P6-billion Kalibo airport project awaits NEDA approval

BY BOY RYAN B. ZABAL

The funding for the full development of Kalibo International Airport (KIA) will have to wait for the approval of the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA).

The Department of Transportation and Communications (DoTC) will present the P6-billion KIA projects to the NEDA-Investment Coordination Committee and eventually send it to the NEDA board for approval within the next four months.

This was the assurance made by DoTC Undersecretary in charge of project implementation Julianito Bucayan, Jr. to Aklan Governor Florencio Miraflores. 

The NEDA Board, chaired by President Benigno Simeon Aquino III, is the cabinet-level social and economic development planning and policy-coordinating body of the national government. The vice chairman is NEDA director general Arsenio Balisacan. 

The bidding for the big ticket airport projects of KIA will take place after the NEDA approval. 

 

The P6-billion is earmarked by DoTC to modernize one of the country’s busiest airports in the rapidly growing province of Aklan. The project involves the construction of new passenger and cargo terminals of international standards, apron, widening and extension of runway.

The new airport passenger terminals are also expected to handle 2.5 million passengers annually.  KIA in Barangay Pook now accommodates Cebu Pacific, Silk Air, Philippine Airlines, TigerAir, China Airlines and AirAsia. 

Last month, DoTC secretary Jose Emilio Aguinaldo Abaya said, “mula sa magagandang kuwento hanggang sa negative na reklamo ang ating natatanggap na kulang ang pasilidad ng Kalibo airport dahil sa dami ng pasahero.”

Abaya also assured that “funding for Kalibo airport modernization is not a problem considering by 2014 the national government invests 3 percent of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to infrastructure spending and increase to 4 percent in 2015.”

“Walang dahilan na hindi lumago ang ating turismo kapag maganda ang pasilidad sa mga airports,” he added.