The Philippine Department of Transportation (DOTr) has extended the deadline for the submission of qualification documents for the Philippine Regional Airports Development, Operations and Maintenance project under the public-private partnership (PPP).

According to DOTr, the schedule of the qualification documents submission date for the project is now on June, 15. The previous deadline was set on May 11.

The government is seeking bidders for five unbundled airports projects, which are namely Bacolod-Silay, Davao, Iloilo, Laguindingan, and New Bohol (Panglao) under public-private partnership (PPP) scheme.

With the previous administration, the projects was, initially, to be offered in bundles: Bundle 1 was composed of the Iloilo Airport and Bacolod-Silay Airport, while Bundle 2 covered the Davao Airport, New Bohol (Panglao) Airport and the Laguindingan Airport. However, the current administration has decided to unbundle the five airports in order to accelerate the tender process.

During the previous administration, the government pre-qualified the following groups to bid for the project:

• Filinvest-Jatco-Sojitz Consortium, composed of Filinvest Development Corporation; Japan Airport Terminal Co., Ltd; Sojitz Corporation;,
• GMR Infrastructure and Megawide Consortium, composed of Megawide Construction Corporation; GMR Infrastructure (Singapore) Pte. Limited (GISPL),
• Maya Consortium, Aboitiz Equity Ventures, Inc; VINCI Airports SAS;
• Philippine Airports Consortium, composed of Metro Pacific Investments Corporation; Philippines Airport Management Compan; 
• and SMHC-IIAC Airport Consortium, composed of San Miguel Holdings Corporation; Incheon International Airport Corporation.

The DOTr clarified that previously pre-qualified bidders in the bundled projects are also considered pre-qualified in the unbundled projects, provided that there are no changes in their legal, technical, and/or financial capacity.

These PPP projects aim to improve the services of the regional airports by allowing its private sector partner to handle its operation and maintenance including the enhancement of its airside and landside facilities. This is in line with the government’s plan to develop international gateways in the countryside.