Cebu, Panglao airports gain support from regional council

CEBU CITY – The Regional Development Council (RDC) finally endorsed the expansion of the Mactan Cebu International Airport Terminal or MCIA-T2, after receiving the Lapu-Lapu City Government’s endorsement of the project.

The Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC) welcomed the RDC’s approval and endorsement of the expansion of the MCIA, which is expected to boost tourism in the region.

MCIA Authority (MCIAA) General Manager Nigel Paul Villarete said the expansion project will cost P8 billion and the operations and management will fall under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) program of the Aquino administration.

The project has attracted interest from, among others, Ayala Corp. and Aboitiz Equity Ventures Inc. (AEV), which signed a joint venture agreement to bid for the MCIA-T2.

Also endorsed by RDC Central Visayas is the new Bohol airport in Panglao, which will be constructed for an estimated cost of P7.4 billion.

Villarete said the airport in Panglao will be called a tropical airport to better suit the theme of the island and will be designed like a typical tropical resort.

“It will have a single-storey building and will use environmentally sustainable components, natural lights and ventilation for most public areas except the pre-departure lobby and offices,” Villarete said.

MCIA-T2 will be constructed as a PPP venture, while the Bohol Airport will be funded using a Special Terms for Economic Partnership (STEP) loan from the Japan International Cooperation Agency-Overseas Development Assistance (JICA-ODA), with a counterpart fund from the Philippine Government.

A separate bidding will be conducted for the operations and management of the Bohol facility.

The MCIA-T2, on the other hand, includes the construction of the second Passenger Terminal Building (PTB or T2) right beside the existing terminal, and the expansion of the existing Terminal 1.

“Private sector participation will not only involve the construction of MCIA-T2 but also the operations and maintenance of the entire landside operations, both MCIA-T2 and MCIA-T1. It will also include construction of a new apron and other landside facilities such as car park, access roads and airside rehabilitation like the overlay for runway and taxiway, development cargo and ground support areas, among others,” Villarete said.

Emmanuel Rabacal, chairman of the RDC Infrastructure and Development Committee (IDC), said that with the endorsement of the two projects, both projects can move on.

“This will boost the tourism industry in Cebu and Bohol, in particular, and in the country in general,” Rabacal said. (EOB of Sun.Star Cebu)