The local government of Bulacan and its stakeholders are fully supportive of the immediate construction of the New Manila International Airport (NMIA) in Bulakan, Bulacan, saying that this multibillion-peso project has the potential to bring economic benefits to the province.
Bulacan Governor Daniel Fernando said in a public hearing conducted by the Environment Management Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) that the project will help provide jobs to residents and other Filipinos amid the pandemic, which caused the unemployment rate to rise.
“This project will bring development and can increase our way of living,” he said, noting that with the airport built, the province could become a “global destination for tourism.”
For Bulakan Mayor Vergel Meneses, aside from providing a boost for the town, the P740-billion project could also address the perennial congestion in the country’s current gateway.
“The municipal government of Bulacan supports this project. We want to start this project as soon as possible because we know the huge opportunities that this will open for our town,” he said.
To be built on a 2,400-hectare property in Bulakan, Bulacan, just north of Metro Manila, the $15-billion airport complex will have four runways, eight taxiways, and three passenger terminals. It also has provisions for future expansion to sport six runways and to accommodate 200 million passengers per year.
It is expected to help raise tourism levels to 30 million annually, generate over a million direct and indirect jobs, and to contribute roughly P900 billion annually to GDP by 2025.
The project is being undertaken by San Miguel Corp. (SMC), which has so far provided cash assistance to a total of 364 beneficiaries who were relocated for the construction of the project.
The diversified conglomerate has also partnered with the Technical Education Skills Development Authority to train 58 former Taliptip coastal residents in different courses geared towards employment during airport construction and full operations, and to open businesses that will cater to the airport and the surrounding communities.