Dennis Wright, president of Peregrine Development International, responded to my last column, which detailed the urgency of the country to have a world-class airport.
In a nutshell, he is saying that the only viable location for a large airport would be the Clark Freeport.
Peregrine, under Wright, is the brain behind Clark’s 177-hectare Global Gateway Logistics City (GGLC), later renamed Sabah Al-Ahmad GGLC to honor Kuwait’s Sheikh Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the country’s emir.
Kuwait and Gulf Link’s (KGL), investment arm, KGL Investment Co. (KGLI), initially infused some $30 million in the $3-billion project, which started in 2012 and is expected to be completed next year.
The project features a 72-hectare logistics park, a 57-hectare business park, a 27-hectare aero park and a 21-hectare town center for commercial and residential buildings. Once completed, the project would generate 200,000 jobs.
In his e-mail, Wright wrote: “I would be the first to concede the country needs a new world-class airport, and would further concede it could be put anywhere: Laguna, Manila Bay, Cavite, Batangas, wherever… But based on an analysis of every single major new airport construction, the best time, from concept to first flight, is seven years. So, conceding [that an airport’s location could be] anywhere anyone wants to build it, it will never see the first landing for a minimum of another seven years, and more likely 10. So what is to be done over the next seven to 10 years?
“The new Duterte administration, no matter how aggressive they pursue [the construction of] a new airport, it is impossible to build during his tenure. So what is to be done? No matter how one looks at it, the only viable alternative until some new airport comes online is Clark.”
It is indisputable that decongesting Metro Manila has to be done urgently to solve the so-called carmageddon gripping the whole nation. During his campaign, President Duterte vowed to solve this debacle in six months. Unfortunately, he flip-flopped when finally elected, and even asked for emergency powers to confront the traffic nightmare. In the meantime, congestion persists: The economy is growing, and car sales are at a record-high, while infrastructure and problems of urbanization continue to be ignored, as Wright points out, “with no credible vision for the future.”
He explains: “While you cannot fund and fix infrastructure and lethargic decision-making overnight, there are some things that can be done immediately to help alleviate the problem and better plan for the future, [such as] promote and expand the use of the Clark airport and Port of Subic [Port of Batangas, as well]. Promoting the use of Clark and Subic [would] cost the government [next to] nothing, and would have tremendous impact on the national economy and help alleviate some of the congestion.”
It takes seven years—from planning to the first flight and at a cost of from $7 billion to $20 billion—to build a new airport. Even assuming that Duterte has the political will and wherewithal to put up one anywhere, what happens during the lull, which would take a full decade?
Wright asks: “With a growing middle class that is more affluent and can afford domestic air travel, and the country’s desire to see tourism increase, where-oh-where will these planes land?” The Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) has already reached its capacity for safe landings and takeoffs.
According to Wright, “Promotion and expanded use of Clark [and the Ports of Subic and Batangas] to get the north-bound traffic from Naia and the trucks bound for the Port of Manila totally off Edsa is really a no brainer.”
He clarifies that our country needs three airports, just to “keep up with the Joneses,” so to speak. Most of the major cities today have two, three or more major airports actively servicing their people. Even with Clark and/or another new airport located in the South, the Naia should continue to operate.
“Manila needs Naia today and in the foreseeable future,” Wright emphasizes. “But it also needs Clark now, and [possibly] a third airport south of Manila.”
To be continued
For comments and suggestions, e-mail me at mvala.v@gmail.com.