GMA News Online, 02 April 2013
The government has moved for the fourth time the deadline for the submission of prequalification documents for the P17.5-billion Mactan-Cebu international airport project from April 5 to April 22.
This time, no further extension will be entertained, according to Transportation Undersecretary Rene Limcaoco in General Bid Bulletin No. 08-2013.
“Please be notified that, upon the request of several bidders, the submission and opening of documents is moved to April 22. There will be no further extension,” Limcaoco stated in the notice dated April 1.
The Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) first moved the deadline to February 27 from February 18 to give bidders more time to conduct ocular inspection to familiarize themselves with the site conditions in relation to the airport project.
It extended the deadline to March 22 before extending it to April 5 due to the request for extension by the prospective bidders.
The Mactan-Cebu airport project involves the construction of a world-class passenger terminal building with a capacity of eight million passengers a year as well as the operation and maintenance of the old and new facilities.
The airport is situated in a 797-hectare property and has a single 3,300 meter runway that is complemented by a full-length taxiway. The terminal building has a capacity of handling 4.5 million passengers annually on two wings, the domestic wing and the international wing. It is a major trade center in the south for both domestic and international traffic.
Companies that have expressed interest in the project include the tandem of infrastructure giant Metro Pacific Investments Corp. of businessman Manuel V. Pangilinan and taipan John L. Gokongwie’s flagship firm JG Summit Holdings Inc.; the tandem of diversified conglomerate San Miguel Corp. and the country’s second richest businessman Lucio Tan; and the partnership of publicly-listed Megawide Construction Corp. and infrastructure giant GMR Infrastructure Ltd. of India.
Other companies interested in the project include Lopez-owned First Philippine Holdings Corp. (FPHC), Premier Airport Group care of retail magnate Henry Sy’s SM Investments Corp., Aboitiz Land, Inc., Filinvest Development Corp. of taipan Andrew Gotianun, and Prime Power Holdings Corp. — KBK, GMA News
