RDC: Airport project seen to boost Siquijor tourism

CEBU, Philippines – More tourists are seen to come to Siquijor province once its airport development project is completed, an official said.

Efren Carreon, Central Visayas director of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), said the Siquijor airport upgrading project is targeted to be completed this year.

Carreon, who is also vice chair of the Regional Development Council, said the project started in 2015.

"This will be good for the province," he said.

A latest agenda report from RDC-7 mentioned that the continuation of concreting of Siquijor airport's runway and construction of its passenger terminal building was scheduled to be implemented in 2015.

RDC-7 said the project has a total cost of P63 million.

Likewise, the P11-million concreting of the airport's apron and taxiway was already completed.

With the new airport now being constructed in Bohol and another being planned in Negros Oriental, RDC-7 would study how tourists from Bohol and Negros Oriental could travel directly to Siquijor.

In September, RDC-7 also reported the construction of the P20.9-million Siquijor port passenger terminal building was already 46% completed and was targeted to be fully done by January 2016.

There are 54 infrastructure projects of the Department of Public Works and Highways for Siquijor under the 2015 General Appropriations Act: only 13 of them were completed so far as of September last year while the rest were ongoing.

The growing tourism industry is said to be one of the major developments happening in Siquijor.

Latest data from the Department of Tourism showed that a total of 22,472 foreign and 28,923 domestic tourists visited Siquijor from January to October 2015. (FREEMAN)