RDC approves P1.9B additional 

works for 7.7B Panglao airport 

TAGBILARAN CITY, July 20 (PIA)—The private sector-led Regional Development Council in Region 7 Central Visayas has approved for the inclusion of the proposed additional works of the new Panglao Airport, which entails an additional P1.9 billion. 

In its recent full council meeting last month, the council approved the inclusion of the proposed additional works of the P7.773 billion New Bohol Airport Construction for Sustainable Environment for Panglao Project (NPBACSEPP) to the Regional Development Investment Projects (RDIP) for 2017 to 2022. 

Set for substantial completion this August 2018, the airport, which would initially be operated by the Department of Transportation’s Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (DOT-CAAP) has been put up for bidding for possible private sector operation in the long run. 

Conceptualized by the designers with economy in mind considering that the airport is designed to be run and operated by private sector, the airport design excluded the construction of a cargo terminal. 

DOTr Panglao Airport project manager Engr. Edgardo Mangalili said the initial plan was for the airline companies to put up their own cargo terminals, to save on construction costs. 

Constructed to replace the already cramped Tagbilaran City Airport, the new airport in Panglao is set to respond to the growing tourist arrivals in Bohol. 

The Tagbilaran City Airport, which could only cater to an airplane on tarmac one at a time, has been among the identified reasons why delays and limited flights are pegged for Bohol. 

The 1.8 kilometer runway at the city air facility is among the country’s shortest and is too dangerous for a landing and takeoff of a full packed jumbo jet that cargo limitations is implemented, to the dismay of long staying tourists who come in for a good week’s stay. 

The new airport, with a seven airplane on tarmac capacity is seen to accommodate some 3.4 million passenger arrivals by 2030. 

But despite initial claims by the local authorities that the airport, which has been on the drawing boards since then Governor David Tirol under the administration of then President Corazon Aquino and has been worked across six presidents, would be completed in June, then in August, the DOTr has hinted that the “substantial completion” of the airport may be moved anew. 

Included in the P1.9 billion additional works are the proposed cargo terminal, a fuel depot and fuel hydrant system, an additional 300-meter extension of the runway, a parallel taxiway to hasten the exit and a plane queuing set up. 

The airport in Panglao, now designed as an upgrade to the sunrise-sunset operations in Tagbilaran, is already equipped with an Instrument Landing System to cater to night flights for increased service to the anticipated increasing air traffic demand. 

According to Engr. Mangalili, the proposed cargo terminal included in the additional works is seen to address the limited cargo handling capacity experienced in the existing Tagbilaran Airport due to one aircraft policy, the absence of cargo storage space in Panglao and thus increase limited turnaround time problems. 

More-over, he said a fuel depot and hydrant system will solve the issues associated with the time-consuming and risky refueling by tankers and the possibility of catering to large fuel transfers for long-haul international flights which the airport would soon cater to. 

Along this line too 300-meter extension of runway is set to accommodate the bigger A330-300, B777-300er, and B787 aircrafts which are for the anticipated long haul services, he added. 

For the additional cost, the RDC, whn it included the proposed additional works to the RDIP, also makes it eligible to tap the Official Development Assistance and the National Government counterpart funds. 

The RDC, chaired by furniture mogul and designer Kenneth Cobonpue, also put up conditions that the additional works necessitate the revision of the implementation schedule of the airport to a date later than 2018. 

The RDC also wants the assurance that the proposed additional components of the airport would be implemented without impeding the actual operation of the airport if it opens after the August set date. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol)