DEPARTMENT of Budget and Management Secretary Benjamin Diokno said they have already allotted a budget of P986 million to equip the airports in Cotabato City, Dipolog City, Ozamis, and Pagadian with technology and equipment that will allow them to operate at night.
Diokno, in a press briefing at Marco Polo Hotel last Friday, April 6, said they have allotted worth P188 million for the Cotabato Airport, P253 million for Dipolog Airport, P301 million for Ozamis Airport and P244 million for Pagadian Airport.
According to Diokno these projects have yet to start.
"The importance of this is that it will increase mobility so that you can use it (airport) during night time, because the disadvantage of not being night rated is that after six (p.m.) you cannot use it anymore," he said.
Diokno said that they also plan to bid out the maintenance of Davao and Laguindingan airports this year and hopefully it will be completed in 2021.
"Davao Airport, we estimate that to be about P40.6 billion, and Laguindigan Airport another P14.6 billion," he said.
Diokno said that in 2018, Mindanao will receive at least P174 billion or 38 percent of the total infrastructure project funding in the entire Philippines.
Mindanao railway
Among the big ticket infrastructure projects being done is the Mindanao Railway System Tagum-Davao City-Digos (TDD) Segment, a 105-kilometer segment out of the 830-km MRS.
It will have daily ridership of 100,000, and it has an estimated cost of P31.5 billion.
Another is the Mindanao Logistics Infrastructure Network (started in 2015 and will be finished this year). It aims to improve the logistics infrastructure network in Northern Mindanao, Davao, Soksccsargen, and Caraga.
This project is geared towards enhancing agribusiness competitiveness in Mindanao and has an estimated cost of P24.8 billion.
Other projects include the P19.8-billion Davao City bypass road, which started this year and will be completed in 2022, P2.23-billion worth Zamboanga City bypass road, a 36.77-km bypass road project, P4.87-billion worth East West Lateral Road, which is part of the total regional connectivity between Regions 8 and 10, P4.86-billion worth Panguil Bay Bridge which will connect city of Tangub in Misamis Occidental and the municipality of Tubod, Lanao del Norte, and the P400-million Pinguiaman Bridge which will provide alternate route going to Cotabao City, and other municipalities.