DOTr eyes privatization of 10 more airports until 2028
According to Dizon, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) is looking to have 10 more airports placed under public-private partnership (PPP) — Iloilo, Davao, Siargao, Laoag, Busuanga, Bicol, Tacloban, Bacolod-Silay, General Santos, and Puerto Princesa.
'I'm quite confident that we can PPP 10 more airports by 2028 and this is something that I was bold enough to promise the President that we would PPP these 10 airports,' he said during the Economic Journalists Association of the Philippines (EJAP) Infrastructure Forum in Makati City.
Dizon said the project that is in the most advanced stage is the Iloilo Airport, which has an unsolicited proposal from the Villar Group. It is now with the coordinating committee of the Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DepDev).
The Iloilo Airport will be developed as a standalone, while the remaining airports are set to be bid out as bundles, as suggested by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
'I think the government should really focus on making sure that a lot of areas have at least an air strip, an air field for logistics for emergency, for disaster relief, dapat meron 'yan at least pero 'yung mga viable airports I think lahat 'yan i-PPP na (they should have those at least, but those viable, i think they should all be PPP),' Dizon said.
At present, seven airports have been placed under PPPs, with the biggest being the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) which was taken over by the New NAIA Infra Corp. (NNIC) in September 2024.
Other airports include the Bohol-Panglao and Laguindingan airports with the Aboitiz Group, the Mactan-Cebu Airport with the GMR Megawide Cebu Airport Corp. (GMCAC), Clark Airport with Luzon International Premiere Airport Development (LIPAD), and the Caticlan and New Manila airports with San Miguel. —RF, GMA Integrated News
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