By Ashley Erika O. Jose, Reporter
INFRASTRUCTURE development company Aboitiz InfraCapital, Inc. will be awarded the contract to operate and maintain the Laguindingan International Airport in Misamis Oriental, the Department of Transportation (DoTr) said.
“The Laguindingan PPP (public-private partnership) project will be awarded to the original proponent,” Transportation Secretary Jaime J. Bautista said in a Viber message to BusinessWorld on Sunday.
“There were no other proposals received by deadline,” he added.
The DoTr had extended the deadline for counter proposals to Sept. 13, moving it from the original deadline in August.
Based on the Instructions to Challengers published by the DoTr and Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP), the notice of award and other post-award requirements will immediately be issued upon the approval of the award by the Transportation Secretary and the governing board of CAAP.
It added that the original proponent or the winning challenger will execute the concession agreement within five days from its receipt of notification of compliance with the post-award requirements.
In May, the DoTr announced that at least two parties had purchased bid documents for the comparative challenge.
The airport will have a capacity of 1.6 million passengers a year, which will increase to 3.9 million by the end of the first phase and to 6.1 million by the end of the second phase.
According to the PPP Center, the contract for the Laguindingan Airport will run for a period of 35 years.
The Swiss challenge process allows original proponents to undertake a project unsolicited, opening up their bid to a challenge by other parties, which the OP then has a right to match.
In February, the DoTr announced that companies were open to challenge the P12.75-billion proposal of Aboitiz InfraCapital to operate, maintain, and expand the Laguindingan airport.
The infrastructure arm of the Aboitiz group has submitted unsolicited proposals for the operations, maintenance, and development of New Bohol-Panglao International Airport, Bicol International Airport, and Iloilo International Airport.
The group has also secured the original proponent status for the New Bohol-Panglao International Airport, which Mr. Bautista said would undergo the Swiss challenge by November.
In 2022, Aboitiz InfraCapital finalized a deal with Megawide Construction Corp. and GMR Airports International B.V., allowing it to acquire shares in GMR-Megawide Cebu Airport Corp., the company behind the Mactan-Cebu International Airport.
