The National Economic and Development Authority said the Cavite provincial government must submit financial and economic assumptions for the proposed international airport in Sangley Point in Cavite.
“No complete documentation [as of now]. It’s not just a feasibility study, but they have to do some financial and economic model. They have to submit a financial and economic model,” Economic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia said.
Pernia said the Cavite government had not yet informed the agency on when it would be able to complete the submission of documents. The agency earlier returned the proposal to the proponent.
When asked if NEDA gave a deadline to the Cavite government, Pernia said, “it’s up to them.”
Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade earlier said the Cavite LGU could even team up with private sector proponents such as the Solar Group to speed up the implementation of an international gateway in Sangley Point.
“It is possible. There is nothing illegal about that [joint venture],” Tugade said when asked about the possible partnership between the provincial government of Cavite and the Solar Group for the Sangley airport project.
Tugade said even the national government was teaming up with the private sector for various infrastructure projects under the public-private partnership program.
The P500-billion Sangley International Airport proposal of the Cavite provincial government was still pending at the National Economic and Development Authority because of alleged incomplete documents, funding source issue and unclear implementing arrangement.
Sangley airport is an important alternative to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport. President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the transfer of domestic flights from NAIA to Sangley Air Base to ease airport congestion in Metro Manila.
Aside from the Cavite provincial government, Solar Group’s All-Asia Resources and Reclamation Corp. submitted a similar unsolicited proposal to develop Sangley into an international airport in 2016.
AARC’s unsolicited proposal to build the Philippine Sangley International Airport was estimated to cost $12 billion.
A crucial portion of the ARRC development plan is the rehabilitation of the Danilo Atienza Air Base and its transformation into a general aviation airport that can serve as an emergency alternative to NAIA during the project development phase.
ARRC proposed a concession period of 50 years for the Sangley International Airport.
Under the proposal, the project will start with the reclamation of about 2,500 hectares of land north of the Sangley peninsula which will be used for the development of the airport infrastructure and a commercial establishment to complement the project.
Sangley airport would be designed with two parallel runways and sufficient airside and terminal capacity to accommodate future demand for the domestic and the international traffic, not only for the Philippines but also for Southeast Asia.