All-Asia Resources and Reclamation Corp. said the proposed Sangley gateway will keep about 8,000 trucks and 40,000 cars out of Metro Manila daily, easing up traffic while providing a comprehensive solution for a world-class airport, a seaport and an industrial complex.
The consortium led by tycoon Henry Sy and the Tieng family proposed the Philippine Global Gateway project worth P1.3 trillion to decongest the Ninoy Aquino International Airport and its surrounding roads.
Under the project, ARRC plans to build an international airport, seaport, economic zone and real estate components in Sangely Point.
“Ours is a complete package, not just an airport proposal. It is an integrated approach that addresses traffic congestion, job creation, exports, port congestion and our lack of a manufacturing base,” said Wilson Tieng, president and chief executive of ARRC.
He said the Philippines is so strategic in Asia that it should be its manufacturing and export hub.
“But how can Hong Kong, Singapore and Japan, for example, do just-in-time production when we cannot deliver on time due to traffic in our streets, our airport, and our seaport? So we thought of putting all three―an international airport, seaport and industrial complex―in one location,” he said.
The project was envisioned several years ago but could not be submitted because the previous administration was not open to unsolicited proposals.
Tieng said All-Asia finally submitted the proposal on Aug, 1 to the Transportation Department and presented it to the Cabinet and President Rodrigo Duterte on Aug, 22 where it was “very well received, to say the least.”
The first phase is the reclamation of 2,500 hectares of sea northwest of Sangley,
“Using the latest technology, we can finish the reclamation in two years and immediately build to finish the airport two years later just like other airports in Japan and South Korea, and other reclamation projects in Hong Kong and Macau. So if we get the go-signal by Jan. 1, 2017, for instance, we should have a new international airport we can all be proud of by 2021,” he said.
Japan International Cooperation Agency identified Sangley as the best location for a new airport to replace Naia out of nine alternative locations studied in Bulacan, Laguna and Metro Manila.
All-Asia submitted a separate proposal to rehabilitate the military-run Sangley runway, build a terminal and operate it for the so-called general aviation and small low-cost carriers.
This will free up Naia’s single runway and raise aircraft movement―landing and take-off―from 40 per hour to around 60 per hour.
Tieng said this meant there would be less flight delays and more flights passengers could choose from, which would also be good for tourism, trade and commerce.
“There are executive jets that line up in Naia that have only one passenger or just the pilot and occupy the same space and require the same amount of time to take off and land at the expense of commercial planes that carry 300 passengers. So even here, recognizing the problem, we came up with a solution,” he said.
The rehabilitation project will take only one year and P1 billion. (D. Amojelar, MS)
