Laguindingan International Airport Project

The Laguindingan International Airport project is a 30-year, USD 254.967 million PPP between the Philippine government and Aboitiz InfraCapital, Inc. It aims to more than double passenger capacity to 3.9 million by 2026 and reach 6.3 million at full completion, catalyzing tourism, trade, and jobs in Northern Mindanao. The Public-Private Partnership Center of the Philippines was a decisive player behind this success.

The project transitioned between two laws, with the initial submission under the Revised Build-Operate-Transfer Law and subsequently being governed by the Public-Private Partnership Code of the Philippines, passed in December 2023. The PPP Center provided strategic guidance to ensure the success of the nation’s first unsolicited airport PPP awarded under the PPP Code, supplying continuous technical and legal counsel, averting procedural errors, and establishing a positive precedent for future unsolicited proposals.

As contract manager for the transaction advisory agreement under the Project Development and Monitoring Facility, the Center monitored and reviewed consultant deliverables, ensuring that the project underwent rigorous due diligence, was properly marketed, and underwent a transparent international comparative challenge process. The Center also delivered multiple focused training sessions covering the new legal framework, handling of unsolicited proposals, and PPP project development, thereby embedding skills useful not only for processing the project but also ensuring lasting institutional expertise. Through these actions, the PPP Center facilitated in transforming a prolonged, pandemic-delayed proposal (first submitted in August 2018) into a legally and technically compliant PPP project, accelerating regional connectivity and development.