New Bohol airport to boost tourism, growth of province —Tugade

Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Arthur Tugade on Wednesday said that the approval of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Board for the operation and maintenance of the New Bohol International Airport will boost growth and tourism in the province.

"It is our hope that this new airport will help propel development in Bohol and the rest of the Visayas. Matagal na nilang pinapangarap ito. Ngayon ay mas nalalapit tayo sa pagbibigay katuparan sa pangarap na ‘yon,” Tugade said in a statement.

“This is a very positive development as far as fast-tracking our infrastructure backlogs is concerned. This is for our kababayans in Visayas. This is for the entire Filipino people,” Department of Public Works and Highways Secretary Mak Villar said.

NEDA gave the green light for the unsolicited proposal of the Aboitiz Group on November 29, Friday, to operate and maintain the airport.

According to DOTr, the project has an estimated capital expenditure of P3.8 billion.

Phase 1 of the project is set from 2020 to 2021, which includes initial enhancement and installation of internal fit-outs of existing facilities, while Phase 2 involves the optimization and reconfiguration as dictated by traffic demand from 2026 to 2027, DOTr said.

The airport is also known as the “Green Gateway to the World” for harnessing green technology and environmentally-sustainable structures, DOTr added. —Joahna Lei Casilao/LDF, GMA News