ILOILO City –Mayor Jerry Treñas is pushing for the privatization of the Iloilo Airport in Cabatuan, Iloilo.
During the meeting of the Regional Development Council’s (RDC) Infrastructure Development Committee (IDC) on Monday, May 15, it was learned that Ilonggos will have to wait for a long time before the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) can conduct preventive maintenance on the airport.
“I-push ta na gid lang ang privatization sang airport,” said Treñas.
According to the mayor, two groups are interested: the Villar group (particularly Prime Asset Venture, Inc.) and Aboitiz InfraCapital, Inc.
“Whoever will get it, you know, ang aton da interest para sa kaayuhan sang aton nga mga pumoluyo nga naga-usar,” said Treñas.
During Monday’s meeting, one of the items on the agenda of the IDC meeting was an update from CAAP-Iloilo.
Engr. Eusebio F. Monserate Jr., area manager of CAAP Region 6, disclosed that the purchase of equipment for the maintenance of the airport’s air-conditioning and chillers would take time because of the procurement process.
Last week, Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr. met with the Aboitiz InfraCapital led by Ms. Cosette Canilao for possible infrastructure and infrastructure-related investments in the province, particularly the “overdue practical need” of expanding and improving the Iloilo Airport.
He pointed out that the passenger terminal and the departure area are now crowded, not including international flights to and from Singapore and Hong Kong, and will be further overloaded once flight operations resume to pre-pandemic levels.
“Ang main terminal naton, kon magbalik sa pre-pandemic levels ang flights kag magdulongan sila, indi kaigu ang mga tawo sa departure. Amo na ka-practical sang expansion nga kinahanglan naton,” said Defensor.
He disclosed that during his last term as a 3rd District congressman, a budget back then was available and a committee hearing by the Committee on Transportation was supposedly scheduled. It did not push through as the 2019 midterm elections were also underway.
With the announcement by the Department of Transportation (DOTr) that the Iloilo Airport is up for expansion in 2023 through a public-private partnership, Defensor said he was delighted.
The governor also requested that the CAAP-Iloilo improve other facilities and amenities at the airport such as closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras, air-conditioning, and comfort rooms.
Iloilo Airport is situated on 188 hectares of land covering barangays Tabucan, Tiring, Gaub, Duyan-Duyan, and Manguna in Cabatuan.
The airport complex consists of a single runway, various administrative and maintenance buildings, waste-sorting and water-treatment facilities, a power-generating station, a cargo terminal, and a main passenger terminal.
In October 2022, Transportation secretary Jaime Bautista announced that the airport was set to undergo an upgrade under a public-private partnership scheme and expected the completion of these airport projects in the provinces by 2023 as part of efforts to boost travel and tourism in the country./PN
