The Aboitiz Group is keen to participate in the auction of the P170.7-billion south line of the North-South Railway Project and the redevelopment and operation of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.
“PNR looks like it’s being railroaded, but it looks like it could be of interest,” Aboitiz Equity Venture first vice president for business development Roman V. Azanza III, told reporters on the sidelines of the company’s media party Thursday night.
AEV president and chief executive Erramon Aboitiz, meanwhile, said the company’s interest to join the bidding for the NAIA privatization was in line with the company’s recent move to diversify into infrastructure.
“We are very interested in the NAIA when that is privatized,” Aboitiz said.
Conglomerate Aboitiz Equity Ventures Inc. said it is interested in bidding for the for the redevelopment, operation and maintenance of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.
He cited the growth potential of the airport sector amid the rapid economic expansion.
“As the economy grows, the tourism also grows because people would want to travel. So we would need airports,” Aboitiz said.
Conglomerates San Miguel Cor., Ayala Corp. and Metro Pacific Investments Corp. earlier expressed interest to join the bidding for the Philippine National Railways project.
The project will revive the oldest rail system in Southeast Asia, beginning with the Manila-Legazpi section plus additional branch lines spanning 653 kilometers.
A two-stage bidding process will be adopted, with the pre-qualification date targeted in the fourth quarter of 2015. The opening of bids will be held in January 2016 while awarding is expected in March 2016.
The winning bidder will operate, maintain and upgrade the south line for 34 years, including the construction period of four years.
Under the project’s terms, the winning bidder will take charge of designing, constructing, financing, operating and maintaining the 56-kilometer commuter rail service for daily riders on the Tutuban, Manila to Calamba, Laguna route, and the 478-kilometer long-haul rail service,= for travelers on the Tutuban, Manila to Legazpi, Albay route.
The long-haul service may also have extensions from Calamba, Laguna to Batangas City and from Legazpi, Albay to Matnog, Sorsogon.
Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya earlier said the south line would be the agency’s “biggest project yet.”
Aside from Naia, Aboitiz Equity is also bidding for the bundled airport projects. The conglomerate earlier teamed up with Vinci Airports of France to form the Maya Consortium to bid for the P108.2-billion regional airports that the government will auction under the public-private partnership program.
The group earlier said it was interested in investing in the infrastructure sector, especially roads, railways, airports and water projects as well as cement manufacturing.