Posted June 15th, 2012 by Lailany P.
Gomez.
The Transportation Department has
allocated P327.4 million to rehabilitate and expand seven provincial airports
to accommodate the rapid trade and tourism growth in those areas.
Transportation Secretary Manuel Roxas
said the airports needing improvement are in San Vicente, Palawan; Pagadian
City, Zamboanga del Sur; Butuan City, Agusan del Norte; Dipolog City, Zamboanga
del Norte; Sanga-Sanga in Bongao, Tawi-Tawi; Cotabato City, North
Cotabato; and Maasin, Southern Leyte.
“The government is committed to
improve the airports in these areas where trade and tourism have been in an
upswing for the past year,” Roxas said.
“The government will not stop in
implementing these programmed infrastructure projects, through a transparent
public bidding, to improve the lives and welfare of the people in the rural
areas,” he added.
Roxas said the expansion of the
airports would have a multiplier effect as more commercial establishments,
factories and industrial plants were expected to be built in those areas.
“It will also result in more consumer
spending where these projects are located,” he said.
The P62.7-million San Vicente airport
development project covers the construction of a passenger terminal, a fire
station building and an elevated 2,500-gallon water tank. It also includes
runway extension with slope protection and hill obstruction removal.
The P42-million Pagadian airport
project seeks to improve its facilities to accommodate both commercial and
private aircraft. Included in the project are extension of runway, widening of
taxiway, rehabilitation and improvement of passenger terminal building,
improvement and expansion of vehicular parking area and construction of
drainage system and perimeter fence.
(Published in the Manila Standard
Today newspaper on /2012/June/15)
_______________________________________________________________
