• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The Department of Transportation (DOTr) is eyeing the privatization of the operations of Bacolod-Silay Airport and nine other regional airports by 2028 to improve connectivity across the archipelago.
During the Economic Journalists Association of the Philippines Infrastructure Forum in Makati City on June 16, Transportation Secretary Vivencio “Vince” Dizon said he had committed to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. the privatization of the 10 regional airports via the public-private partnership route.
Aside from the Bacolod-Silay Airport, the other regional airports are in Iloilo, Davao, Siargao, Laoag, Busuanga, Bicol, Tacloban, General Santos, and Puerto Princesa.
To make the project financially viable, Dizon said the government is considering bundling multiple airports into a single contract.
“Government should really focus on making sure that a lot of areas have at least an airstrip, have an airfield, for logistics, for emergencies, for disaster response,” he added.
Meanwhile, Dizon said the government would continue building and expanding airports in remote areas.
The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) and Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA) earlier committed P400 million to upgrade the Bacolod-Silay Airport.
CAAP will provide P200 million for the renovation of the terminal while TIEZA will allocate P200 million for runway improvements. | GB
