Aboitiz InfraCapita lnc., a unit of the Aboitiz Group, said it submitted a revised unsolicited proposal to the Department of Transportation to upgrade, expand, operate and maintain the Laguindingan Airport in Misamis Oriental province.
“Yes, we’ve submitted. We patterned it after the Clark O&M [operation and maintenance]. I think CAAP [Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines] already endorsed it to the DOTR and the DOTR is in the process of evaluating it,” AIC chief operating officer Cosette Canilao said.
The DOTr earlier returned all unsolicited airport offers after the government decided to standardize and pattern the draft contract to the operation and maintenance contract for Clark International Airport, which covers provisions for MAGA or material adverse government action.
Under the clause, proponents will only be compensated for adverse government action from the executive branch and not any change in future laws. If MAGA occurs during the operation and maintenance period, the project proponent is entitled to compensation equal to the additional costs incurred and/or loss of revenue.
Canilao said they were expecting the Swiss Challenge to be completed by the second half of the year.
The P42.7-billion project involves the capacity augmentation through expansion or construction of new passenger terminals, installation of required equipment and enhancement and development of airside facilities.
The company tapped Arup as a consultant for the technical studies and masterplan of the Laguindingan proposal.
Passenger traffic at Laguindingan Airport exceeded the airport’s design capacity of 1.6 million passengers a year from the time the airport began operations in 2013, based on statistics from CAAP.
Some two million passengers passed through the airport in 2018.
AIC earlier obtained an original proponent status from the government to operate and maintain the future development and expansion of the New Bohol International Airport.
The new airport on Panglao Island aims to replace the current airport in Tagbilaran City which is currently serving under one million passengers a year. With a much larger capacity, the New Bohol International Airport will be a key catalyst in unlocking the tourism potential of Bohol and the rest of the region.
The airport is currently under evaluation by NEDA.