Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 in Pasay City. (INQUIRER FILE PHOTO / RICHARD A. REYES)
MANILA, Philippines — Airport construction and improvement projects nationwide will be allocated almost P2.5 billion under the Department of Transportation’s (DOTr) proposed 2023 budget, theDepartment of Budget and Management (DBM) said Thursday.
In a statement, the DBM said the DOTr’s 2023 budget was increased by 120.4% or from P75.8 billion in 2022 to P167.1 billion in 2023.
“Apart from big-ticket railway and road transport projects, which are set to get the largest budget allocations, aviation projects will also receive a significant amount of budget for their modernization,” the DBM said.
A total of P2.48 billion has been allotted for the implementation of the Aviation Infrastructure Program, the DBM said, which will be used for the construction, rehabilitation, and improvement of various airports across the country, including the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, Laoag International Airport, Tacloban Airport, Antique Airport and Bukidnon Airport.
Funds are likewise allotted for the rehabilitation and improvement of other transport infrastructure projects in the DOTr aviation sector, the DBM said.
“We fully support the directive of the President to give high priority to infrastructure development in our drive for growth and employment. Kasama po dito ang airports o mga paliparan sa bansa,” Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman said in the statement.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. earlier stressed the importance of infrastructure development as a necessary element in economic transformation, especially to propel growth of the agriculture, trade, and tourism sectors.