CLARK FREEPORT – The Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA) here is facing 2010 with a record of 6,000 percent increase in its number of international flights since 2003, a period its officials have labeled as “First Wind”.
“In the Second Wind starting 2010, we expect DMIA to hit a million passengers per year or more than double the 600,000 passengers expected this year,” Clark International Airport Corp. (CIAC) Executive Vice President Alexander Cauguiran said.
Cauguiran said that CIAC’s operations of the DMIA from 2003 up to 2008 has been labeled as First Wind. He noted that in 2003, DMIA hosted only 44 international flights but that three years later, the airport had already recorded 7,880 international passengers.
“Next year, the operations will enter the Second Wind and we see a surge in the number of international airlines serving the DMIA,” he said.
Cauguiran said that because of this, “there is an urgent need to expand DMIA’s Terminal 1 to increase its present capacity for only two million passengers to at least five million per year.”
He noted that CIAC bid out over a week ago the bidding for the upgrading of the present terminal which is projected to cost some P300 million.
“We now badly need to have at least two or three passenger boarding bridges to accommodate the long-haul carriers we expect at the DMIA soon,” he said. At present, passengers use stairs on the open tarmac to board or alight from aircraft.
He noted that Araja Corp. won in the bidding after its only rival owned by the Ramos Group was disqualified allegedly on technical grounds.
Cauguiran said, however, that the Ramos Group has a pending motion for reconsideration in its bid to open the bidding anew.
This, even as he belied allegations of Pampanga 1st District Rep. Carmelo Lazatin that the bidding was rigged in favor of Araja after CIAC allegedly acted in its behalf in negotiating beforehand with equipment suppliers from the United States to make sure the bidder would be able comply with the project completion time frame.. Lazatin said he would call for a congressional inquiry into the bidding.
But Cauguiran said “we categorically deny favoring any bidder”. He admitted that arising from plans to finish the project soonest, the CIAC had indeed conducted inquiries “to fast track procurement and delivery of necessary equipment, especially the passenger boarding bridges.”
The inquiry was done to find out how long it would take for the equipment to reach the project site here, he added.
“The whole process of procurement would take six months, but if the bridges were made available in stock, this time would be reduced to only three months. This was how we were able to assure Malacanang officials that the project could be finished by the first quarter of next year,” he said, as he denied supplying the winning bidder with any information on the results of the inquiry made.
“But for the sake of clearing the air of any doubts on the integrity of the bidding conducted, we would welcome any inquiry to be made by Congress and we would assure them of our utmost cooperation,” said Cauguiran.
Cauguiran said the Ramos Group was disqualified from the project bidding for “incomplete submission of technical requirements”.
But he insisted that “the bidding followed the prescribed rules and regulations of a competitive public bidding pursuant to R.A. 9184 or the Government Procurement Reform Act.”
“We made sure everyone interested to make a bid for the project had a chance to participate, that’s why we advertised our invitation to bid in not one but two of the most widely read national dailies in the country today, including the Philippine Star,” he said.
Cauguiran also said the terms of reference (TOR) for the project “was available to all contractors interested in making a bid.”
“It is not true that there were bidders who were not given the list of needed equipment. That is just impossible because everything must be written in the TOR, including the list of equipment, otherwise we won’t be able to demand the delivery of the equipment from a winning bidder,” he stressed.
The motion for reconsideration filed by the disqualified bidder is pending before CIAC’s bids and awards committee (BAC).
“Pending the resolution of the motion by the BAC and the (CIAC) board, the contract can’t be awarded yet (to the winning bidder),” Cauguiran said.
“In the Second Wind starting 2010, we expect DMIA to hit a million passengers per year or more than double the 600,000 passengers expected this year,” Clark International Airport Corp. (CIAC) Executive Vice President Alexander Cauguiran said.
Cauguiran said that CIAC’s operations of the DMIA from 2003 up to 2008 has been labeled as First Wind. He noted that in 2003, DMIA hosted only 44 international flights but that three years later, the airport had already recorded 7,880 international passengers.
“Next year, the operations will enter the Second Wind and we see a surge in the number of international airlines serving the DMIA,” he said.
Cauguiran said that because of this, “there is an urgent need to expand DMIA’s Terminal 1 to increase its present capacity for only two million passengers to at least five million per year.”
He noted that CIAC bid out over a week ago the bidding for the upgrading of the present terminal which is projected to cost some P300 million.
“We now badly need to have at least two or three passenger boarding bridges to accommodate the long-haul carriers we expect at the DMIA soon,” he said. At present, passengers use stairs on the open tarmac to board or alight from aircraft.
He noted that Araja Corp. won in the bidding after its only rival owned by the Ramos Group was disqualified allegedly on technical grounds.
Cauguiran said, however, that the Ramos Group has a pending motion for reconsideration in its bid to open the bidding anew.
This, even as he belied allegations of Pampanga 1st District Rep. Carmelo Lazatin that the bidding was rigged in favor of Araja after CIAC allegedly acted in its behalf in negotiating beforehand with equipment suppliers from the United States to make sure the bidder would be able comply with the project completion time frame.. Lazatin said he would call for a congressional inquiry into the bidding.
But Cauguiran said “we categorically deny favoring any bidder”. He admitted that arising from plans to finish the project soonest, the CIAC had indeed conducted inquiries “to fast track procurement and delivery of necessary equipment, especially the passenger boarding bridges.”
The inquiry was done to find out how long it would take for the equipment to reach the project site here, he added.
“The whole process of procurement would take six months, but if the bridges were made available in stock, this time would be reduced to only three months. This was how we were able to assure Malacanang officials that the project could be finished by the first quarter of next year,” he said, as he denied supplying the winning bidder with any information on the results of the inquiry made.
“But for the sake of clearing the air of any doubts on the integrity of the bidding conducted, we would welcome any inquiry to be made by Congress and we would assure them of our utmost cooperation,” said Cauguiran.
Cauguiran said the Ramos Group was disqualified from the project bidding for “incomplete submission of technical requirements”.
But he insisted that “the bidding followed the prescribed rules and regulations of a competitive public bidding pursuant to R.A. 9184 or the Government Procurement Reform Act.”
“We made sure everyone interested to make a bid for the project had a chance to participate, that’s why we advertised our invitation to bid in not one but two of the most widely read national dailies in the country today, including the Philippine Star,” he said.
Cauguiran also said the terms of reference (TOR) for the project “was available to all contractors interested in making a bid.”
“It is not true that there were bidders who were not given the list of needed equipment. That is just impossible because everything must be written in the TOR, including the list of equipment, otherwise we won’t be able to demand the delivery of the equipment from a winning bidder,” he stressed.
The motion for reconsideration filed by the disqualified bidder is pending before CIAC’s bids and awards committee (BAC).
“Pending the resolution of the motion by the BAC and the (CIAC) board, the contract can’t be awarded yet (to the winning bidder),” Cauguiran said.
