Albay Gov. Joey Salceda sees the completion of South Luzon International Airport (SLIA) project in Barangay Alobo, Daraga, Albay in May 2016, following the announcement by President Aquino that it is one of the administration’s priority projects in Bicol.
Salceda said the horizontal work of SLIA will be finished this year, including the ramp and runway and the construction of the terminal, a bahay-kubo design, will be bid out in July.
He said he is optimistic it will be finished before the presidential elections in 2016 because there is no other project like this in the Aquino administration.
“Of the projects announced in 2010, the SLIA will definitely be finished in 2016,” Salceda reiterated.
Salceda said the total costs of P4.7B is comparatively small compared to some other projects of the Aquino administration, like the light railway extension to Cavite which will cost the government some P69B for only 14 km.
He said once completed the SLIA will have four bays and can accommodate Airbus 360 and the first international flight will come from Inchon, South Korea and most of the Asian hubs like Hongkong, Singapore, and Bangkok.
Salceda said the SLIA has to establish its spokes including new Milagros Airport in Masbate, Virac Airport in Catanduanes, and Naga Airport in San Jose, Pili, Camarines Sur.
Targeted to link Bicol to international airways, the national government has released so far P1.7B for civil works, engineering, and right-of-way acquisition for the South Luzon International Airport (SLIA) project.
Salceda started five years ago, the SLIA is a 300-hectare airport complex with 2,200-meter runway strip, night-capable landing and take-off facilities, apron and taxi, control tower, passenger terminal, cargo terminal, car park, and fire station.
The government released P250M from the General Appropriation Act (GAA) in 2007, followed by two more releases amounting to more than P167M for right-of-way acquisition and detailed engineering design.
In the years to follow, the national government released funds for civil works which comprised of P300M in 2008; another P300M in 2009, and without releases in 2010 and 2011.
In 2012, the national government released P963M for SLIA project.
Rolling over private properties, the SLIA project has paid for 1,477,525 square meters of private lots affected by the development.
The SLIA is a perfect site with wind conditions conducive to year-round air transportation, according to a Department of Transportation and Communication’s study.
SLIA takes a critical role in tourism and increasing air traffic of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) in the region, and the progress of the regional economy, the DOTC added.
With SLIA, tourists anywhere in the world can fly easily to Albay with travel time shortened.
Once operational, the SLIA will be a gateway for foreign tourists and investors to Bicol from their point of departure outside the country.
