When my 92-year-old mother and namesake, Susana, visited me last Sunday, she and my elder brother, Felix, drove from Bulacan to Metro Manila via the scenic Skyway 3. My brother, the designated driver, gushed over how smooth and quick the trip was. We don’t often think of infrastructure development as projects of hope, because once built, it’s easy to just take these new roads, bridges, ports, and airports for granted. I think the excitement created with the formal opening of the 18.83-kilometer elevated tollway project of San Miguel Corp., from Buendia to Balintawak, led people to become more appreciative of big-ticket infrastructure development.
The quality of Skyway 3 in terms of planning and execution has given rise to hope and more support for the building of the New Manila International Airport in my home province of Bulacan. That Bulacan is a province where perennial floodwaters do run deep, especially in coastal towns such as my town of Hagonoy, is a given. We have long been waiting for the national government to invest billions to solve environmental challenges that come with over-silted rivers, lack of mangroves, and the need for more dikes and spillways to channel flood waters coming from mountains and overspilling dams. Flood mitigation projects were done in a sporadic, incoherent fashion, never as part of a wholistic vision. And so, we all adjusted to having boots to wear, even when walking from our house to the nearest voting precinct to cast our ballot during the rainy political season.
Some people have criticized the tax exemptions legally given to San Miguel Corp. during the 10-year construction period in Bulacan. I say, let the risk-taker and primary direct investor in our province and region focus on building a world-class airport and, in the process, create millions of jobs, while addressing environmental concerns, for these tax-exempt 10 years. The employees it will hire will pay taxes. The long, dynamic supply chain that will have to be in place, to support the building of a new airport and modern aerocity in the rustic town of Bulakan, will breathe life into our pandemic-stricken economy. Where there is stillness, soon there will be the busyness and dynamism that come with building something huge. What can be bigger than an international airport with all the modern conveniences it provides?
Will the construction of a new airport drive Bulacan to go underwater? I have been hearing about the sea reclaiming my hometown since I was a little girl. I am now a year shy of 60. Our beloved Hagonoy continues to stand even as it serves as the natural catch-basin of floodwaters from Pampanga and elsewhere before pouring into Manila Bay. I trust that the developers and the provincial government, as well as our congressional leaders, won’t ever allow this historic province to sink and be gone forever. The national government has been discussing and negotiating with San Miguel Corp. about this airport project for several years. The franchise law stresses the need for environmental compliance. Several departments and agencies have taken part in discussions on how to move this project forward.
I asked a friend of mine who lives in the town where the airport construction will take place, whether she is in favor of the airport project. Tess, a former overseas Filipino worker, was quick to say yes. Her family is excited about it, she said. For her, it means more jobs will be created and businesses, too. They don’t need to consider going abroad since the airport construction will require lots of workers from their community. She also mentioned that San Miguel Corp. has been reaching out to the residents of Taliptip, Bulakan through community reselling programs and Tesda skills training activities.
In my hometown of Hagonoy, mangroves are being planted, courtesy of San Miguel Corp., on 10 hectares of coastal areas. The over-all target is to plant 190,000 mangroves over 76 hectares in Bulacan and Central Luzon, in areas identified by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). Alongside the massive mangroves planting program is the P1-billion plan to dredge and clean up the Tullahan-Tinajeros River system.
The country’s biggest conglomerate has tapped global firm Royal Boskalis Westminster N.V. to undertake land development works for the airport project. “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,” SMC President and COO Ramon S. Ang said in a media interview. Indeed, why would a highly respected conglomerate like San Miguel invest P738 billion to build an airport only to see airplanes wading in floodwaters?
After experiencing the wonder of Skyway 3, we now look forward to a world-class airport being built within our lifetime. The New Manila International Airport will have four runways for domestic and international flights, which should cater to up to 200 million passengers yearly. That it happens to be built in the historic province of Bulacan is a major plus for those of us who live there and will continue to do so for the rest of our lives.
Susan V. Ople heads the Blas F. Ople Policy Center and Training Institute, a nonprofit organization that deals with labor and migration issues. She also represents the OFW sector in the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking.