DOTr allots P600 million to upgrade 7 airports

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Transportation (DOTr) is spending nearly P600 million for the expansion and upgrade of seven regional airports in a bid to boost travel and tourism in the provinces.

In a series of notices, the DOTr said it is seeking bidders for the delivery of airport improvement worth P587.19 million in seven gateways across the country.

In particular, the DOTr will spend P291 million for the Marinduque Airport Development Project that includes the asphalt overlay of the runway, correction of shoulder grade and construction of the DOTr’s Project Management Office.

Likewise, the DOTr allocated P94.14 million to put up a box culvert, as well as an open canal, at the Bicol International Airport. Also, it directed P48.48 million for the M’lang Airport Development Project to build a landside area and drill an open canal.

The DOTr will also spend P48.29 million to correct the runway grade of the Dumaguete Airport. It will also disburse P47.27 million to construct a covered drop-off site and expand the vehicular parking area (VPA) in the General Santos International Airport.

On the other hand, P29.07 million was set aside for the Cauayan Airport to broaden its tarmac, widen its VPA and set up its fences, while P28.94 million was tabled for the Catanduanes Airport to improve its access road inside.

Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista earlier said the government and the private sector would complete P1 trillion worth of aviation projects in 2023 to support the recovery of travel and tourism.

“These projects are all set to be completed by 2023 and they have a total projected cost of close to P1 trillion—that’s a trillion, not billion,” Bautista said.

Bautista on Saturday inspected the civil works for the New Manila International Airport (NMIA) being developed by San Miguel Corp. (SMC). The P736-billion project located in Bulacan is set to become the largest airport in the Philippines, with a total of four runways in its full swing.

The first phase of NMIA can accommodate around 35 million passengers per year. As such, the airport is expected to create at least one million jobs, bring in foreign direct investments, and scale up export activities in Central Luzon.

Under the 50-year concession agreement, SMC’s San Miguel Aerocity Inc. will finance, design, construct, complete, test, commission, operate and maintain the NMIA.

Once SMC’s franchise expires, the DOTr will take over the operations of the NMIA.