MANILA, Philippines - The Aquino
administration is spending close to P1 billion to put up a new international
airport in Bicol in order to solve the many limitations of the existing airport
in the city of Legazpi.
The Department of Transportation and
Communications (DOTC) is set to bid out a contract for the development of the
new Bicol International Airport for a total cost of P963.2 million.
The initial procurement for the Bicol
International Airport includes only the airside development covering the
continuation of runway strip construction, concrete paving of runway,
construction of taxiway, rigid pavement, and other peripheral works.
On the other hand, a separate bidding
would be held for the construction of the passenger terminal building and other
landside components.
The project would provide better air
transport services in the Bicol region as a total of 198 flights were cancelled
and 104 flights were delayed last year due to the airport’s microclimate.
The microclimate is due mostly to the
mountainous area surrounding Legazpi airport, which produces thick fog that
often obscures the runway.
Installation of an Instrument Landing
System (ILS) is not a viable option as the existing 150-meter width of the
runway strip is far from the International Civil Aviation
Organization-prescribed width of 300 meters for ILS.
The existence of houses and hills
around the airport also makes it costly to widen the runway strip.
“The need to develop a new
international airport in Bicol is imperative in order to solve the many
limitations of the Legazpi Airport,” the DOTC said.
Besides addressing the problems, the
development of a new Bicol International Airport would also support the
increasing trade and tourism in the region.
Bicol posted the fastest gross
regional domestic product at 8.2 percent among 16 regions in the Philippines in
2009.
The region with popular destinations
like Mt. Mayon and Donsol posted a 17- percent increase in the number of
visitors last year.
Likewise, the government has earmarked
another P154.5 million for the development of the Central Mindanao Airport in
M’lang, Cotabato that would serve as a feeder airport to the air terminals in
the coasts of Mindanao: the Cagayan de Oro, Davao, and the General Santos
airports.
Majority of provinces in Central
Mindanao such as Cotabato, Lanao del Sur, Bukidnon, Maguindanao, and Sultan
Kudarat have no convenient access to airports.
At present, people in these provinces
need to travel two to three hours by land to get to the airports located in the
coastal cities of Mindanao.
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