Iloilo mayor pushes quick utilization of P190M to improve airport

Iloilo Mayor Jerry Treñas. — ARNOLD ALMACEN/ILOILO CITY MAYOR’S OFFICE

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Transportation (DOTr) and the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) were pushed on Tuesday to finally utilize the P190-million fund granted by the Philippine government for the construction, rehabilitation, and improvement of the Iloilo International Airport.

Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas made the call during the Senate’s hearing on the state of international and domestic airports in the country.

“Sayang naman [if] it cannot be used. It’s May already — that’s almost one half of the year gone. So kailan natin gagamitin ito… ang P190 million? Is this going to earn interest if we keep this in the bank?” asked Treñas.

(It would go to waste if it cannot be used. It’s May already — that’s almost one half of the year gone. When are we going to use this P190 million? Is this going to earn interest if we keep this in the bank?)

The Iloilo International Airport was among the airports in the country that received funding from the Philippine government under the 2024 General Appropriations Act.

“It’s about time that we put to task our good friends in the DOTR and CAAP to finally decide to use these funds in the meantime that they are trying to decide how to go about the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) offer of the Villar Group,” Treñas added.

Senator Grace Poe, chairperson of the chamber’s panel on public services, agreed with Treñas, asking DOTr and CAAP to address the following concerns: “Why is the PPP taking [so] long? Why didn’t you have the required documents so that the 190M could’ve been utilized immediately?”

While he did not categorically answer why PPP is “taking long,” CAAP Director General Capt. Manuel Antonio Tamayo said the P190-million fund granted for rehabilitation of the airport has already been “scheduled for procurement.”

“The date that I was given is sometime August 2024,” said Tamayo.

According to Tamayo, the main problem of the Iloilo International Airport is its air conditioning system, escalators, and elevators. There is also a need to “expand the terminal,” he said.

“We were provided P198 million. Now for the P198 million, we are procuring an additional three chillers so this will give us a total of seven for Iloilo, we will replace the two escalators — we will also replace the two elevators that are in the terminal right now,” said Tamayo.

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“Now, as far as the passenger terminal is concerned, as I mentioned we are still not expanding the structure itself, but what we are doing is we will improve the departure area, we will remove some of the concessionnaires, of course we will lose, but then priority is still the passengers,” he said.

With the use of remaining funds, Tamayo said CAAP intends not only to “renovate but rehabilitate” the interior of the airport.