Cavite International Air & Sea Ports long overdue - Revilla

Senate Public Services and Public Works Committees Chairman Ramon Bong Revilla called upon the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) and the present administration to support the proposed redevelopment of Sangley Point in Cavite City to an International Airport and Seaport, after baring that it has long been overdue.

Revilla, who was Governor of the Province of Cavite from 1998-2001, revealed that he has long been proposing its conversion which was included in the "Cavite: Vision 2020" development masterplan penned by Architect Jun Palafox of Palafox Associates.

"Because of 'Vision 2020', Executive Order No. 629, Series of 2007 was issued, directing the Philippine Reclamation Authority to convert Sangley Point in Cavite City into an international Airport and Seaport," Revilla pointed out.

The said masterplan was finalized late 2000 and was bared over 12 years ago in March of 2001. "Since then, our plan and vision was abandoned by the Provincial Government of Cavite, and was just freshly being referred to when Governor Remulla was elected 3 years ago," Revilla said. "I have been making requests to this administration in light of E.O. 629 to support the conversion of Sangley Point to an International Airport and Container Port, but no actions on my representations have been made," he added.

Revilla however expressed his elation to learn that a consortium is now aggressively pushing for the project.

The All-Asia Resources and Reclamation Corp. (ARRC) consortium, where Solar Group is the lead local partner, submitted a letter of intent last Jan. 10 to redevelop Sangley Point, a former United States Naval base in Cavite City, to undertake the project with their foreign partners. William Tieng of Solar Group expressed that firm commitment of their foreign partners to the undertaking, and identified them to include Flugfahen Munich, operator of the Munich airport in Germany; Hamburger Hafen und Logistik, the biggest operator in Germany's Hamburg port; Ferrovie Circumvesuviana, an Italian rail company; power firm Isoluc Corsan; Deutsche Bank; COWI, Inros Lackner and GMP Architects; contractors Hochtief and Rizzani de Eccher; and a lead reclamation contractor in Royal Boskalis Westminster.

"I hope and pray that it pushes through this time. This will decongest Manila and provide a great boost to tourism and the economy, and provide more jobs and revenues for the Province of Cavite," Revilla ended.