The Nayong Pilipino park, which has been idle for almost six years, will be turned into a cargo terminal to accommodate the growing freight services at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport terminals.
The Manila International Airport Authority said the proposed facility would be the country’s biggest cargo hub to handle more than 1,000 freight forwarders, including inbound shipments.
MIAA hierarchy and the Philippine Reclamation Authority, which owns the property, have yet to iron out details of the joint development of the site sandwiched by Naia 1 and 2.
PRA general manager Andrea Domingo said they have received letter from the MIAA on the project, but there was no scheduled meeting yet between the two agencies to forge the deal.
PRA said the Philippine Village Hotel property, being inoperative and under under court litigation, was excluded from the proposed plan.
Industry observers indicate that new owner Roger Serafica, of the Burgundy Realty, will avoid passing up on reopening the airport landmark that belonged to Jose Marcel Panlilio, and revived the hotel.
The market value of the Nayong Pilipino lot stands at P15,000 per square meter, which MIAA officials find prohibitive.
“Instead of buying the lot, the MIAA will offer a joint venture with the PRA where both government agencies will benefit,” said a MIAA official.
Although a depot was opened near the Naia Terminal 3, the facility could barely cope with the large volume of shipments coming from different countries.
The Nayong Pilipino was built in 1969, showcasing the country’s cultural heritage through its park, museum, cultural shows, its lagoon, aviary and miniature versions of key tourist destinations.
But the operation was stopped in 2002 when almost nine hectares of its 46-hectare property were converted into a parallel taxi-way and service road connecting Naia 2 and 3 to comply with International Civil Aviation Organization flight and safety standards.
On April 2, 2007, Malacañang issued Executive Order 615, mandating the Nayong Pilipino’s transfer to a 15-hectare PRA property in Parañaque City and, in turn, the Nayong Pilipino Foundation to transfer 15 hectares to PRA in Pasay City.
