By EMMIE V. ABADILLA Can a provincial government build the US$10-billion Sangley International Airport, especially after President Rodrigo Duterte has banned reclamation projects in the Manila Bay area? An infrastructure-oriented think tank now urges Congress to review the Cavite Local Government Unit's multi-billion dollar airport project to determine whether conflicts exist with national agencies undertaking the chief executive’s program. “While the effort of the Cavite provincial government to spur economic growth should be lauded, there are some questions on whether provincial governments can undertake airport development projects," reiterated Atty. Terry Ridon, InfraWatch PH convenor and former House transportation committee member. "We have no question that local governments can undertake reclamation activities, but we are uncertain whether they can undertake airport development activities, most especially of this magnitude,” he elaborated. The result of the bidding for the Sangley project raises red flags on the viability of the project, as only a single proponent submitted a proposal, Ridon pointed out. The tandem of MacroAsia and CCCC was the sole bidder for the Sangley Point International Airport project to be developed in partnership with the provincial government of Cavite. Infrastructure firms of some of the country’s largest conglomerates bought bid documents for the airport but did not participate in the bidding. "We would like to know why," the lawyer maintained. Coordination with transport agencies to ensure the success of the project seemed ambiguous as well. “The Department of Transportation (DOTr) has jurisdiction over the country’s airports," he pointed out. "Is there already an existing contract between the Cavite provincial government and the DOTr on how the Sangley airport will be developed under the provincial PPP arrangement?" Furthermore, "As the defense department also has jurisdiction over Sangley airbase, is there an existing contractual arrangement with the DND to ensure coordination over the development in their area?” Cavite’s Public-Private Partnership (PPP) venture can also conflict with the DOTr’s direction to use Sangley as the hub for general aviation and low-cost carriers, he argued. The President made his pronouncement on allowing only government projects to undertake reclamation at the Manila Bay area last Feb. 15, at the inauguration of the DOTr Sangley Airport Development project turning the Danilo Atienza Airbase into a general aviation and low cost carrier terminal. “In the last few months, the DOTr has made much about the speed of construction of the rehabilitated Sangley airport. In fact, local carriers had been invited to transfer some of their flights to Sangley. What will happen to these initiatives in the event that the Cavite PPP proposal is concluded and awarded to the sole bidder?” These are important questions that need to be addressed by no less than the Senate, as any conflict with national government initiatives on Sangley may mean billions of pesos of taxpayers’ money going down the drain once again, Ridon concluded.