“The new terminal and Terminal 2 are expected to handle approximately 35 million passengers annually”
Domestic air carriers will have a new home once the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 5 will rise at the site of the Philippine Village Hotel at the Nayong Pilipino Complex.
Construction of the new terminal will commence once the demolition of the hotel is completed on target by September. The Philippine Village Hotel was built in 1974 to accommodate the candidates of the first Miss Universe beauty pageant hosted by the Philippines.
Duration of the terminal construction is 30 months. Domestic travelers can expect that by December 2027 at the earliest they will be boarding their aircraft in NAIA’s newest terminal.
Terminal 5 will decongest Terminal 2 which currently serves domestic flights. The new terminal and Terminal 2 are expected to handle approximately 35 million passengers annually.
With the new terminal, airline assignments will be reorganized to improve NAIA’s efficiency. This date, Terminal 1 serves purely international flights; Terminal 2, purely domestic flights; while Terminal 3 both domestic and international flights.
Once Terminal 5 becomes operational, there will be two terminals serving domestic flights. Terminal 3 will then be catering only to full-service foreign air carriers while Terminal 1 will be for low-cost international carriers.
Expanding the NAIA capacity will boost the entry of other international air carriers into the country. In April this year, Air Canada started its direct flight to the Philippines. In October, Air India will launch its direct flight from Delhi to Manila.
San Miguel Corporation, parent company of the New NAIA Infrastructure Corporation undertaking NAIA’s rehabilitation continues to be an active partner in the country’s economic development.
Another transportation infrastructure project being undertaken by SMC is the MRT Line 7. Its completion has been delayed because of many problems, which include the right-of-way issue.
The passage by the 19th Congress of 40 priority measures of the Marcos administration before it adjourned is a welcome development. The priority measures were identified by the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council.
“This marks the highest number of priority measures passed since the 10th Congress during the Ramos administration,” the DEPDev (Department of Economy, Planning and Development) said.
LEDAC was constituted during the Presidency of Ramos with the enactment of Republic Act 7640.
Among the bills ratified by both Houses of Congress is the Accelerated and Reformed Right-of-Way Act, that will amend Republic Act 10752 or The Right-of-Way Act.
The ARROW Act will institute reforms in the acquisition of right-of-way for infrastructure projects by the national government and by public service providers and hasten the completion of many infrastructure projects facing right-of-way issues.
Recently, Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon said the MRT 7 Line would be completed before the end of President Marcos’s term in June 2028.
“By 2027, our fellow Filipinos will be able to ride this line,” he said while commending SMC for adhering to best practices in undertaking the project and hoped the Common Station would be completed by then so that commuters can transfer from LRT 1, MRT 3 and MRT7 seamlessly.
The MRT 7 is an elevated 22.8- kilometer railway with 14 stations from San Jose Del Monte, Bulacan to the Common Station in Quezon City. It is expected to serve 600,000 passengers daily. The project broke ground in 2016 and to date, MRT 7 is 83.08% complete.
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Congratulations to San Miguel Corporation for being in Fortune magazine’s list of the 500 biggest businesses in Southeast Asia for 2025. It is among the 40 publicly-listed companies in the country included in the list.
It is the only Philippine company in the top 10, occupying the 9th place. For two consecutive years, SMC remains the only Philippine company included in the top 10 chart.
“Being recognized once again by Fortune inspires us to keep raising the bar,” said SMC Chairman and CEO Ramon S. Ang.
“This is a reflection not just of our financial performance, but of our commitment to nation-building and to supporting communities wherever we operate.” RSA added SMC’s real success is measured “by the livelihoods we help sustain, the access we create, and the opportunities we open for Filipinos.”
This follows an earlier recognition in TIME and Statista’s 2025 ranking of the top 500 companies shaping business in the Asia-Pacific region.
(The author is publisher, president/chief executive officer of Media Touchstone Ventures, Inc. and president/executive director of the Million Trees Foundation Inc., a non-government outfit advocating tree-planting and environmental protection.)
