MANILA -- President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. considered the rehabilitation of the Manila International Airport (MIA) as a great catch-up plan, urging the San Miguel Corp. and its consortium to abide by the contract stated under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP).

“In a nutshell, we are embarking, and we have to admit this on a fairly major catch-up plan,” President Marcos said.

“So, let us be reminded that the bottom line of the Manila International Airport’s resurgence is not what it will bring to the coffers of our government but the comfort it will bring to its passengers,” he added.

The President made the remarks during the signing of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) PPP project concession agreement at the Kalayaan Hall in Malacañang on Monday. It was evaluated within a “record-breaking seven weeks” – making it the fastest PPP project proposals to be approved in history.

President Marcos, however pointed out that the government did not sacrifice scrutiny for speed, saying it was “fastidiously examined at every step of the way” and “it was open, transparent and competitive” aligned with international best practices in structuring and tendering bankable and fair PPP projects.

He said the PPP project is the “fruit of unity, of vision, of purpose” under his administration.

“So, I urge the San Miguel Corporation and Company Consortium to fulfil its commitments to this PPP Project. This undertaking is not just about revenues that will be remitted to treasury alone, but resources invested in the airport and in many ways. It is an investment in our future,” the President said.

President Marcos said he remains confident that SMC president and CEO Ramon Ang, who vowed to fix the airport problem, will manage to, “by hook, or by crook” comply with the PPP contracts.

The President said the comprehensive modernization of the Manila International Airport, in partnership with the private sector is finally taking off after more than 30 years of bureaucratic inertia, political turbulence, legal wranglings, among others.

Marcos said the Filipino people will continue to suffer the problem if it is left unresolved. “The gateway that should be the red carpet to our country has become a dirty rug that unfairly define a visitor’s first impression, which we all know is extremely important for all those who are tourist, who are travelers, who, for any reason, have come into the Philippines.”

The chief executive recalled that some people would compare the Philippine airport to those airports in Hong Kong and Singapore.

He said the government is now trying to achieve the “evolution” of other airports from neighboring countries in terms of its management.

“Kaya’t mabuti na, kailangan na kailangan na natin ayusin ito. More damaging than the occasional unflattering headlines are the inconveniences that many of its passengers undergo daily. It also affects our economy greatly,” President Marcos said.

“The postponed improvement of the airport has resulted in delayed and reduced number of flights. So, due to insufficient flights, visitor arrivals have suffered, denying our economy billions in tourism receipts. The truth is, before our guests can swim, shop, sunbathe and surf, they must secure airline seats first,” he added.

Under the PPP project, President Marcos underscored that it is not just about revenues that will be remitted to treasury alone, but resources invested in the airport and in many ways, as an investment in the future of the Philippines and the Filipino people.

He said the PPP project will ramp up annual capacity from 35 million passengers per year to almost double, or 62 million passengers a year.

“But we’ve seen it before, we’ve seen it in other airports. Nagagawa naman talaga. And so, we can take lessons from all the other experiences and the best practices of other airports. Hourly air traffic movements will be increased from 40-42 per hour to 48 movements per hour,” Marcos said.

“However, traffic abatement should not happen on the tarmac alone, but also on the roads leading to the airport. This time – the time it takes to pick-up a passengers at the curb or to find a parking spot should be shorter than the flight itself,” he added.

The President said the fast flow of passengers, arriving and departing, must be guaranteed inside a terminal that is “clean and comfortable.”

At the same time, the project will also mobilize approximately PhP88 billion in capital investments within its first six years of operation, which is more than eight times the disbursed capital investments for the Manila International Airport since 2010, President Marcos said.

He added that the private sector will also pay the government of around PhP1.052 trillion in the next 15 years, or so, which is more than 15 times the amount remitted by the airport to the national government since 2010.

“By bringing in the expertise of the private sector, we are pushing forward infrastructure projects to meet international standards and to provide the public with state-of-the-art services. This PPP Project showcases what can happen when we join hands in solving the nation’s problems,” President Marcos said.

“It reminds us that there is no challenge too difficult that we cannot surmount, that a Filipino ingenuity and spirit cannot surmount. So long as we remain bound together with a common purpose. The project proves that the Bagong Pilipinas that we seek is not an impossible dream,” he added.

Before concluding his speech, the President urged both the private and public sectors, and the people to continue working together and “brave the turbulence that may come” in order to arrive at the destiny and the destination that every Filipino dreamed of. (PND)