Cavitex-Yuchengco-led consortium granted OPS for Sangley airport project

SPIA Development Consortium, a group led by local and international firms, has been granted the original proponent status (OPS) by the provincial government of Cavite for the redevelopment of Sangley Airport into an international gateway.

The grant of an OPS gives a proponent the right to directly negotiate the final terms and conditions of the joint venture with the province as well as the right to match the best counter proposal that may be received during the 60-day mandatory competitive or Swiss challenge process.

In a statement, SPIA Development said it submitted the unsolicited proposal in November 2021 to form a joint venture with the Province of Cavite for the Sangley Point International Airport project.

In October last year, the Cavite provincial government declared a second failed bidding after no bids were received for the airport project.

In January 2021, negotiations between the provincial government of Cavite and project proponents Macroasia Corp. and China Communications Construction Co. Ltd. (CCCC) collapsed, stalling the redevelopment of Sangley International Airport. 

SPIA Development said Cavite Governor Juanito Victor “Jonvic” Remulla issued the certificate of acceptance to the consortium on January 7, 2022.

Remulla said that “acceptance of the unsolicited proposal is a clear sign of the Province’s commitment to deliver this nationally significant and legacy project to the Filipino people. We are very glad and hopeful that this consortium made up of reputable domestic and well-known global development and investment companies will help us successfully complete the project.”

The long-delayed Sangley Airport project is envisioned as a fully modernized, world-class and green airport that is designed to meet an anticipated increase in demand for air transport in the next 30 to 40 years.

SPIA Development said that as soon as the project is awarded, they are ready to transform Sangley airport into a premium gateway that can provide an alternative to the congested Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), thereby significantly boosting economic growth and enhancing the local tourism and aviation industries.

After final planning, design and financial closing, the work would immediately begin with the construction of a 4.6-kilometer connector road from the Kawit Interchange of Cavitex that would lead to Sangley, with the time of completion estimated at two years, according to the consortium.

The SPIA Development Consortium Philippine lead members are Cavitex Holdings Inc. (CHI) - that was responsible for the development, design and construction of the Manila-Cavite Expressway (Cavitex) that was eventually acquired by Metro Pacific Investments Corp., and the Yuchengco Group of Companies (YGC), a conglomerate engaged in construction, infrastructure development, banking, insurance, and automotive services, among others.

Lucio Tan-led MacroAsia Corp., the country’s leading aviation support and services provider, will provide management and technical services for aviation support as well as the logistics component of the project.

It is a non-equity member of the consortium.

Joining the local companies are global firms that include Samsung C&T Corp. of South Korea that built the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur, the iconic Burj Khalifa in Dubai, Terminal 1 of the Incheon International Airport, and the extension of the Changi International Airport.

Samsung C&T also built the Incheon Bridge and the Yeongjong Bridge, which are the main access and support infrastructure to Incheon International Airport.

Munich Airport International GmbH, the management services arm of Munich Airport, is also part of the powerhouse group. Munich Airport is Europe’s only five-star rated airport and certified best airport for the past 14 years. In 2019, it handled 47.9 million passengers.

Rounding up the foreign members is the London-based Arup Group, acknowledged as the creative planning, design, and engineering force at the heart of many high-profile development projects in the world. —KG, GMA News