By Rjay Zuriaga Castor
The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) allocated P645 million for the rehabilitation and improvement of the congested Iloilo International Airport in Cabatuan town.
The appropriation, under the Department of Transportation’s (DOTr) budget in the National Expenditure Program (NEP) for 2025, aims to enhance the airport’s navigational facilities.
The DBM formally turned over the proposed P6.352-trillion national budget for 2025 to the House of Representatives on Monday, July 29.
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. approved the 2025 NEP earlier this July, which will serve as Congress’ basis for the General Appropriations Bill and will become the General Appropriations Act upon signing into law.
With the resumption of international flights later this year, Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas emphasized the need for a larger Iloilo airport.
“If we have direct flights from within the country and other destinations, we need a bigger passenger terminal building. We need an airport that can handle more flights and a better terminal,” he said.
The mayor urged the DOTr to expedite the proposed expansion and repairs of the airport facilities to cater to the influx of passengers and increase in cargo traffic.
Treñas previously called on the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines Area VI (CAAP-6) regarding non-working escalators and chillers.
Cebu Pacific recently announced it will relaunch direct flights from Iloilo to Hong Kong and Singapore. The Hong Kong flight will resume on October 27, 2024, while the Singapore-bound flights are yet to be announced.
International flights at the Iloilo airport had been suspended since 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Currently, the airport serves seven domestic flights, accommodating a total of 20 flights daily, with a passenger traffic of over five million in 2023, according to the Department of Tourism.
CAAP-6 previously disclosed plans for several facility upgrades at the airport, funded by a P190 million budget from the national government’s 2024 Aviation Transport Infrastructure Program.
The budget will cover the replacement of various facilities, including escalators, elevators, the flight information display system, the fire detection and alarm system, and seating.
An additional 333 passenger chairs will be added, increasing seating capacity from 720.
The budget will also fund the rehabilitation of the boarding bridge and the passenger terminal building, which received the largest portion of the upgrade plan.
Three new chillers from Japan are expected to arrive this year, increasing the number of chiller systems from five to seven.
Additionally, the Iloilo airport is in ongoing negotiations for an unsolicited proposal from Prime Asset Ventures Incorporated, a subsidiary of the Villar Group of Companies, to rehabilitate and expand the airport’s facilities.
The project is pegged at P14.7 billion and will be under an operate-add-transfer contract agreement.
The proposed expansion covers the upgrade of the passenger terminal building, construction of an apron adjacent to the terminal, installation of the required equipment for passenger services, and modernization of the related facilities.
With these significant developments, Treñas has called on the DOTr to hasten the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) proposal for the airport.
“It is crucial for them to proceed with the PPP with haste. I know there are schedules to be followed under the PPP law. As announced by them, by the first quarter of next year, the privatization process will be completed,” he said.
