The year-old suspension of reclamation activities along Manila Bay is costing San Miguel Corporation hundreds of millions of dollars in additional costs in building the P734-billion Bulacan International Airport.
Ramon S. Ang, SMC president and chief executive, acknowledged the presidential directive halting reclamation activities in scenic Manila Bay a year ago also impacted the Bulacan airport project as landfill sources were ordered closed as well.
The presidential ban paved the way for a thorough evaluation of the environmental impact of reclamation activities in the bay and on legal compliance.
But Ang said the enterprise is “working closely with the government to help and allow us” to access landfill sources again to complete the airport project by the first quarter of 2028. SMC initially targeted completing the Bulacan Airport by 2027.
The Department of Transportation (DOTr) in August 2019 awarded San Miguel Holdings Corp. the contract to finance, design, construct, supply, complete, test, commission and operate and maintain the new international gateway in Bulakan, Bulacan.
San Miguel has tapped the services of global firms Groupe ADPi, Meinhardt Group and Jacobs Engineering to design and build the New Manila International Airport.
All three companies were involved in building world-class airports as the Changi Airport in Singapore, the Atlanta Airport in the US and Charles de Gaulle Airport in France.
The initial designs, some of which were released earlier, envision a future-ready airport focusing on overall passenger experience and sustainable technologies consistent with the needs of the environment and the local communities of Bulacan and nearby provinces.
San Miguel also committed to engage a world-class airport operator to help manage the country’s future premier gateway.
The company is building the project on a 2,500-hectare property in Bulakan town about 30 kilometers northeast of Metro Manila at no cost to the government.
