An official of the Department of Transportation (DOTr) on Wednesday clarified that no contract or agreement has yet been reached on the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) expansion project.

In a statement, DOTr Undersecretary for Planning Ruben Reinoso Jr. said Megawide Construction Corporation’s (Megawide) unsolicited proposal to be the sole developer of the project is still to be evaluated and approved by the National Economic and Development Authority Investment Coordination Committee (NEDA-ICC) and the NEDA Board.

“Allow us to set the record straight, once and for all, that there is no contract awarded yet, or any agreement decided upon, on the NAIA Expansion project,” Reinoso said.

It said that the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA), as the “primary grantor” of the PHP107-billion rehabilitation project, will be the contractor if approved by the NEDA-ICC and the NEDA Board.

“The DOTr, as mother agency of the MIAA, only endorsed the proposal to the NEDA-ICC, as required under-NEDA ICC protocols,” Reinoso said.

It noted that the MIAA will only start negotiating with the winning proponent once the project terms have been defined and approved by the NEDA Board.

In September, Representative Jericho Nograles urged the MIAA and the DOTr to deny Megawide’s proposal to develop the NAIA expansion project after its partner, Indian infrastructure conglomerate GMR Group, pulled out of the Megawide-GMR consortium.

In July, the NAIA Consortium — composed of several Filipino tycoons and Singapore’s Changi Group — withdrew its proposal to develop the project, citing the government’s steep terms and differing views on the viability of the project. (PNA)