House Speaker Martin Romualdez commended the San Miguel Corporation (SMC) consortium, headed by CEO Ramon S. Ang, for their initiative to enlarge the space dedicated to departing Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 in Pasay City.
In an interview with Philippine News Authority, Romualdez expressed gratitude, stating, “We are very grateful to Mr. Ramon Ang and [his daughter] Ma’m Cecille for accommodating not only the OFW lounge here, but they want to accommodate a larger space that’s almost double the area.”
Romualdez highlighted the significance of the expansion, noting, “They want to provide a larger space, they find the original plan small, so, we can really see that NAIA operations will be better.”
According to Romualdez, the upgraded OFW lounge, which is projected to accommodate around 200 passengers, will be fully operational by the end of June. He emphasized that the lounge would be equipped with complete amenities to ensure departing OFWs have a comfortable stay before their flights.
Acknowledging the efforts of the airport management, Romualdez stated that it is essential to treat migrant workers traveling through NAIA terminals as VIPs.
Accompanied by Senior Deputy Speaker Aurelio Gonzales Jr. and Majority Leader Manuel Jose Dalipe, Romualdez visited Terminal 3 on Tuesday to inspect the progress of the OFW lounge construction.
The SMC-SAP & Co. Consortium, composed of San Miguel Holdings Corp., RMM Asian Logistics, Inc., RLW Aviation Development, Inc., and Incheon International Airport Corp, secured the PHP170.6-billion public-private partnership (PPP) project aimed at rehabilitating and operating NAIA.
As part of their commitment, Romualdez’s office has initiated donations, including television sets for entertainment at the NAIA Terminal 1 OFW lounge, with further donations planned for the Terminal 3 lounge.
Romualdez highlighted the importance of the PPP project in enhancing transportation infrastructure, stating, “The rehabilitation and operation of NAIA under this PPP framework demonstrate the unwavering commitment of the administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to fostering sustainable growth and innovation in our transportation infrastructure.”
The SMC-led consortium aims to improve various facilities at NAIA, including the runway, taxiway, ramp areas, and firefighting facility, with the goal of increasing the airport’s annual passenger capacity from 32 million to 60 million.