CITY OF SAN FERNANDO -- The first two of six runways for the planned construction of the New Manila International Airport in the Manila Bay portion of Bulakan, Bulacan will be completed by 2022.

This was confirmed by Department of Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade during the recent inauguration of the Plaridel Bypass Road Phase 2.

The secretary manifested his support for the project after it was formally approved by President Rodrigo Duterte in a meeting conducted by the National Economic and Development Authority Board.

The New Manila International Airport project is an unsolicited proposal for an infrastructure project which the private sector, led by San Miguel Corporation (SMC), initiated its submission to the government.

The project, which costs some P735 billion and will rise in a 2,500 hectare property owned by SMC, will undergo the Swiss Challenge to open it for other interested parties who can match the capital offered by the first party.

The main airport terminal building will occupy some 1,168 hectares. (JTD)