ILOILO—The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has allocated P645 million to refurbish and rehabilitate Iloilo International Airport in Cabatuan.
This appropriation comes from the Department of Transportation (DOTr) budget under the National Expenditure Program (NEP) for 2025, aimed at enhancing and updating the airport’s navigational facilities.
On Monday, July 29, the DBM submitted the P6.352 trillion national budget for 2025 to the House of Representatives.
Prior to this, President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. approved the NEP, which will serve as the basis for Congress to draft the General Appropriation Bill and, upon approval, the General Appropriation Act.
With the return of international flights to Iloilo Airport, Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas emphasized the need for a larger airport to accommodate the increasing number of local and foreign tourists.
“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,” Treñas stated.
Treñas previously urged the DOTr to expedite the planned expansion and improvement of airport facilities to handle the growing passenger and cargo traffic. He also called the attention of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP)-Western Visayas regarding faulty escalators and chillers.
Recently, Cebu Pacific announced the resumption of several international flights at Iloilo Airport, including routes to Hong Kong and Singapore. The Hong Kong flights will resume on October 27, while the schedule for Singapore flights is yet to be confirmed.
It has been over four years since international flights were halted at this airport due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Currently, Iloilo Airport handles seven domestic flights with 20 daily departures and recorded over five million passengers in 2023, according to the Department of Tourism.
The CAAP-Western Visayas revealed that some facilities have been upgraded with P190 million from the national government’s 2024 Aviation Transport Infrastructure program.
These funds have been used to replace facilities such as escalators, elevators, flight information display systems, fire detection and alarm systems, and seating.
An additional 333 seats will increase the airport’s seating capacity to 720.
The budget also covers the rehabilitation of boarding gates and the passenger terminal building, with extensive upgrades planned.
Three new chillers from Japan are expected this year, increasing the total number of chillers from five to seven.
Negotiations are ongoing 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 total rehabilitation budget stands at P14.7 billion, with proposed extensions including upgrades to the passenger terminal building, construction of an apron adjacent to the terminal, installation of necessary passenger service equipment, and modernization of related facilities.
Given these developments, Treñas has called on the DOTr to expedite the airport expansion under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) proposal.
“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,” Treñas added.
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