DAVAO CITY – National Economic Development Authority (NEDA)-Davao head Maria Lourdes Lim bared that Chelsea Logistics Holdings Corp. owned by Davao-based business tycoon Dennis Uy has been asked to revise its proposal on the modernization of the Davao International Airport.
Lim said the Department of Transportation returned the unsolicited proposal of Chelsea for the Davao International Airport Development Project to enable the company to comply with the revised Implementing Rules and Regulations of Republic Act 6957, as amended by RA 7718, also known as the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) Law.
She said the Oct. 19, 2022 amendments to the IRR require private proponents to provide a more transparent system to evaluate and implement big-ticket projects under a Public-Private Partnership scheme and put in place a “greatest value and reduction of risk” management system.
She said the government did not set a deadline for Chelsea to comply with the new requirements.
The project, with an estimated cost of around P48.97 billion, seeks to expand and upgrade airport facilities through the PPP scheme.
“It’s the call of the proponent when to submit the revised guidelines. Suffice it to say that it should be compliant with the revised implementing rules and regulations,” Lim said.
Chelsea Logistics Holdings Corp. submitted an unsolicited proposal for the project on May 28, 2018 and had been granted original proponent status by the Department of Transportation (DOTr) for the operation, maintenance, and expansion of the airport.
However, Lim said that the DOTr withdrew the original proponent status to allow other private proponents to make similar proposals for the modernization of the airport.
Lim added that the Regional Development Council (RDC)-Davao has proposed to the DOTr a feasibility study for the construction of an additional airport in the region.
She said alternative sites being considered are Tagum City, Panabo City, Santa Maria municipality in Davao Occidental, Davao del Sur, and Barangay Mandug, this city.