Privatization of NAIA proposed
A veteran lawmaker is proposing to the incoming administration to consider the privatization of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).
According to Albay Representative Joey SAlceda, chairman of the House Committee on Ways and Means, the move is aimed at decongesting Metro Manila and raising new revenues in response to questions on how to offset the fiscal impacts of COVID-19.
“We should consider privatizing the NAIA. And let me clarify: I don’t mean just an outright sale, if the incoming President is uncomfortable with disposing government properties. We can adopt the New Clark City approach of master-planning in the area, profiting from the sale of development rights, rental income, appreciating value due to new business activity, and other non-sale means,” Salceda said.
“It’s around 625 hectares, double the size of Bonifacio Global City. So, there’s plenty of potential for value creation there,” Salceda added.
The solon said the government can master-plan it so that there is space for worker in-city housing, parks, public transport, and public spaces.
A study done on the matter five years ago estimated multiplier effects of redevelopment to be as much as 5.4 trillion pesos in economic value. The land costs around P400 billion
The study Salceda cited is that of the San Miguel Corporation’s proposal for the closure and redevelopment of the airport.
Salceda added that decommissioning the airport for redevelopment will allow the government to open new “North-South” and “East-West” connections in the NCR.
“You can now basically connect BGC and Manila Bay via an east-west BRT or rail route. It would also allow you to connect Taft Avenue with C5 directly, and we can again establish a BRT route to connect that area to the LRT1. Look at NCR’s map. The shape of NCR is like a bottleneck, and NAIA is like a clog in the bottleneck,” Salceda explained.
Meanwhile, SAlceda said, NAIA redevelopment should be complemented with the completion of the North-South Commuter Rail project, as air traffic will be diverted to the Bulacan Airport and to Clark.
“The immediate need, of course, is to have some way for people in places like Batangas or Laguna to have easy access to the new airports in Central Luzon. Otherwise, they lose out,” Salceda said.
He further proposes the completion of the Bicol Express, the PNR South Long Haul project, because that will allow people from Quezon and Camarines Norte to choose between going to Central Luzon or using the Bicol International Airport as their airport for use.
