By Felipe V. Celino
ROXAS CITY, Capiz – The technical team from the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority inspected Roxas City Airport on Thursday, May 1, to assess facility conditions and determine the budget needed for its proposed modular rehabilitation and expansion.
Before the inspection, a short briefing was held with Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines Manager Juanito Tanchinco Jr., Pinuno party-list Rep. Howard Guintu, and the TIEZA technical team led by Architect Philip Quibrantar, along with engineers Kyla Galang and Rui Taguinod.
In a media interview, Guintu said the funding would not only cover the expansion of the airport’s arrival and departure areas but also include the construction of a new control tower to replace the current one, which is more than 40 years old.
He said the estimated budget for the project is PHP199 million, which he initially requested from TIEZA, though the amount could increase depending on the technical team’s findings.
Guintu is seeking a congressional seat in Capiz’s 1st District in the upcoming midterm elections.
He said construction will begin once all data is finalized and is expected to be completed within 8 to 10 months.
Guintu said the expansion project was initiated after he asked the Department of Transportation during last September’s budget deliberation whether there was funding for the airport.
After the DOTR said no budget was available, he coordinated with CAAP to create a design and then submitted the proposal to TIEZA under Chief Operating Officer Mark Lapid.
He added that funding was also requested for other airports in the Visayas, which he immediately relayed to CAAP and TIEZA following a positive response.
On Monday, April 28, Guintu criticized Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon for allegedly failing to consult local stakeholders on the Roxas airport redevelopment.
He welcomed Dizon’s renewed pledge of support but noted that the transport chief had not consulted him or other stakeholders regarding the project.
Guintu said he has consistently pushed for the airport’s redevelopment, pointing out it has never undergone any major upgrade since its construction nearly 70 years ago.
