Cotabato Airport facilities undergoing rehabilitation

COTABATO CITY — The Islamic prayer room at Cotabato Airport in Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao del Norte is currently being rehabilitated to provide Muslim travelers with a proper space for worship while waiting for their flights, officials reported on Wednesday, June 11.

Ranking officials of the Bangsamoro Airport Authority (BAA) and Bangsamoro Transportation and Communications Minister Paisalin Pangandaman Tago told reporters that they are also improving the comfort rooms in the airport.

The Cotabato Airport is around eight kilometers south of Cotabato City, where the Bangsamoro regional capitol is located.

“This is part of an effort to ensure the convenience of plane passengers while they are at the pre-departure area of the Cotabato Airport,” Tago said.

BAA employees said government accounting procedures caused a slight delay in the procurement of supplies for the project, but did not hamper its implementation.

Tago said the improvement of the Cotabato Airport prayer room and the restrooms in the facility is a joint initiative of the BAA, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, and BARMM’s chief minister, Abdulrauf Macacua. 

The project is being supported by the team of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) assigned to the Cotabato Airport, according to BAA officials.

While the functions and powers of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) are not devolved to the BARMM government, the agency continues to work closely with the MoTC-BARMM in overseeing the operations of Cotabato Airport.