Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon said that the Iloilo International Airport is a priority of the national government in relation to its privatization efforts.

Dizon was in Iloilo City for a visit and inspection on the said airport on March 8, 2025.

He said that aside from the Iloilo Airport they are also looking at privatization of other airports in the country such as in Davao City, Bacolod City, Siargao in the Province of Surigao del Norte, Kalibo in the Province of Aklan, and Dumaguete City in the Province of Negros Oriental.

“The instruction of our President is we really need to privatize because that's really the way forward,” Dizon said.

"So the beauty of privatization is not only the initial capital expenditures, yung capital investments will be from the private sector, but most importantly I think is the operations and maintenance,” he added.

Further, Dizon said that with the entry of a private operator, there is a mandatory investment of approximately P15 billion.

“The mandatory investment is roughly about 15 billion but the initial investment as soon as they come in is about P3.5 billion,” Dizon stressed.

As of this writing, there is an estimated P190 million from the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) that will fund the rehabilitation of the terminal building. 

“Maraming mga gagawin, we will be fixing equipment inside, we will be fixing the passenger experience sa terminal building, we will be adding more seating, we will be adding escalators, we will be fixing existing escalators, we will be adding elevators,” Dizon further said. 

Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas said that the privatization of Iloilo International Airport is vital. 

“We really need to fast track this because kung gobyerno aton hulaton, mahinay,” Treñas said.

According to the mayor, there are several flights daily, and that based on reports he read, approximately two million passengers were recorded in 2024.

Moreover, Treñas said, the reports mentioned of the said airport as the “second busiest” in Western Visayas.

(via SH Gegantoca/GMA Super Radyo Iloilo)