• President Aquino inspects site of new Puerto Princesa Airport
• President Aquino attends groundbreaking ceremony of Mactan-Cebu International Airport Terminal 2

Upon arriving here, the President proceeded to the open ramp at the earth mount barrier between the Western Command’s Air Defense Alert Center and the construction site of the new Puerto Princesa Airport for the inspection.

He was briefed by Transportation Undersecretary Julianito Bucayan regarding the Puerto Princesa Airport Development Project, located in Barangay San Miguel, Puerto Princesa, Palawan.

The project, which is expected to be completed by January 2017, was 29.12 percent complete as of last March.

It is being financed by the Export-Import Bank of Korea under the operation and management of the Economic Development Cooperation Fund of Korea.

“The project is designed to enhance the quality of airport services in Palawan to comply with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) safety standards; and expand the Puerto Princesa International Airport’s capacity to address the growing air traffic in Palawan,” said Bucayan.

He noted that the new airport is expected to accommodate two million passengers per annum, with a peak passenger flow of 690 passengers per hour; and generate as much as 52,000 jobs when it is completed.

It will feature a cargo terminal, a fire and rescue/firefighting facility, a maintenance building, a power house, and a state-of-the-art air traffic control tower with air navigation aid, in compliance with ICAO Category 1 standards.

The new airport also aims to revitalize the transport and trade linkages under the Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia and Philippines-East ASEAN Growth Area. PND (ag)

Joining President Aquino in the groundbreaking ceremony of the airport’s Terminal 2 and the lowering of the time capsule were Interior and Local Government Secretary Manuel Roxas II, Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez, Transportation and Communications Undersecretary Jose Perpetuo Lotilla, Cebu Governor Hilario Davide III, Megawide Construction Corporation Chairman Michael Cosiquien, GMR-Megawide Cebu Airport Corporation (GMCAC) President Manuel Louie Ferrer, GMR Group of Companies Chairman Grandhi Mallikajurna Rao, and GMCAC Chief Executive Advisor Andrew Harrison.

The construction of the MCIA’s second terminal, which will start immediately, will further boost Cebu’s already dynamic economic landscape with an expected increase in the airport’s passenger handling capacity from 4.5 million to 12.5 million annually.

The GMCAC is a Filipino company formed from the consortium of GMR Group of India and Megawide Construction Corporation of the Philippines under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) with the Department of Transportation and Communications. The company won the P32 billion, 25-year concession deal to expand and manage the MCIA after offering a premium of P14.4 billion.

“Tunay pong sagisag ang araw na ito sa tagumpay na dulot ng pagkakapit-kamay; patunay din ito sa napipitas na nating bunga sa ilalim ng ating Public-Private Partnerships. Isipin po ninyo: Sa nakaraang tatlong administrasyon, anim na solicited PPP projects lamang ang nai-award sa pribadong sektor; ngayon po, mula Disyembre ng 2011 hanggang Hunyo ng 2015, umabot na sa 10 solicited PPP projects ang nai-award na natin, na nagkakahalagang P189 bilyon. Bukod pa rito, may 12 proyekto pa tayong nasa bidding na; at 30 naman ang nakapila pa. Mahigit 50 PPP projects po ito na nagkakahalagang tinatayang P1.11 trillion, sa ilalim ng ating administrasyon,” President Aquino said in his speech.

The P17.5-billion Terminal 2, located beside the existing terminal, will span approximately 50,000 square meters with modular expansion capacity. It will be designed in the shape of a bangka, the native canoe, to pay tribute to Cebu’s heritage.

The architectural features of Terminal 2 blends modern building materials and Cebuano culture and heritage.

According to GMCAC, the new terminal, which is scheduled to be completed in 2018, will have a two-level forecourt segregating Arrival and Departure passengers.

Terminal 2 will likewise have 48 check-in counters, which are expandable to 72. It will also have provisions for seven passenger boarding bridges, which can be expanded to 12 bridges serving wide and narrow body aircraft.

The new terminal also features 12 escalators and 15 elevators to facilitate the easy movements of passengers, especially the elderly and those with disabilities. It will have a car park that can accommodate 550 cars and is expandable to 750 as necessary, as well as an array of food, beverage and retail stores for local and foreign passengers.

The GMCAC said the construction of Terminal 2 will create 2,000 to 3,000 jobs for Cebuanos over three years. An additional 500 new jobs are expected during the terminal’s first year of operation.

“Sa pagpapaunlad nga po ng inyong airport, talagang namumuhunan tayo para sa kinabukasan. Paparamihin natin ang flights at pasaherong kayang i-accommodate ng paliparan. Gagawin nating mas maginhawa ang karanasan ng mga biyahero dito. Bunsod nito, mapaparami natin ang turistang bibisita sa inyo. At pag-uwi naman ng mga turista sa kani-kanilang mga lugar, ikukuwento nila—hindi ang karanasan nilang naging pahirapan—kundi ang maayos at masigla nilang biyahe sa inyong lalawigan. Resulta: Dadami ang mahihikayat na tumungo rito, na muli namang magdudulot ng mga oportunidad, at siyang magpapatuloy sa siklo ng pag-asenso,” President Aquino said.

The President also toured the newly renovated Terminal 1 after the groundbreaking ceremony.

The MCIA, the second largest airport in the country in terms of domestic traffic, is envisioned to be the world’s first resort airport in the world.

The GMCAC said a hotel and mall are also being considered after the modernization of the airport has been completed.

The GMR Group also operates airports in New Delhi and Hyderabad in India, Istanbul in Turkey, and the Maldives. PND (jm)