DOTr’s Tugade orders contractor to build new Sangley Airport 24/7

Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade has ordered the contractor to build Sangley airport in Cavite 24/7 and finish the project on or before the November 2019 deadline set by President Rodrigo Duterte.

According to DOTr, the government tapped Unimaster Conglomeration Inc. as contractor for the project. It did not elaborate.

The extended working hours with additional equipment will start on Thursday, June 13, Tugade said in an emailed statement.

“Whatever it takes, we need to make sure that the directive of the President is delivered. Hire more manpower to work 24/7. Kailangan matapos ‘yan on or before the timeline set by President Duterte,” he said.

Duterte on Monday ordered the “immediate” transfer of general aviation or domestic flight operations to Sangley Point in Cavite to ease congestion at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA). During a press briefing in Malacañang, Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo clarified that Duterte wants Sangley airport to accommodate domestic flights starting November.

Sangley Airport Infrastructure Group Inc., a consortium of Sy-led Belle Corp. and Tieng-led All Asia Resources and Reclamation Corp. earlier submitted an unsolicited proposal for the airport.

The Department of Transportation, however, rejected the $12-billion proposal, saying that “should the government pursue the Sangley Airport Development Project ... it would be implemented using its own resources.”

The Transportation department noted Assistant Secretary Giovanni Lopez met with members of Task Force Sangley on Wednesday, June 12, to discuss fast-tracking the construction works.

Those in the meeting were representatives from the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP), the Philippine Air Force (PAF), the ferry system, and the project contractor.

Citing a report by Lopez, the DOTr noted critical developments are “well underway,” including the runway, apron, passenger terminal building (PTB), power supply, drainage system, and site development.

During a site inspection on Wednesday, the contractor was given two months to build the port and ferry station in coordination with the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA), the Philippine Navy, CAAP, and PAF.

There has been renewed interest in building airports outside of Metro Manila, as NAIA—the country’s premier gateway—has reached overcapacity.

The four NAIA terminals were designed to accommodate 31 million passengers a year, but currently serve at least 42 million passengers. —VDS, GMA News