable to the government. He declined to name the groups.

“Let the formalities of notice be done first. Then we can identify,” Tugade said in a text message.Tugade was asked to confirm comments made by Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III, who told reporters on Wednesday the Department of Transportation (DOTr) was in talks with “two more potential proponents for the Naia project.”

“We are not worried about it because we believe these two other proponents are willing to step up to the plate,” Dominguez said.

Dominguez said Naia Consortium indicated in its letter to the government that “they are not confident they can finance the project or they cannot push through with it.”

Naia Consortium, originally backed by seven of the country’s biggest business groups, was established in 2018 to upgrade and operate Naia.The aviation sector, however, has been drastically hit by the new coronavirus pandemic, forcing the consortium to seek more relaxed terms, which it did not detail.

Naia Consoritum said on July 7 that negotiations with the government had reached a stalemate.