San Miguel Corp. said Wednesday it plans to hire returning overseas Filipino workers and local residents of Bulacan province to build the P734-billion Manila International Airport in Bulakan, Bulacan.
SMC president and chief operating officer Ramon Ang said the company would prioritize the initial hiring of local residents, especially those relocated from Barangay Taliptip where the airport would be built.
Sixty former residents of the barangay are set to start training under the Technical Education Skills Development Authority, which designs courses on skills specific to the needs of the airport’s construction.
“We designed these skills training program with TESDA specifically to equip Bulakeños with the necessary skills needed to either work at the airport project, put up a small businesses to support airport workers, or even start on their own elsewhere if they choose to do so,” said Ang.
“Over the next couple of years, construction of this massive airport will generate hundreds of thousands of direct and indirect jobs. We will prioritize local residents, but there will be so many jobs and livelihood opportunities that ultimately, workers will come from all over Bulacan, Central Luzon, even Metro Manila and Southern Luzon,” he said.
Ang said with the COVID-19 pandemic resulting in an economic downturn, San Miguel was more determined to push through with large-scale infrastructure projects, such as the airport, to boost the economy and provide employment to many Filipinos who were rendered jobless.
He said aside from local residents, SMC would open employment opportunities to overseas Filipino workers who were returning in droves to the country due to the uncertain global economic conditions.
“We have so many talented and experienced Filipino skilled workers and engineers, and they can really be an asset to this project. It’s a project they can be proud of, and tell their grandchildren about,” Ang said.
The first batch of 60 residents are set to receive training in courses such as shielded metal arc welding, electrical installation and maintenance and heavy equipment operations. Meanwhile, courses such as dressmaking and cookery are also on offer for residents who want to be self-employed.
All trainees in the initial batch will be given toolkits or tools for their chosen trade.
The P734-billion airport project, to be built at no cost to the government, is seen to resolve the perennial congestion problems at the country’s primary gateway. The airport will initially feature four parallel runways with a provision for two more; a world-class terminal; and an infrastructure network that will include a mass rail system to ensure easy connectivity.
The airport will be capable of handling up to 100 million passengers a year, create about 30 million tourism-related jobs and generate more than a million direct jobs for host province Bulacan and nearby provinces.
SMC said the airport project would also give rise to new local industries and boost existing ones, as construction and operation would require suppliers, maintenance contractors, food providers, accommodations and the likes.