Marcos vows to complete Tacloban airport modernization work in 2026

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. during his visit in Calbayog City, Thursday, July 4, 2024. | PHOTO: Official Facebook page of the Presidential Communications Office

TACLOBAN CITY — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has committed to complete the modernization work of the Daniel Z. Romualdez (DZR) Airport in this city by 2026, two years before his term ends.

The President made this commitment during his visit on July 4 to Palo town, Leyte to distribute assistance to farmers and fisherfolk severely affected by the drought.

“I want to announce the progress of some of our projects that will bring change to our area. One of these is the ongoing renovation of Tacloban Airport which costs over P2.5 billion,” the President said in his speech at the Leyte Academic Center in Palo.

“We aim to complete this by 2026, bringing better and faster service to our people,” he added.

Marcos said the airport’s new terminal building could be inaugurated next year.

The modernization of the DZR Airport, the premier airport of Eastern Visayas, has long been in the pipeline since the administration of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

The DZR Airport, which suffered extensive damage when Supertyphoon “Yolanda” pummeled Tacloban in 2013, currently caters to the Tacloban-Cebu and Tacloban-Manila routes with more than 20 daily flights.

Marcos also highlighted the ongoing causeway project to serve as an alternate road to the airport.

The causeway project, which costs P4 billion, spans 2.5 kilometers from Magsaysay Boulevard to the San Jose district, where the airport is located, and will reduce travel time from 45 minutes to about 10 minutes.

The causeway will include a four-lane road embankment spanning 2.56 kilometers with a bridge at the center.

It will also have bike lanes, concrete canals, sidewalks, and wave deflectors on both sides.

The project, which started in February last year, is expected to be completed by 2025.