MANILA, Philippines – The Cavite provincial government granted original proponent status to the SPIA Development Consortium for the planned Sangley Point International Airport (SPIA).

This move paves the way for the competitive Swiss challenge process, where the consortium will have the right to directly negotiate the final terms and conditions for the project.

It will also have the right to match the best counterproposal that may be received during the 60-day Swiss challenge.

SPIA members include the Yuchengco Group of Companies, Luis Virata’s Cavitex Holdings, and Lucio Tan’s MacroAsia Corporation as non-equity member. 

Foreign companies joining the group include South Korea’s Samsung C&T Corporation, Germany’s Munich Airport International GmbH, and London-based Arup Group.

The consortium announced its intent to build the Sangley airport after Cavite declared a second failed bidding.

MacroAsia and China Communications Construction won the first bidding for the SPIA project in 2019, but the deal was terminated after the consortium failed to submit post-qualification documents, despite the Cavite provincial government extending deadlines four times. – Rappler.com