San Miguel Corp. said Tuesday it tapped the services of global companies Groupe ADPi, Meinhardt Group and Jacobs Engineering Group to design and build the P734-billion New Manila International Airport in Bulakan, Bulacan.
The three companies were involved in building world-class airports including Changi Airport in Singapore, Atlanta Airport in the United States and Charles de Gaulle Airport in France.
San Miguel said the initial designs, some of which were released earlier, envisioned a future-ready airport focusing on overall passenger experience and sustainable technologies consistent with the needs of the environment and the local communities of Bulacan and nearby provinces.
The conglomerate said it would also engage a world-class airport operator to help manage the future premier gateway.
“This is our biggest investment in a single project to date”•one that will definitely impact the lives of millions of Filipinos and the country in general”•all the more reason for us to push for greater sustainability and choose the best people to work with us,” SMC president and chief operating officer Ramon Ang said.
Meanwhile, Ang assured fisherfolks who would be affected by the project that they would have better homes in relocation sites with fishing power boats where they could easily re-establish their livelihood.
“This project’s success is anchored on helping support the local fishing industry. We are in the process of identifying areas where together we can build a fishing community that will last for generations to come. We want Bulacan to eventually become the seafood capital of the Philippines where seafood is exported to other countries, and tourists come in droves to sample them”•similar to what happened to Japan’s Tsukiji for so many years,” Ang said.
The conglomerate said it was expecting to set the stage for a meaningful and productive engagement soon once it secured the final approval from the government.
Ang said the project would “provide more and better livelihood opportunities, not to take them away; ensure environmental balance and enhance resilience against calamities, because it’s the right thing to do”.
Ang said that as soon as SMC obtained the final approval from the government, it would officially start meaningful and productive engagement with all concerned stakeholders, especially the affected communities.
San Miguel will build the proposed airport on a 2,500-hectare property in Bulakan town, about 30 kilometers northeast of Metro Manila at no cost to the government.
The proposed airport is designed to address the capacity needed today amid existing airport congestion while allowing for future expansion. It will be capable of accommodating 20 million passengers a year who will enjoy the benefits of world-class facilities.
San Miguel said the new airport was expected to fuel a trillion of dollars in economic activity annually; create 20 million direct and indirect jobs; bring in 30 million foreign tourists into the country; and decongest Metro Manila.
The company plans to integrate the complex to a larger infrastructure ecosystem that includes new and existing expressways and mass transit systems This will also bring Bulacan’s local economy, together with adjacent provinces, to unprecedented levels of growth, the company said.
“Bulacan’s local industries will not only survive, they will also grow. With a major international airport at their doorstep, fisherfolk, micro-entrepreneurs and local businesses will have a huge, ready market for their products, and even a means to ship them to other provinces or export them,” Ang said.
