Japanese group wins Bohol eco-airport deal

The Department of Transportation and Communications has awarded the construction contract for the new Bohol airport, which is scheduled to be completed in 2017.

The DOTC said in a statement Monday that the P3.36-billion airport- the first new airport project of the Aquino administration—went to the Japanese joint venture of Chiyoda Corp. and Mitsubishi Corp.

“Another world-class airport will soon rise on the island of Panglao to cater to the steadily increasing number of tourists in Bohol. It will be developed as an ‘eco-airport’ or one that features environmentally sustainable technologies, in line with the province’s eco-tourism branding,” Transportation secretary Joseph Abaya said in a statement.

Construction is set to begin before the end of summer. The airport is designed to accommodate one million passengers annually.

“In a country filled with tourist hotspots on islands separated by seas, it is vital to develop and modernize our airports not only to better service our passengers, but to also enable economic growth for our people,” Abaya added.

Bohol Gov. Edgar Chatto, during the March 21 launching of its Eco Bohol Tourism program, said based on records of the DOTC, the airport project in Panglao is the only project of the department that has a dedicated environmental component which is the Sustainable Environment Protection Project for Panglao (SEPP).
april 20 start

The winning bidder of the project, the joint venture of Chiyoda and Mitsubishi, is expected to go full blast with the civil works for the airport’s 2000-meter runway starting April 20.

“Clearing of the area is already done. We have leveled off and fenced the area. Civil works for the construction of the runway will follow.  After Holy Week, the contractors will start making bunkhouses,” he said.

From April 20, the construction is expected to last 30 months and the airport will be operational by 2017, he added.

“And because the whole island province is a big island, it is always encouraged that once people land in Panglao, it becomes only an entry point. They enjoy the island of Panglao, they enjoy the beaches, but they have the entire island province of Bohol to explore.

That is the reason why we are here,” Chatto said.

Development, environment
“As the development comes, the corresponding responsibility to protect the environment and sustainable development becomes even more greater for all of us. So let us accept both challenges. Development on one hand and environmental protection on the other. We should be able to strike the balance because that is what we mean by sustainable development,” he said.

Aside from the Bohol airport project, the DOTC also announced updates on two other airport projects.

Two other projects
For the Kalibo International Airport, it announced that a new wing was opened ahead of the busy summer season, allowing the facility to accommodate another 800 passengers.

The department also announced the start of regular night flight operations at Laguindingan airport in Cagayan de Oro, the gateway airport to northern Mindanao.

After being fully equipped for night landing last October, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) gave airlines the option to schedule their night flights at the airport. Evening flights formally opened on March 12, when Cebu Pacific Air operated round-trips from Cagayan de Oro to Cebu and Davao. It will now offer regular night trips to and from Manila.