Laguindingan Airport ops contract may be awarded in May — NEDA

The operations and maintenance of Laguindingan International Airport in Misamis Oriental may be awarded to the private sector in May this year, National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said Friday.

This came as the government opened the competitive bidding to challenge the unsolicited proposal by Aboitiz InfraCapital Inc. to take over Laguindingan Airport after the NEDA Board, chaired by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., approved the negotiated parameters, terms, and conditions (PTCs) of the project.

“These PTCs were negotiated between the government, represented by the Department of Transportation and the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, and the original proponent of the unsolicited public-private partnership (PPP) project,” Balisacan said at a Palace briefing.

The DOTR and the CAAP are the implementing agencies for the PPP project.

Under the previous administration, Aboitiz InfraCapital secured original proponent status for its unsolicited proposal to take over Laguindingan Airport.

The PPP project for the upgrade, expansion, operations, and maintenance of Laguindingan Airport was approved by the NEDA Board in July 2023.

“Following the approval of the modified PTCs, this P12.75-billion project will now undergo the comparative challenge process following the rules under the newly enacted PPP Code,” Balisacan said.

“Prospective challengers will be given 90 days from the publication of the invitation for comparative proposals to submit their proposals,” the NEDA chief said.

Balisacan said the original proponent will be given 30 calendar days to match challengers.

“If no comparative proposals are received, the project shall be awarded to the original proponent by May 2024,” he said.

The NEDA chief said the project supports the government's efforts to enhance regional development and promote tourism in Northern Mindanao and its neighboring regions.

Meanwhile, the NEDA Board also approved the request to change the timeline and scope of the Department of Trade and Industry's Rural Agro-Enterprise Partnership for Inclusive Development and Growth or RAPID Growth Project.

“The RAPID Growth Project amounting to P4.78 billion aims to support 78,000 farming households by expanding both on-farm and off-farm activities and generating employment opportunities in rural areas.

The project seeks to support the growth and development of micro, small, and medium enterprises or MSMEs with strong backward linkages to farmers, and to provide them access to the needed capital to sustain their businesses,” Balisacan said.

“It will also create business partnerships between MSMEs and farmers to ensure a steady source of high-quality raw materials for the production needs of agro-enterprises,” he said. — VBL, GMA Integrated News