Marcos vows to develop regional airports

MANILA, Philippines —  President Marcos vowed yesterday to develop regional airports to improve international tourist arrivals.

At the groundbreaking ceremony for the P2.5-billion Caticlan passenger terminal building at Caticlan Airport in Aklan, Marcos announced that the development of other regional airports is being discussed.

Agreements have been made in Bohol and Siargao while talks are ongoing in Iloilo, he noted.

“I don’t want to let the cat out of the bag because they are still in discussions,” Marcos said.

“The idea is to open up the Philippines not only through Manila, but also through international flights from Europe and Southeast Asia coming directly to tourist destinations,” he added.

The two-story Caticlan terminal will have six passenger boarding bridges and 36 check-in counters, occupying a total floor area of 36,470 square meters.

Seven million passengers are expected to be serviced annually at the terminal.

Set for completion by July 2027, the structure will have a capacity of 3,000 passengers.

In 2024, Megawide Construction Corp. (MCC) secured the contract to design and build the Caticlan passenger terminal building.

Caticlan Airport is operated by Trans Aire Development Holdings Corp., a subsidiary of San Miguel Corp. (SMC) Infrastructure.

Megawide promised to finish the project within 24 months, Marcos cited Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon as saying.

“When SMC chairman Ramon Ang mentioned 24 months, we told him, ‘no pressure.’ We take it back. I’m sorry, we need you to finish this in 24 months or even less now,” Marcos said.

Other attendees at the groundbreaking ceremony included Dizon, Ang, MCC chairman and CEO Edgar Saavedra, Energy Secretary Sharon Garin and other state officials.

Accommodating over three million passengers in 2024, Caticlan Airport is the fourth busiest gateway in the Philippines.

Caticlan serves as the main gateway to Boracay Island, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines noted.

Tourist arrivals in Boracay fell by two percent to 2.08 million last year due to a lack of capacity at the airport, which had no passenger terminal, Dizon said in June.

Before Marcos’ term ends, Dizon is eyeing to hand over 10 more regional airports to the private sector, particularly in Davao, Iloilo, Siargao, Laoag, Busuanga, Daraga, Tacloban, Bacolod, General Santos City and Puerto Princesa. – Rudy Santos, Elijah Felice Rosales