en.Wedoany.com Reported - People's Air Cargo and Warehousing Co., Inc. (Paircargo) is pushing for the construction of a new cargo terminal beside Terminal 3 of Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA). Although the project has secured a court-approved settlement agreement, it has remained stalled for over ten years.

In a letter dated July 7, 2026, Paircargo President Joseph Madrigal noted that the company won a public bidding conducted by the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) in 2013. However, the contract award has been delayed since then, prompting Paircargo to file a civil case with the Pasay City Regional Trial Court (RTC). After mediation, MIAA and Paircargo reached a settlement agreement on project implementation, which was judicially approved by the Pasay RTC. Madrigal stated that the ruling has long become final, and the settlement agreement was explicitly excluded from the project site defined in the NAIA public-private partnership concession granted to New NAIA Infra Corp. (NNIC) in 2024.

After both parties signed the settlement agreement, Paircargo applied for and obtained a writ of execution from the Pasay RTC. Madrigal said: "The Pasay RTC issued a current order directing MIAA to immediately issue a notice to proceed so that we can finally begin construction of the new cargo terminal." However, MIAA continued to delay and refused to comply with the court order. Madrigal stated that once MIAA provides "the contractual and judicial cooperation it has promised," Paircargo "will be committed to building and completing the new NAIA cargo terminal in the shortest possible time." MIAA's Corporate Communications Department said in a Viber message on July 9 that it currently has no statement on the matter.

The project's delay has been exacerbated by the actions of hostile stakeholders. Madrigal pointed out that there are "certain ongoing conspiracies within NAIA aimed at supporting the business expansion plans of specific warehouse operators, who are the losing bidders for the new cargo terminal project." He believes that some individuals are improperly exploiting the current congestion (mainly caused by E2M platform issues and NNIC's sudden closure of the international cargo terminal) to secure concessions for themselves and attempt to undermine the public bidding. The congestion at NAIA can be traced back to a collapse in warehouse capacity, after Philippine Skylanders International (PSI)'s facility was reclaimed by NNIC for redevelopment following its takeover in 2024. After PSI's exit, Paircargo and Cargohaus are the only customs-bonded warehouses at NAIA serving multiple carriers. Paircargo, handling approximately 70% of NAIA's air cargo with direct ramp access, has borne the brunt of the surge in cargo volume.

To address the congestion, Paircargo is implementing several temporary measures, including 24-hour daily cargo release, procurement of additional equipment, and activation of a satellite warehouse nearly the same size as the closed NAIA international cargo terminal. The satellite facility is expected to be fully operational within weeks. Madrigal stated that the company is doing its utmost to contribute to feasible and legal solutions.

Madrigal also called on the Bureau of Customs (BOC) to expedite the upgrade of the Electronic-to-Mobile (e2M) system, an aging customs clearance platform considered past its prime operational period. The BOC indicated that the bidding for the proposed Customs Processing System (CPS) is targeted for July 2026, with a final rollout in March 2028. BOC-NAIA has extended operating hours from 7:00 AM to 9:00 PM daily and encouraged stakeholders to schedule releases between 7:00 AM and 1:00 PM to avoid peak congestion. NNIC agreed to allow BOC and Paircargo to convert the Duty Free/Columbia Complex area into a satellite processing facility for on-site cargo clearance. BOC Assistant Commissioner Vincent Philip Maronilla set a target to clear Paircargo's backlog by July, ahead of the cargo volume surge from September to December. BOC Commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno stated that meetings will be held with partners including NNIC and the Department of Transportation to determine long-term solutions for airport cargo warehouse capacity constraints.