Megawide not giving up on Naia vision just yet

Pinning its hope on the next administration, Megawide Construction Corp. is ready to take on the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) rehabilitation project once again after its previous proposal was suddenly turned down.

“[It all] depends on the appetite of the administration. We have a good proposal. We have a good project,” Manuel Louie B. Ferrer, infrastructure development and chief corporate affairs and branding officer at Megawide, told reporters.

“If the new administration is interested, why not? The proposal is ready,” he added.

Megawide, along with global airport operator GMR Infrastructure, previously lodged a P109-billion proposal to rehabilitate Naia via a 25-year concession. The same team is behind the Mactan Cebu International Airport.

For unclear reasons, the Manila International Airport Authority revoked the original proponent status granted to Megawide-GMR in December 2020.

In April last year, the Department of Transportation said it would rehabilitate Naia on its own.

The construction firm, meanwhile, is cautious in making investments this year given the uncertainties brought about by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

“We’re still prudent because of the uncertainties these days, the fuel [prices], the war, and other issues … We’re not as aggressive as before,” he said.

Its current project, the Carbon Market redevelopment in Cebu, however, would proceed as planned. Ferrer said the first phase, which features a public market and tourism zone, would be opening this month.

He said this would be complemented by a landport project in the future.

The firm’s subsidiary, Cebu2World Development Inc., was awarded in 2020 a P5.5-billion project to redevelop Cebu City’s oldest and largest farmer’s market. INQ