San Miguel Corp. (SMC) will start the official construction phase of the P740-billion Manila International Airport (MIA) in the first quarter of 2021, awarding an P83.16-billion contract to Dutch firm Boskalis to jumpstart the land restoration and development works in the project site.
“Our selection of a global giant in dredging shows how ready, willing, and committed we are to do everything necessary to make sure this airport project is developed properly and sustainably. We will make sure it will serve and benefit Filipinos, our host province Bulacan, and the rest of the Philippines, for many generations to come,” SMC President Ramon S. Ang said.
Boskalis is a global dredging contractor that is known for helping develop Singapore’s Tuas Terminal Phase 2 port and its Tekong polder projects.
“Boskalis has committed to ensure that the area will be suitable for development. It will be designed with the highest technical and environmental standards, so it can withstand potential large earthquakes, local typhoon conditions, and even future sea level rise,” Ang said.
Boskalis CEO Peter Berdowski said his group will bring its “rich tradition in creating land all over the world to the highest technical and environmental standards.”
“We enthusiastically look forward to applying this know-how for the land development of the MIA Project. During the construction phase, we will contribute to the local economy and the new airport will bring further growth to the whole Manila region,” he said.
To be built on a 2,400-hectare property in Bulakan, Bulacan, just north of Metro Manila, the $15-billion airport complex will have four runways, eight taxiways, and three passenger terminals. It also has provisions for future expansion to sport six runways and to accommodate 200 million passengers per year.
The conglomerate said earlier that it plans to “incorporate” road and rail projects into its airport project, as it intends to provide seamless travel to and from the future air hub.
Its airport development plan includes an 8-kilometer airport toll road that will connect the airport to the North Luzon Expressway and link it to the recently-completed 18-kilometer Skyway Stage 3 going to the South Luzon Expressway.
SMC said the airport will help raise tourism levels to 30 million annually, generate over a million direct and indirect jobs, and will contribute roughly P900 billion annually to the Philippine GDP by 2025.