Construction of BARMM’s first-ever international airport mulled

COTABATO CITY— The Bangsamoro government and local officials in Sultan Mastura, Maguindanao del Norte have forged an agreement to jointly study the viability of setting up an international airport in the municipality, the first ever in the autonomous region if constructed as planned.

Bangsamoro Transportation and Communications Minister Paisalin Pangandaman Tago told reporters on Thursday that he and the mayor of Sultan Mastura, Zulficar Ali Panda, signed last Monday an agreement binding their offices, the Bangsamoro Development Agency and other government entities to initiate a feasibility study on the construction of the facility.

The Ministry of Transportation and Communications-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao and the Sultan Mastura local government unit is planning to put up the airport, of international standard, in Barangay Tambo in Sultan Mastura, about 20 kilometers from Cotabato City, seat of the BARMM government.

The small airport closest to Cotabato City is in Barangay Awang in Datu Odin Sinsuat town, about eight kilometers away.

“If this initiative pushes forward as envisioned, we shall have our first ever international airport in the Bangsamoro region,” Tago said.

The symbolic signing of the agreement compelling the MoTC-BARMM and the Sultan Mastura LGU to embark on the project study was held last Monday at the town proper of Sultan Mastura, attended by representatives from the Maguindanao del Norte provincial government and other BARMM ministries.