Bidders given more time to inspect Cebu airport

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) has given interested bidders more time to conduct ocular inspection at the Mactan-Cebu International Airport by postponing the submission of qualification documents for the controversial P17 billion new passenger terminal project.

In a bulletin, DOTC Undersecretary Jose Perpetuo Lotilla said the schedule of the pre-qualification conference has been moved to Feb. 13 instead of Jan. 28 while the submission and opening of qualification documents has been postponed to Feb. 27 from Feb. 18.

Lotilla, chairman of the pre-qualification bids and awards committee (PBAC), said the objective of the ocular inspection is to enable the prospective bidders to familiarize themselves with the site conditions in relation to the Mactan-Cebu International Airport project.

The official issued Supplemental Bid Bulletin 01-2013 laying down the guidelines for site visits wherein prospective bidders are required to submit a written request and coordinate with the office of the general manager.

Based on a PPP Center briefing paper, 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 Mactan-Cebu international 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.

The passenger traffic for year 2011 was around 6.2 million passengers.  The deterioration in the level of convenience and lack of ability to handle more passengers may hinder further development and growth of international airport.

Transportation secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya last Jan. 15 reiterated that the agency was sticking to its earlier decision barring owners of airlines to bid for Mactan-Cebe International Airport project to avoid sheer conflict of interest.