Marcos: Laguindingan airport concession to usher dev’t in NorMin

The project will expand the facilities, upgrade the terminals, augment capacity and deliver services in a safer, efficient and more convenient way, Marcos said. (Photo: Bongbong Marcos/Facebook)

By Darryl John Esguerra, Philippine News Agency

MANILA – The PHP12.75-billion concession agreement for the expansion and modernization of the Laguindingan International Airport will usher development in northern Mindanao, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. said Monday.

This, as the government and Aboitiz InfraCapital officially signed the Laguindingan International Airport Public Private Partnership (PPP) Project Concession Agreement in Malacañang.

The agreement, the first unsolicited proposal awarded by the Department of Transportation (DOTr) under the Marcos administration, is seen to transform the Laguindingan International Airport in Misamis Oriental into a modern, efficient and sustainable gateway in northern Mindanao that meets global standards.

The project will expand the facilities, upgrade the terminals, augment capacity and deliver services in a safer, efficient and more convenient way, Marcos said.

“Expectedly, the improvement of the airport will significantly boost tourism, create jobs, increase business presence, and ultimately aid in our goal – in achieving our goal of economic growth,” he said.

The project is seen to increase the airport’s annual capacity from 1.6 million passengers to 3.9 million in the first phase, and then to 6.1 million by the end of the second phase, the President noted.

He thanked all those involved in the project, both in the public and private sectors.

“Witnessing the signing of this concession agreement is a reminder of what we are capable of doing so long as we remain committed to this common goal – to help improve the lives of our people,” he said.

The Laguindingan International Airport concession agreement “redefined” how PPP is done and may serve as a template for other concession agreements in upgrading other airports across the country, Marcos said.

“It wasn’t easy-going. We had to change so many things. We had to change procedures. We had to streamline many of the things, even the definitions of what solicited and unsolicited offers was and how we handle it. But we now have a template,” Marcos said.

“And so, next perhaps Bohol (airport) will not take so much time or be so difficult,” he added.

Aboitiz is the lone bidder for the concession agreement. It already manages the Mactan-Cebu International Airport after it bought Megawide out of that concession, and has submitted an unsolicited proposal for similar concessions for airports in Bohol, Bicol and Iloilo.