ILOILO – Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr. has reached out to Department of Transportation (DOTr) secretary Jaime Bautista, pushing for a swift realization of the Iloilo Airport expansion.
Accompanied by Iloilo 3rd District’s Cong. Lorenz Defensor and USWAG Ilonggo party-list’s Rep. James “Jojo” Ang, Defensor met with Bautista on Sept. 29.
“We aim to expedite the project to prevent further delays,” the governor told capitol beat reporters.
During the meeting, Defensor highlighted the burgeoning need for the airport expansion, citing the surge in passenger traffic due to the rapid development in both the city and province of Iloilo.
“Our current terminal is overflowing (with passengers). We desperately need an expansion,” he said.
He further emphasized that passenger numbers were nearing pre-pandemic figures, leading to congestion in the existing terminal.
A recent communication to Defensor from National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Region 6 director and Regional Development Council 6 (RDC-6) vice chairperson Arecio A. Casing Jr. mentioned that the unsolicited proposal from Prime Asset Ventures, Inc. (PAVI) was still under evaluation by both DOTr and the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines.
PAVI’s proposal envisions enhancing the passenger terminal building, erecting an apron adjacent to the terminal, provisioning the necessary equipment for enhanced passenger services, and modernizing associated facilities.
The proposed expansion will be under a public-private partnership (PPP) framework.
On Sept. 26, 2023, RDC-6 endorsed this PPP-based expansion via Resolutions Nos. 39 and 40. Moreover, PAVI was directed to submit additional documents in line with the revised build-operate-and-transfer (BOT) Law guidelines, implementing rules, and the updated Investment Coordination Committee Guidelines and Checklists.
“The proposal is now under review by the NEDA’s new Investment Coordination Committee. As of September’s evaluation, they’ve asked PAVI to provide supplementary documentation as per the BOT law guidelines. Once this step is completed, the proposal will await the NEDA board’s approval, which is chaired by the President,” said Defensor.
He further added that an approval is anticipated by the first quarter of 2024.
Besides liaising with the NEDA secretary, Governor Defensor intends to meet with the Special Assistant to the President and former Davao congressman Anton Lagdameo to further advocate for the airport’s expansion.
On the other hand, Casing confirmed that NEDA-6 remains in close communication with Defensor regarding updates on the expansion. In an interview with Panay News, he noted, “I believe the DOTr is gearing up to submit the final document to the PPP Center, aligning it with the process for unsolicited proposals.”
He expressed optimism about the project’s progression, especially if the PPP framework is adopted.
As of now, the Villar-owned PAVI remains the sole investor showing interest in funding the airport expansion./PN
