DIPOLOG CITY -- Dipolog City Airport gets P66.9-million from the P319-million budget
allocated by the Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC) for the
development of two key airports in the country.
Meanwhile,
the Tacloban City Airport, which is the 8th busiest airport in the country was also
given P251.6 million budget allocation for its upgrading.
According
to Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) in Dipolog City, the
components of the airside development projects of Dipolog City Airport include the
expansion of apron, widening of taxiway, construction of river protection with
shoulder, and the construction of box culvert and drainage system.
Dipolog
City Airport is one of the major air terminals in Mindanao. It registered a
total of 165,163 passengers in 2011 and is poised to reach the 200,000 mark
this year. At present, it is servicing flights to and from Manila and Cebu.
The
said airport plays a key role in the development of business and tourism not
only in Dipolog City and Dapitan City but also the whole province of Zamboanga
del Norte and its neighboring provinces.
Among
the tourist destinations to benefit in the upgrading of Dipolog City Airport are
Dakak Beach, Dapitan Bay, Aliguay and
Silinog Islands, white water adventure in Sungkilaw Falls and the Cogon jungle
adventure.
In an invitation to bid (ITB)
released by DOTC Friday, the Department said the upgrading of Dipolog and
Tacloban airport is the fulfillment of President Benigno Aquino III’s promise
to modernize air transport facilities in the country.
The development of Tacloban and
Dipolog Airports is part of the Master Plan set by then Transportation (now
DILG) Secretary Mar Roxas aimed to re-engineer the Philippines’ transport
system to make it Convenient, Affordable, Reliable, Efficient and Safe (CARES).