Chelsea Logistics and Infrastructure Holdings Corp., a company led by businessman Dennis Uy, expects the National Economic and Development Authority to approve shortly its unsolicited proposal to develop, operate and maintain the Davao International Airport for 30 years, a top executive said Wednesday.
“Last year, we were given the original proponent status and now we have obtained the official endorsement from Davao City Chamber. We are grateful how everything is proceeding according to our timeline,” Chelsea president and chief executive Chryss Alfonsus Damuy said.
“With the pace of the approval process, we are positive to receive the green light from Neda soon so we can move forward with the development of the primary gateway to Mindanao and the third largest airport in the country,” he said.
The Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry Inc. asked the Transportation Department, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, Neda, the Finance Department and other relevant agencies “to vigorously pursue and expedite the ongoing process of reviews and approvals of the Davao Airport PPP proposal to allow the timely implementation of the project and optimal benefits of the government and the Davao community.”
Under its P49 billion unsolicited proposal, Chelsea also offered a new technology to enhance passenger experience and capture data to deliver efficient operations.
The unsolicited proposal will undergo a Swiss Challenge. This means that other groups may submit counter-proposals, while the original proponent has the option to match such bids.
Chelsea Logistics also submitted an unsolicited offer to Philippine Ports Authority to develop, operate and maintain the Davao Sasa Port for P16 billion with a proposed concession period of 25 years. Darwin G. Amojelar
The company plans to spend P16 billion for the Davao Sasa Port in phases. The PPA has yet to issue OPS to Chelsea Logistics for the project.
Sasa Port is designed for break bulk cargo vessels. About 500,000 metric tons of steel, wheat, fertilizer, motor vehicles, heavy equipment and other cargo not suitable for containers went through Sasa Port in 2014, according to PPA data.
Davao Integrated Port and Stevedoring Services Corp., an operator at the Sasa port, said the current capacity of Sasa is about 700,000 twenty-foot equivalent units.