The
Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) formally called for
bidders who are interested to undertake the P40.57-billion
development, operations and maintenance of the Davao International Airport
under a public-private partnership scheme.
“The Davao
Airport will be part of a bundled airport projects to be undertaken by the DOTC
and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA),” said National Economic and Development
Authority (NEDA) XI director M. Lourdes Lim said.
However,
she said, it is the sentiment of the Regional Development Council (RDC)
members “na di makasama ang Davao Airport sa bundled bidding. Sana mahiwalay
kasi baka ma tie-down namana nd maulahi ang pag award.”
The Davao
Airport is the third busiest airport in the country that handles direct flights
daily and direct flights to Singapore weekly. The airport has a 10.56% annual
average growth rate for the last five years, handling 2,795,251 passengers in
2013.
“As of now we haven’t really seen the final
tender documents but during the discussions at the Committee and Council
levels, that was the sentiments of the members of the Council that dito sana at
mahiwalay ang Davao Airport project,” she said.
The bid
notice indicated that the winning private sector bidder will be required to start
expanding the passenger terminal building, apron, other airside and landside
facilities of the airports.
DOTC
reported that the Davao Airport is expected to breach its estimated design
capacity in the next few years. The Bacolod-Silay, Iloilo and Laguindingan and
Puerto Princesa airports have reportedly already exceeded their estimated
passenger capacity.
Including
Davao, the project will involve a total of six airport projects in the country
namely: P4.57-billion New Bohol (Panglao) Airport; P5.81-billion Puerto
Princesa Airport; P14.62-billion Laguindingan Airport; P20.26-billion Bacolod-Silay
International Airport and the P30.40-billion Iloilo Airport.
DOTC Undersecretary for Legal Affairs Jose Perpetuo M. Lotilla earlier said they are
planning to break up the airport tender into two contracts covering three
projects each, with each bundle roughly equivalent to an estimated annual
throughput of five million passengers.
All
interested parties are required to pay a non-refundable fee of P1 million
before they can acquire the invitation documents consisting of the invitation
to pre-qualify and bid, project information memorandum (PIM) and instructions
to prospective bidders (ITPB).
