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Manila Bulletin devider Business devider The Economy devider SBMA moves ₱6.2-billion Subic airport Swiss challenge by one month

SBMA moves ₱6.2-billion Subic airport Swiss challenge by one month

Published May 15, 2026 12:48 pm  |  Updated May 15, 2026 01:30 pm

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) has prolonged by one month its preparations for the Swiss challenge for the ₱6.2-billion Subic Bay International Airport (SBIA) project in a bid to ensure that tender documents and contractual frameworks are complete as well as clear for prospective challengers.

In a May 14 bid bulletin, SBMA’s pre-qualification, bids, and awards committee (PBAC) for SBIA announced that the issuance and availability of tender/challenge documents have been moved to June 17 this year from the original May 18 schedule.

“The extension ensures technical specifications, financial parameters, and contractual frameworks are comprehensive, accurate, and clear,” SBMA said.

“This adjustment protects the integrity of the comparative challenge process and ensures equal footing for all participants,” it added, noting that “no prejudice is caused to any party as documents have not yet been released.”

SBMA said all procurement milestones tied to the issuance date will be adjusted accordingly, with the updated baseline timeline and tender documents to be released through the investment promotion agency’s (IPA) website and virtual data room (VDR).

Last month, SBMA invited challengers to apply for eligibility and submit comparative proposals for the airport project at the former United States (US) naval base, which stemmed from an unsolicited proposal from American firm Cerberus Asia Pacific Investments LLC.

The Swiss—or what SBMA refers to in its bidding documents as a “comparative”—challenge will be conducted under the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of Republic Act (RA) No. 11966, or the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Code of the Philippines, which allows third parties to submit competing proposals against unsolicited projects.

The project involves the upgrade, expansion, operation and maintenance (O&M), and eventual turnover of SBIA to SBMA after the concession period. It aims to establish an efficient and modern cargo transport system for Luzon region by transforming the airport into a high-capacity cargo hub that meets international standards and improves cargo shipment quality.

SBMA received the unsolicited proposal from Cerberus in March last year under an operate-rehabilitate-add-transfer arrangement pursuant to the PPP Code. The American firm had proposed a 25-year concession period, with an option for extension.

Following evaluation and negotiations with SBMA, Cerberus was granted original proponent status (OPS), making the proposal subject to the comparative challenge process.

Under the right-to-match mechanism, Cerberus, as the original proponent, may match or improve upon the financial offer of the winning challenger within 30 calendar days. The challenge itself will run for 90 calendar days from the issuance of the tender documents.

To recall, Cerberus acquired the former Hanjin shipyard in Subic in 2022 and has since invested at least $40 million to revive the facility, now called Agila Subic Multi-Use Facilities, which has also been reportedly identified as the potential future site of a joint US-Philippines ammunition production and storage facility.

The firm had also expressed plans to transform Subic airport into a cargo and logistics hub as part of its wider investments in shipbuilding, logistics, semiconductors, and energy in the Philippines.

Related Tags

Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Subic Bay International Airport (SBIA) Cerberus
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