Highlights
- Philippine conglomerate San Miguel Corp. signed a $15-billion contract with the government
- Deal calls for building international airport in Bulacan province, north of Manila, on a build-operate-transfer (BOT) basis.
- New gateway aims to decongest overstretched Ninoy Aquino International in the capital.
- Philippine Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade and SMC President and COO Ramon Ang sealed the 50-year concession agreement for airport project.
DUBAI: Jobs will be open at a new airport outside Manila for qualified overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who lost their jobs or opted to work at home, according to project proponents.
A top official of San Miguel Corp. (SMC), the Philippine's biggest conglomerate, said they plan to hire returning OFWs and local residents of Bulacan province to build the P734-billion ($15.12 billion) airport, Manila's second aviation gateway.
Manila is building the new four-runway international Airport located in Bulacan, about 30 minutes north of the Philippine capital, to complement the single-runway Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) south of the city, which has been operating at more than 130% beyond its capacity since 2018.
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The existing airport straddles Pasay and Paranaque, two of the 16 cities that comprise Metro Manila, with 12.8 million inhabitants.
Priority in hiring
SMC president and chief operating officer Ramon Ang told local media that the company would prioritise the initial hiring of local residents, especially those relocated from Barangay Taliptip where the airport would be built.
Dozens of residents of the barangay will under training under the Technical Education Skills Development Authority (TESDA) to acquire skills needed for the airport’s construction. The project would need engineers, quantity surveyors, document controllers, electricians, masons, drivers, logistics professionals and maintenance technicians, among others.
“Over the next couple of years, construction of this massive airport will generate hundreds of thousands of direct and indirect jobs. We will prioritise local residents, but there will be so many jobs and livelihood opportunities that ultimately, workers will come from all over Bulacan, Central Luzon, even Metro Manila and Southern Luzon,” he said.
Large-scale infrastructure projects
Ang said with the COVID-19 pandemic resulting in an economic downturn, San Miguel was more determined to push through with large-scale infrastructure projects, such as the airport, to boost the economy and provide employment to many Filipinos who were rendered jobless.
He said aside from local residents, SMC would open employment opportunities to overseas Filipino workers who were returning in droves to the country due to the uncertain global economic conditions.
“We have so many talented and experienced Filipino skilled workers and engineers, and they can really be an asset to this project. It’s a project they can be proud of, and tell their grandchildren about,” Ang said.
The first batch of 60 residents are set to receive training in courses such as shielded metal arc welding, electrical installation and maintenance and heavy equipment operations. Meanwhile, courses such as dressmaking and cookery are also on offer for residents who want to be self-employed.
All trainees in the initial batch will be given toolkits or tools for their chosen trade.
The airport project, to be built on private-public partnership (no cost to the government), is seen to resolve the perennial congestion problems at the country’s primary gateway.
Some features of the new Manila airport:
- Four parallel runways (with provision for additional two);
- A passenger terminal;
- Infrastructure network with links to major expressways;
- Mass rail system to ensure easy connectivity.
The airport project, to be built on private-public partnership (no cost to the government), is seen to resolve the perennial congestion problems at the country’s primary gateway.
Capacity
The airport will be capable of handling up to 100 million passengers a year, create about 30 million tourism-related jobs and generate more than a million direct jobs for host province Bulacan and nearby provinces.
The airport project is also expected to give rise to new local industries and boost existing ones, as construction and operation would require suppliers, maintenance contractors, food providers, accommodations and the like.
