The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) has set Oct. 29 as the deadline for competing bids for the P7-billion redevelopment of Subic Bay International Airport (SBIA), moving the long-awaited project closer to a head-to-head challenge.
Prospective challengers must submit their comparative proposals by 1 p.m. on Oct. 29, when SBMA will also open the qualification documents.
The project involves the rehabilitation, expansion, operation, and maintenance of SBIA under an Operate-Rehabilitate-Add-Transfer public-private partnership (PPP) structure.
Cerberus Asia Pacific Investments LLC, which submitted an unsolicited proposal in April 2025, was granted original proponent status after the project received approval in April 2026. As original proponent, Cerberus will have the right to match the best competing offer produced through the challenge process.
SBMA will hold a pre-bid conference on Sept. 14, followed by optional site visits and one-on-one meetings from Sept. 16 to 18. Interested parties may submit queries until Sept. 21, while the final PPP contract or bid bulletin is scheduled for release on Sept. 29.
The planned concession will run for 25 years and may be extended for another 25 years, subject to applicable conditions. The project entails about P7 billion in construction, renovation, and rehabilitation investments.
SBMA is pitching Subic as a western aviation and logistics gateway that can complement Clark International Airport and provide cargo operators with another option as aviation and logistics capacity around Metro Manila becomes increasingly constrained.
The redevelopment is expected to include new warehouses, aircraft staging and parking areas, hangars, and additional apron space.
The airport’s location within the Subic Bay Freeport, combined with its access to the seaport and expressway network, is central to the project’s logistics proposition.
For SBMA, the goal extends beyond giving an underused airport a facelift. The redevelopment is envisioned as a way to plug Subic more firmly into the country’s growing logistics network and strengthen its role as an alternative gateway for cargo and aviation.
SBMA said the challenge timetable may still be adjusted through supplemental bid bulletins.
