16 May 2013, Business Mirror
Filinvest Development Corp. has teamed up with Singapore’s Changi Airport Group to join six other bidders for the P17.5-billion Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) to turn it into a world-class aviation gateway.
The Changi Airport Group operates the Singapore airport, considered the world’s best.
The MCIA project is under the government’s Public-Private Partnership Program. The project aims to convert the country’s second major airport into an ultra-modern passenger terminal that could accommodate up to 8 million travelers a year. The Department of Transportation and Communications is scheduled to announce this month the list of qualified bidders.
Changi was recently named the World’s Best Airport, Best Airport in Asia, and the Best Airport for Leisure Amenities at the 2013 Skytrax World Airport Awards held in Geneva, Switzerland.  The award was based on the results of a satisfaction survey with more than 12 million airport customers in 160 countries as respondents. Skytrax, the world’s top airport award-giving body, also bestowed the best airport award on Changi Airport in 2012, 2011 and 2010.
Lee Seow Hiang, chief executive officer of the Changi Airport Group, attributed the latest recognition to the efficiency and security that passengers experience in Changi Airport. Changi bested 395 airports worldwide as passengers expressed satisfaction with its check-in, arrivals, transfers, shopping, security, immigration and departure services. The airport has won more than 390 awards since 1981, including 23 “Best” awards in 2011.
Filinvest is a leading property developer with almost 50 years of experience in providing well-crafted homes, medium-rise and high-rise building projects, inspiring townships and vibrant cities. With its motto, “We Build the Filipino Dream,” Filinvest has provided homes for more than 140,000 families through more than 100 projects nationwide.  Among its major current projects is the one that the company and the Cebu City government are developing—the 50.5-hectare Citta De Mare residential and leisure project in the South Road Properties.  In Manila, the company’s prime developments include Filinvest City, a modern metropolis that sprawls over an expansive 244 hectares of prime property in Alabang, Muntinlupa; and Timberland Heights, a 677-hectare ecologically sustainable development in Rizal that boasts of themed communities and an exclusive country club.
The Filinvest-Changi Airport consortium includes the Gotianun’s Filinvest Development Corp., Changi Airports Mena Pte. Ltd., Filinvest Land Inc., Filinvest Alabang Inc., Cyberzone Properties Inc. and Changi Airports Saudi Ltd.
16 May 2013, Business World
Air travel in the Philippines could see major changes this year, with the government working to improve airport services and update older facilities in Manila and Cebu City.
As air traffic increases both internationally and domestically, the private sector has a range of investment opportunities. The Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in Manila is set to expand its operations and improve international services after the government put out a call for tenders on a number of refurbishment projects, which should help reduce congestion and delays. At the same time, domestic services are expected to receive more attention after several major multinationals bid on a project to build a new terminal at the Mactan-Cebu International Airport in Cebu City, the country’s fifth-largest urban center.
According to the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA), the NAIA handled 31.56 million airplane passengers in 2012, a 6.2% increase from 29.72 million recorded in 2011. Of these, 13.93 million boarded international flights and 17.63 million travelled domestically. Today, the NAIA is the 34th-busiest airport in the world, up from 46th in 2011, according to the Center for Aviation, a think-tank.
However, the NAIA has been troubled by delays, disorganization and lax safety and security records. These woes were exacerbated in 2007, when the US Federal Aviation Authority, acting on the recommendation of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), downgraded the Philippines’ standing as a compliant member of the ICAO due to safety and management issues. As a result, Philippine Airlines (PAL) has not been able to expand its US service beyond Honolulu, San Francisco and Los Angeles.
More recently, the government has taken steps to open up the market. In 2011, President Aquino signed a number of laws liberalizing the aviation industry, and formed the Philippine Air Negotiating Panel and the Philippine Air Consultation Panel, with the aim of pursuing a more effective open skies policy. At the same time, foreign carriers were exempted from a pair of taxes amounting to 5.5% of gross turnover.
Building on earlier plans, the government announced in January this year that it was accepting bids on tenders for refurbishments and renovations at NAIA, including a baggage porter system, a new remote-controlled and -monitored air navigation hazard prevention system, roof repairs in Terminal 2, speaker upgrades in Terminal 1 and five new mini-buses to shuttle passengers. The government has also ordered aviation schools and general aviation aircraft to transfer operations elsewhere by 2014, which should reduce delays and congestion.
Further positive developments came about in March and April, when the ICAO announced that the NAIA had passed a five-day safety audit, clearing the way for further expansion into North America and the EU. Ramon S. Ang, the president and COO of PAL, told local media he would like to see flight services expand to New York and European destinations in the coming years. Weeks later, the Aquino administration announced it would tender bids for P434.5 million ($10.58 million) worth of upgrades and refurbishments at airports across the country.
As the Philippines braces itself for double-digit growth in air traffic in the coming years — passenger volumes are expected to reach 40 million by 2021 — the government is also looking to focus more on domestic services, most notably with the redevelopment of the Mactan-Cebu International Airport. This build-operate-transfer project involves the construction of an eight-million capacity passenger terminal, as well as a 20-year concession to operate and maintain all facilities at the airport.
The government set a deadline of April 22 for bidders to submit pre-qualification documents. Among those that expressed interested are several domestic firms (Metro Pacific Investments, JG Summit Holdings, San Miguel Group), as well as a partnership between local company Megawide Construction and India’s GMR Infrastructure.
16 May 2013, Rappler.com
The government is considering increasing its domestic borrowings to create a P30-billion contingent liability fund for the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) program.
National Treasurer Rosalia de Leon said the fund would be used for emergency cases such as when the government needs to pay debt as a result of problematic contracts.
“It may come from additional revenues or additional borrowings,” she told reporters on Thursday, May 16.
The government has been trying to reduce its overall debt burden, including its guaranteed debt. Guaranteed debt refers to debt incurred by state agencies and corporations but are guaranteed by the national government.
As of end-February, the government had total guaranteed debt of P484 billion, lower than the P555 billion incurred in the same period last year.
The PPP is the flagship infrastructure program of the Aquino administration. -Â with reports from Cai Ordinario/Rappler.com
16 May 2013, Airport World Magazine
by Steven Thompson
The Philippines government has approved all seven groups that submitted bids for the new $430 million passenger terminal project at Mactan Cebu International Airport.
Financial bids will be opened on August 17 and the winner will be notified a month later.
Bidders included the GMR Infrastructure and Megawide Consortium; AAA Airport Partners; the Filinvest Land Inc. and CAI Consortium; and the Metro Pacific Investments JG Summit Airport Consortium.
San Miguel Corp, which was recently named as the preferred bidder for a $377 million Manila Airport expressway, also participated in the first round of bids, with Incheon Airport.
Other firms include First Philippine Holdings Corp Infratil Asia Ltd group; and Premier Airport Group of SM Investments Corp.
Mactan-Cebu is the second-busiest airport in the country by passenger traffic.
Nearly seven million passengers used the airport last year, well above its 4.5 million annual capacity.
The project involves the right to build a new 8 million capacity terminal, as well as revamp the current terminal and operate the airport.
16 May 2013, Business WorldÂ
Seven groups have qualified to bid for a multibillion-peso public-private partnership (PPP) project to expand and operate Mactan-Cebu International Airport, the Transportation department said in a statement yesterday.
“All seven groups vying for the first airport project to be bid out under President Benigno S. Aquino III’s PPP program have been successfully prequalified,” the department announced.
The press statement identified the parties as:
• MPIC-JG Summit Consortium composed of Metro Pacific Investments Corp. and JG Summit Holdings, Inc., with France’s Aeroports De Lyon as operation and maintenance (O&M) partner;
• AAA Airport Partners composed of the Ayala and Aboitiz groups, with Texas-based Houston Airport System as O&M partner;
• Filinvest-CAI Consortium of Filinvest Development Corp. and Changi Airports Mena Pte. Ltd., with Changi Airport Saudi Ltd. as the O&M partner;
• San Miguel-Incheon Airport Consortium, composed of South Korea’s Incheon International Airport Corp. as lead member and three others, including San Miguel Corp.-led Optimal Infrastructure Development, Inc. — with Incheon acting as the O&M partner;
• First Philippine Airports led by First Philippine Holdings, Inc., with Wellington International Airport Ltd., NZ Airports Ltd., and Infratil Ltd. as O&M partners;
• Premier Airport Group led by SM Investments Corp., with Switzerland-based Flughafen Zurich AG as O&M partner; and
• GMR Infrastructure and Megawide Consortium of Megawide Construction Corp. and India-based GMR Infrastructure Ltd., with Delhi International Airport (P) Ltd. and GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd. as O&M partners.
TIMETABLE
The Transportation department said submission of technical and financial proposals will be on Aug. 28.
In a telephone interview, department spokesman Michael Arthur C. Sagcal, said schedule of opening of bids and awarding of the contract has yet to be finalized.
The P17.5-billion Mactan-Cebu airport project involves construction of a new terminal, rehabilitation of the existing facility and a 20-year O&M contract.
Airline-related firms were restricted from owning more than 33% of the participating consortium — a rule the government adopted to avoid conflict of interest.
Last week, the Transportation department also qualified five groups to bid for the P1.72-billion automated fare collection system for Light Rail Transit Lines 1 and 2 and Metro Rail Transit Line 3.
Three PPP projects have so far been awarded: the P1.96-billion Daang Hari-South Luzon Expressway Link, bagged by Ayala in December 2011; the P16.42- billion PPP School Infrastructure Project Phase One that was granted last year to the Citicore Holdings Investment, Inc.-Megawide and BF Corp.-Riverbanks Development Corp. consortiums; and the P15.86-billion Ninoy Aquino International Airport Expressway Phase II project that was awarded to San Miguel unit Optimal Infrastructure last week. — C. H. C. Venzon
Press Release from the Department of Transportation and CommunicationsÂ
16 May 2013
Manila, Philippines – All seven (7) groups vying for the first airport project to be bid out under President Benigno S. Aquino III’s Public-Private Partnership (PPP) program have been successfully prequalified, the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) disclosed on Thursday (May 16, 2013).
The announcement, which was made four (4) days ahead of schedule, signifies that the P 17.5-Billion Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) Passenger Terminal Building Project will be contested by the following groups:
“This is a good number for ensuring optimal competition during the bid itself,” said the agency’s spokesperson, Atty. Migs Sagcal.
Under the updated timeline for the bidding process, the qualified consortia will now have until August 28, 2013 to submit their bid proposals.
“We are keen to find out which group will make the most advantageous offer to government. As we have said before, the more cooperation we have from the bidders, the sooner the public will enjoy the benefits of our projects,” Sagcal added.
The MCIA Project will modernize the country’s second-largest aviation hub and the gateway to the Visayas with the construction of a new world-class international passenger terminal building having an 8-million annual passenger capacity. It will also renovate the existing terminal building, which has been operating at over-capacity with 6.7 million passengers going through the 4.5-million passenger capacity structure in 2012.
15 May 2013, The Philippine Star
by Prinz Magtulis
The government is planning to establish a fund to ensure unforeseen state liabilities arising from public-private partnership (PPP) projects are taken care of, a senior official said.
“We are going to set up a fund to take care of the contingent liabilities for the PPP projects,” National Treasurer Rosalia de Leon told reporters on the sidelines of the journalism seminar of the Economic Journalists Association of the Philippines.
“Our proposal was around P30 billion,” she added.
The “contingent liability fund” will not be part of the national outlay, instead it will be included in the unprogrammed fund and be tapped only if needed. The plan is already with the Budget department for consideration.
The PPP is the centerpiece economic program of the Aquino administration, which aims to tap private sector expertise in infrastructure projects, while government settles regulatory hindrances.
Since its launch in November 2010, a total of three projects worth roughly P28 billion have already been awarded with more on the pipeline.
The fund, De Leon said, is a “precautionary measure” should there be “breaches” or “delays” in the projects under contract with the private sector.
For instance, if the winning bidder fails to meet its commitments, the government may use the fund to buy the project and take over its operations. A “risk assessment” is being conducted on every PPP project.
At present, the government merely segregates funding in its annual budget for its portion on every PPP undertaking such as payment for right-of-way. This, De Leon said, will be different.
For one, since the fund will not be part of general appropriations, it may only be tapped if windfall revenues are recorded or borrowings are made.
“This will only be used if needed. If there will be a trigger, that will be the time that we will use it,” De Leon said.
“It is one way again of managing our contingent liabilities. What we are saying is that we are prepared and that there is readiness on our part should there be risks,” she pointed out.
She noted that even credit rating agencies had qualms on the lack of back-up for the country’s PPP scheme and that this should address that concern.
“This is really more of a contingent measure, just in case, standby fund for all those contingent liabilities,” De Leon said.
12 May 2013, Business World OnlineÂ
The Finance Department is proposing the inclusion of a national budget item that will provide for the government’s contingent liabilities in public-private partnership (PPP) projects, a senior government official said over the weekend.
“We have submitted our recommendation to the DBM (Department of Budget and Management) to include a contingent liability fund in the budget as part of the unprogrammed funds,” National Treasurer Rosalia V. de Leon said.
“We proposed an initial amount of about P30 billion. But this is still under discussion with the DBM,” she added.
Ms. de Leon explained that the item would be a “standby fund” for government liabilities that may arise out of the concession agreements it enters into for PPP projects.
“It will be a fund that we can tap in case we can’t deliver our part of the contract within the specified period of time,” she said.
“Also, for example, the tariff or fee that was supposed to be imposed was not imposed — that’s within our control, so we’ll have to take on that,” Ms. de Leon added.
“If the liabilities are not triggered, then we won’t spend anything. We’re willing to put it [in the budget] because we’re confident it will never be triggered.”
Out-of-budget items need a special appropriation or the reallotment of savings from programmed funds, which require extensive approvals.
Launched in 2010, the PPP program, one of the flagship projects of the Aquino administration, has attracted much criticism due to rollout delays.
Only three PPP deals have been awarded so far: the P1.96-billion Daang Hari-South Luzon Expressway Link to Ayala Corp.; the P16.42-billion PPP School Infrastructure Project Phase One to the Citicore Holdings Investment, Inc.-Megawide Construction Corp., Inc. and BF Corp.-Riverbanks Development Corp. consortiums; and the P15.86-billion Ninoy Aquino International Airport Expressway to Optimal Infrastructure Development, Inc., a unit of San Miguel Corp. — Bettina Faye V. Roc
