For business tycoon Ramon Ang, the government should just close Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) after 10 years and sell the land on which it stands.
The government will earn about P2 trillion that can be used to pay off the country’s debt, said Ang, president of conglomerate San Miguel Corp. (SMC).
“Sell the land, 646 hectares for P2 trillion and pay for government debts,” according to Ang’s text message this Thursday. It is not yet clear how the billionaire businessman calculated the value of NAIA land.
Ang wants to get a 10-year concession to run the NAIA.
At the same time, SMC is planning to build a larger airport, the New Manila International Airport, in Bulacan town in Bulacan.
Ang said it would be better to eventually stop the NAIA operation and sell it or develop it. The entire airport complex is almost 2.5 times larger than Bonifacio Global City in Taguig.
Ramon Ang is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Top Frontier Investment Holdings, Inc., the largest shareholder of San Miguel Corporation.
But SMC is not the only one interested in getting concessions in NAIA management, the country’s main airport.
At the Senate hearing on Thursday, Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) general manager Eddie Monreal said another company, Philippine Airport Ground Support Solutions Inc. (PAGSS), also submitted its offer for NAIA.
Ramon Ang believes NAIA should be shut down after 10 years
But the offer of SMC and PAGSS can only be considered if the government completely rejects the offer of Megawide Construction Corp. and its partner GMR Infrastructure, a Filipino-Indian venture that redeveloped Mactan Cebu International Airport (MCIA) and Clark International Airport.
A few days ago, Megawide’s original proponent status (OPS), which aims to rehabilitate the NAIA for P109 billion, was removed. The government did not have to spend anything.
The MIAA board could not explain this, causing the government to question the lack of transparency in the process.
But at the Senate hearing this Thursday chaired by Sen. Grace Poe, Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade clarified that the door for Megawide-GMR is not closed.
“The project hasn’t been terminated permanently,” Tugade said.