PHILIPPINE Reclamation Authority (PRA) Chairman Atty. Alex Lopez praised the House leadership headed by Speaker Faustino ‘Bodjie’ Dy III and Majority Leader Rep. Sandro Marcos of Ilocos Norte for showing their complete synergy to the development agenda of President Marcos Jr., with the swift passage of the P5 billion budget support for the PRA’s most ambitious development project during the budget plenary last September 18.
Lopez said the PRA Board headed by CEO/GM Engr. Cesar Siador also expresses its gratitude to the members of Congress and the Appropriations Committee headed by Chairperson Rep. Mikaela Angela Suansing of the First District of Nueva Ecija and the Minority Bloc headed by Rep. Marcelino Libanan, for supporting their proposed budgetary support.
“The approval reflects the firm commitment and complete synergy of the 19th Congress under the leadership of Speaker Dy and Majority Leader Sandro Marcos in the development agenda of the President as we launch the biggest legacy project of the Marcos administration.
“The approval also shows that while Congress is a forum of disparate opinions and contrasting views, it is one with the Executive in forging a better and prosperous future for our people under the Bagong Pilipinas agenda of President Marcos Jr.,” Lopez added.
Specifically, the budget request would help push forward the completion of the new Philippine International Exhibition Center (PIEC).
The project forms part of the ongoing PRA-supervised reclamation projects at the Pasay City portion of Manila Bay covering more than 818 hectares, with the PIEC occupying around 243 hectares.
Lopez said the PIEC is destined to be President Marcos’ “legacy project” that would benefit generations of Filipinos, create millions of jobs and propel the country back to the center of global tourism and as regional leader in the Meetings, Incentives, Conventions, and Exhibitions (MICE) industry.
“The PIEC will stand as President BBM’s enduring legacy and a driver of future economic growth. Its completion will create lasting jobs and business opportunities, while the 19th Congress will be remembered for helping turn this vision into reality,” Lopez said.
During the congressional briefing, the PRA said the PIEC would have a total floor area covering 243,000 square meters, making it the biggest convention center in Southeast Asia.
He stressed that the project’s viability is done in consultation with environmental experts and the Department of Development (DepDev), formerly the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA).
Lopez said the project also aims to catapult the Philippines in the first-tier rank of the global MICE market.
The 2025 GlobalWatch Business Analytics of the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) ranked the Philippines in the 50th place, far lower than its ASEAN neighbors like Thailand (24th place), Singapore (28th place), Malaysia (32nd place) and Indonesia (37th place).
Except for those located in mainland China, the PRA said that the PIEC’s Exhibition Hall alone, covering 130,943 square meters, can accommodate some 140,000 people, depending on the event, and accommodate upwards to 17,000 commercial booths.
With the first phase of development already ongoing since December 2024, the PRA expects the PIEC to be completed by April 2028, before the end of the Marcos administration.