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People’s Air Cargo and Warehousing Co. is pushing to finally start the new cargo terminal project, which it won over a decade ago
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The project requires only a notice to proceed from the Manila International Airport Authority
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Paircargo president Joseph Madrigal pointed to “ongoing machinations” by rival interests to undermine its court-approved right to build a new cargo terminal
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He added some personalities are “unduly taking advantage” of the current congestion at NAIA to “secure unwarranted concessions and to try to undermine” public bidding for the new terminal
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Meantime, Paircargo is implementing various measures, such as additional equipment and a satellite warehouse facility, to break the NAIA cargo logjam
People’s Air Cargo and Warehousing Co., Inc. (Paircargo) is pushing to finally start construction of a new cargo terminal beside Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 — a project stalled for more than a decade despite a court-approved compromise agreement.
Reacting to a three-part PortCalls special report on Manila’s cargo crisis, Paircargo president Joseph Madrigal, in a letter dated July 7, 2026, said the company won the public bidding conducted by the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) in 2013.
READ: Manila’s Cargo Crisis (Part 1): When Sea and Air Feel the Squeeze
Manila’s Cargo Crisis (Part 2): Capacity Crunch at the Airport
Manila’s Cargo Crisis (Part 3): What Needs to Happen
Awarding of the contract has, however, been delayed since, prompting Paircargo to file a civil complaint with the Regional Trial Court (RTC) of Pasay City. Following mediation, MIAA and Paircargo executed a compromise agreement for the project’s implementation, which RTC Pasay judicially approved — a ruling that has long reached finality, Madrigal said.
The compromise agreement was also expressly carved out of the project land defined under the NAIA public-private partnership concession awarded to New NAIA Infra Corp. (NNIC) in 2024, he added.
Paircargo recently moved for the issuance of a writ of execution from RTC Pasay, which the court granted. “There is a standing order issued by RTC Pasay directing MIAA to immediately issue the Notice to Proceed for us to finally commence the construction of the new cargo terminal,” Madrigal said. Yet MIAA continues to delay and “refuses to comply with the RTC’s order.”
Madrigal said Paircargo “stands committed to build and complete the new NAIA cargo terminal at the soonest possible time” once MIAA provides “the cooperation it contractually and judicially committed to give.”
MIAA Corporate Communications, in a Viber message to PortCalls on July 9, said MIAA has no statement on the matter at this time.
Taking advantage of congestion crisis
The delay in the project is compounded by what Paircargo describes as ongoing maneuvering by rival interests to undermine its court-approved right to build a new cargo terminal.
Madrigal alluded to “certain ongoing machinations at NAIA geared towards favoring the business operations and expansion plans of certain specific warehouse operators, who just happen to be losing bidders for our new cargo terminal project.”
He added: “Personalities are unduly taking advantage of the current congestion — which, as you have noted (in PortCalls report), is primarily the result of issues regarding the E2M platform and the unceremonious closure by the new NAIA operator of the International Cargo Terminal — to secure for themselves unwarranted concessions and to try to undermine the public bidding conducted for the new cargo terminal.”
The NAIA congestion traces back to the collapse in warehouse capacity following the closure of Philippine Skylanders International’s (PSI) facility after NNIC reclaimed its premises for redevelopment following its 2024 takeover of the airport. With PSI gone — and Miascor having been shuttered since 2018 — Paircargo and Cargohaus are now the only customs bonded warehouses serving multiple carriers at NAIA. Paircargo, which handles roughly 70% of NAIA’s air cargo by virtue of its direct ramp access, has borne the brunt of the resulting volume surge.
Immediate fixes
Meantime, Madrigal said Paircargo is doing its part in fixing the cargo logjam at NAIA. It is implementing 24-hour daily cargo releasing, procuring additional equipment, and commissioning a satellite warehouse that is practically the same size as the closed NAIA International Cargo Terminal. The satellite facility is expected to be fully operational within weeks.
“The hardworking staff of our company and of the Bureau of Customs have been working tirelessly to mitigate the impact of the current congestion on the public,” Madrigal said, adding that Paircargo continues to be in close daily communication with BOC-NAIA “to devise ways and means to improve the current situation, no matter the unnecessary roadblocks from external sources.”
“We anticipate that, given these measures, there will soon be a marked improvement in cargo releasing at NAIA,” he added.
He noted that under the circumstances, “while our Company is not the source or instigator of any of the current problems at NAIA, we are nevertheless doing our very best to contribute to a viable and legal solution.”
Madrigal also called on BOC to fast-track and prioritize upgrades to its Electronic-to-Mobile (e2M) System, the aging customs clearance platform widely considered past its operational prime, saying Paircargo has directly suggested to the Customs Commissioner that procurement of upgrades or additions to the e2M platform be treated as a matter of urgency. BOC has said bidding for the proposed Customs Processing System (CPS) — e2M’s successor — is targeted for July 2026, with eventual rollout in March 2028.
BOC-NAIA has in parallel extended its operating hours from 8 am–5 pm, Monday to Friday, to 7 am–9 pm daily including weekends, and has encouraged stakeholders to schedule releases between 7 am and 1 pm to avoid the congested afternoon window. A Viber group has been set up for stakeholders to follow up on unlocated entries, and BOC-NAIA remains in close coordination with Paircargo on the ground.
NNIC has also agreed to allow BOC and Paircargo to convert the Duty Free/Columbia Complex area into a satellite processing facility, enabling on-site cargo clearance rather than merely overflow staging.
BOC Assistant Commissioner Atty. Vincent Philip Maronilla has set a target of clearing the Paircargo backlog by July, ahead of the “ber months” when volumes spike. “If you have this situation pagdating ng ‘ber’ months, that’s going to be a bigger problem,” Maronilla warned. “We hope to resolve this entire issue — hopefully release everything by July and have a perfect system already by then.”
BOC Commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno has also said he will meet with NNIC, the Department of Transportation, and other partners and stakeholders to identify long-term solutions to the airport’s cargo warehouse capacity limitations. – Roumina Pablo
