Transportation Secretary Arthur P. Tugade said Friday San Miguel Corp. has been quietly working on the P735-billion New Manila International Airport project in Bulacan.
“Kailan magagawa ang groundbreaking, gustong gusto ko rin itulak ‘yan pero mahalaga na alam natin na may ginagawa ang San Miguel at si Ramon Ang,” Mr. Tugade said at a televised press briefing.
(As for when the groundbreaking will take place, I also really want to push for it, but it is important that we know San Miguel and [President and Chief Operating Officer] Ramon S. Ang are already working on it.)
“Wala po akong rason o dahilan na pagdudahan na ‘yung groundbreaking magagawa at magagawa ‘yan in the next 45 to 60 days,” he added.
(I have no reason to doubt that they can do the groundbreaking in the next 45 to 60 days.)
San Miguel’s airport project is expected to be completed in four to six years. It is projected to accommodate 100 million to 200 million passengers annually.
The company has selected Dutch firm Royal Boskalis Westminster N.V., through its local unit Boskalis Philippines, Inc., to undertake land development work for the project, which will be built in the coastal areas of Bulakan town in Bulacan province.
It has tapped Groupe ADP (Aeroports de Paris), Meinhardt Group and Jacobs Engineering Group for the construction of the airport. These firms are behind Singapore’s Changi airport, France’s Charles de Gaulle airport, and the United States’ Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International airport.
The project will include four to six parallel runways, eight taxiways, and three passenger terminal buildings.
San Miguel hopes the project will generate more than a million direct and indirect jobs, and once completed, create up to as much as 30 million tourism jobs nationwide.
San Miguel will also build an expressway that will link the airport to North Luzon Expressway and a rail link through Metro Rail Transit-7.
The government hopes the Bulacan airport will help decongest Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Pasay City. — Arjay L. Balinbin