DOTC allots P24 million for airport studies

MANILA, Philippines -  The Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) is bidding out three contracts worth about P24 million for feasibility studies on the proposed Bukidnon airport and the upgrade of airports in the cities of Surigao and Naga.

In an invitation to bid, DOTC said it would bid out three contracts on September 26 for consultants interested in undertaking feasibility studies on the proposed infrastructure projects.

The agency is set to bid out the contract worth P8.91 million for the feasibility study on the proposed Bukidnon Airport.

The government has also earmarked P7.47 million for the feasibility study on the upgrade of the airport in Surigao City and another P7.25 million for a study on the upgrade of the airport in Naga City.

The DOTC said it would come up with a short-list of five prospective bidders per project. Only those in the short-list can submit formal bids.

It added that the criteria for short-listing of both biddings are: applicable experience of the firm (50 percent), qualification of personnel who may be assigned to the job vis-à-vis extent and complexity of the undertaking (30 percent), and current workload relative to capacity (20 percent).

These airport projects are part of the government’s program to pump-prime the economy, generate jobs and provide efficient and better transport system in the countryside.

The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) earlier released P4.6 billion to the DOTC for key airport projects including improvements at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1 under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) scheme.

Of the total amount, about P1.64 billion would go to the rehabilitation of the NAIA Terminal 1 including restoring the airport’s structural integrity and begin long-delayed maintenance activities, such as repair of its mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and fire protection systems and retrofitting of the overall structure.

Furthermore, about P2 billion was earmarked for the new Legazpi (Daraga) Airport development project while P800 million was set aside for the development of Tacloban Airport.

The DBM also released another P160 million for the development of an access point to Central Mindanao via North Cotabato through the Central Mindanao Airport.