Sangley airport faces delays

The Cavite government’s P500-billion Sangley Point International Airport project is facing further delays after a consortium backed by billionaire Lucio Tan and state-run China Communications Construction Co. Ltd. (CCCC) sought another extension, citing the COVID-19 pandemic.Jesse Grepo, secretary of the local government’s Public Private Partnership selection committee, said they had received a letter from Tan’s MacroAsia Corp. and CCCC seeking an extension until regular flights to China were restored.

“The province received, again, another letter requesting for extension of 90 days after commercial air travel operations reopens between China and the Philippines,” Grepo said in a text message on Saturday.MacroAsia-CCCC bagged the deal to build the first phase of the project last Feb. 14.However, the venture has yet to submit the final post-qualification requirements. The project has been hit by rolling delays due to the strict COVID-19 lockdown and travel restrictions.MacroAsia previously cited difficulties in getting the requisite documentation from Chinese counterparts due to the pandemic.Once the requirements are submitted and approved, MacroAsia-CCCC will be named the Cavite government’s joint venture partner in the Sangley International Airport project. INQ