New Manila International Airport (NMIA)

[Arianespace]

It is the one where they won the right to operate NAIA for 25 years

[Gustavo J Oppenheimer]

Guess we would wait for the ground breaking possibly next month as what Vince Dizon (now with DPWH) said earlier.

[Gustavo J Oppenheimer]

(Apologies if it's a bit off-topic) but apparently SMC participated in the pre-bid conference for O&M of the NSCR.

 Maybe they want to build an airport express spur line from Bocaue to NMIA once they get chosen as the operator of the rail line (wishful thinking)

[Gustavo J Oppenheimer]

This month is supposedly the groundbreaking of Bulacan Airport's landside facilities (PTB, Runways etc.)

So far there is no update coming from DOTr regarding the exact date

meanwhile here's the update by RexDronieTV, looks like NMIA is covered in greenery

https://youtube.com/watch?v=W8OmwIxVqxY

[Arianespace]

Gustavo J Oppenheimer wrote

(Apologies if it's a bit off-topic) but apparently SMC participated in the pre-bid conference for O&M of the NSCR.

 Maybe they want to build an airport express spur line from Bocaue to NMIA once they get chosen as the operator of the rail line (wishful thinking)

In the masterplan, there is an airport railway going to Manila. So it is not wishful thinking. Please remember, SMC does not own Bulacan airport. DOTr does. They are just the airport builder and operator. If they win the O&M contract for NSCR, then that is just a bonus.

[Gustavo J Oppenheimer]

Update on land reclamation
https://youtu.be/h9AwDeEULDw?si=v_7E8o8sG-M4DQpq

And oh another hit piece was posted recently courtesy of John Dang

https://youtu.be/FD9WszLymmU?si=37uJ40h3xsDSViOg

[Arianespace]

It's hard to watch when you start with a premise that is wrong. Like I said previously, If Amsterdam sinks, then his suggestion is believable. Until then, I suggest to this kind of experts to visit the place personally and learn local regulations before opening their mouth as would be expert opinion. Palafox, great as he is, contradicted what he was saying. Between the two, I gave my cents to the latter.  

One last thing, before criticism can be considered fair, You must at least offer a better solution. Sadly, both experts "daw" did not bother to provide one. How ingenious.

[Solblanc]

This is what happens when there is no transparency. For publicly funded projects, like say the NSCR or the subway, we see the bid docs, we see the specifications, we are able to confirm progress next to timelines.

For NMIA, we know nothing. We are told nothing. And that lets speculation run rife. Not everybody can be expected to be in the know. They bring up valid points about sea level rise, and Bulacan doesn’t have the same set of dikes as the Netherlands.

I’ve no doubt that they’re coming up with engineering solutions for everything that was brought up as a flooded airport is not going to make money. But we can’t operate on faith. They are not a religion. So they better learn to deal with criticism

[filipinoavgeek]

I really think that SMC's lack of transparency with the project is helping lead to these videos in the first place, and thus a harmed public image. Just look at the lack of updates not just with NMIA but even NAIA itself, as well as their expressway projects like NALEX and TR4. SMC has never had a good reputation when it comes to their infrastructure projects, and to be honest, there are good reasons for that. But instead of trying to fight back, they just do nothing, letting others fill in the void and make them more vulnerable to pieces like this.

[Arianespace]

I answered this why it is so

Arianespace wrote

That is because there is a pending case filed against them and the government which require them to not say anything while the case is being heard.  It is understandable.

[Gustavo J Oppenheimer]

I guess we have to rely on DOTr now when it comes to updates surrounding the airport?

[Arianespace]

even DOTr is barred from saying anything. Lets see how they manage to make some announcements. I guess prior consent from the court

[Gustavo J Oppenheimer]

Hope SC can act on the petition ASAP

[Arianespace]

[ewh1]

Here’s the Palafox response to NMIA criticism
https://youtu.be/Gu46AuZaGUU?si=m0NVOewUfuoxZYG4

[Arianespace]

Palafox said it best. And there you have it. Straight from the horses mouth.

They are unfair criticism...

I need not say more.

[Solblanc]

ewh1 wrote

Here’s the Palafox response to NMIA criticism
https://youtu.be/Gu46AuZaGUU?si=m0NVOewUfuoxZYG4

Erm, he didn't address directly the most important concerns raised, namely:

1) the projected sea level rise in Manila bay being more than the global average, and
2) the airport blocking the outflow of major rivers

For #1 it can be addressed by an engineering solution, but he didn't elaborate
for #2, also an engineering solution, but we have to qualify that. The engineering solution could save just the airport or also the towns surrounding the airport. But we don't know for sure which one it would be. We know that SMC is dredging rivers, but that's also for material for land development given the lack of sand.

So we're left with "trust us". And we trust that SMC will not make another Caticlan.

Speaking of Caticlan airport, groundbreaking was July, no further updates. We were just told 24 months. If the NSCR and subway contractors are posting youtube videos of progress, SMC just hopes that we forget they exist. We'll find out by July 2027 if indeed they can stick to their timelines for a smaller airport, because they clearly aren't hitting the timelines for the bigger one.

We have to get rid of this culture of not saying out loud the cause for delays. And SMC is not the only culprit here, we have LRMC and LRT-1 as another example where they were just not forthright with their challenges.

[Gustavo J Oppenheimer]

https://youtu.be/iavGykU-w2I?si=AKWMhj3DFBMPCIkR

[Gustavo J Oppenheimer]

NMIA is given 200M in allocation by Congress in the 2026 budget

[Gustavo J Oppenheimer]

We are already near the end of January, and so far no groundbreaking for the airport so far as it is affected by an SC petition against the NAIA Privatization.

Hope the Supreme Court would act on this ASAP