Infrawatch PH, an infrastructure-oriented think tank, is pushing for the rehabilitation and development of Sangley’s Danilo Atienza Airbase as an alternative airport for low-cost carriers and general aviation.
“What needs to be made of record is the unacceptable delay that many airport proponents are experiencing in the transport agency. The unsolicited Sangley proposal has been on the table since 2016,” Terry Ridon, Infrawatch PH convenor and former urban poor chief of President Rodrigo Duterte, said in a statement.
“The Bulacan airport proposal has already been approved by the Investment Coordination Committee, yet final approval is still wanting before the DoTr,” he said.
Ridon said the Sangley airport could have been used for diverted flights during the Xiamen Air incident, if the Department of Transportation acted on proposals to rehabilitate Sangley’s Danilo Atienza Airbase as far back as the start of the Duterte administration.
Ridon said the Sangley proposal could have been completed within 12 months at no cost to government.
“As early as August 2016, the Sangley proposal was already made known to the new leadership in the transport agency. But until today, not a single hollow block has been built nor has the proposal even been rejected by transport authorities as required for unsolicited proposals,” he said.
Ridon said the failure of DoTr to act on these proposals, whether to accept or reject, was tantamount to serious negligence.
“We are certain this is something that the president will not accept,” he said.
Ridon, who was previously a member of the House committee on transportation, said no less than House transport committee chair Cesar Sarmiento endorsed Sangley and Clark International Airport as alternative airports to Ninoy Aquino International Airport.
“Sangley does not even aim to replace Naia as the country’s main international gateway. It only seeks to serve as an alternative airport covering general aviation and low-cost carriers, and to allow diverted flights during unexpected events such as the Xiamen Air incident,” he said.