New Iloilo Airport now ready for test flights

The News Today. 1/29/2007. (1)
The News Today. 1/29/2007. (2)

By Erly C. Garcia

Governor Niel Tupas Sr., Rep. Arthur Defensor,
Transportation Secretary Leandro Mendoza and
Senator Franklin Drilon share a hearty laugh during
the inspection of the new Iloilo Airport's passenger
terminal building.Senator Franklin Drilon along with Transportation and Communications Secretary Leandro Mendoza on Friday led the topping ceremony of the almost completed New Iloilo Airport Development Project (NIADP) in Sta. Barbara-Cabatuan area.

The new airport which is of international standard is expected to start commercial operations by April this year.

Other officials like Presidential Adviser for Western Visayas Rafael Coscolluela, Representative Arthur Defensor of the third district, Governor Niel Tupas Sr., and Air Tranportation Office Manager Allan Java also joined the activity.

The group aboard a convoy of vehicles toured the airport's 2.5 kilometer runway and then had a glimpse of the airport's state of the art passenger terminal.

NIADP project manager Eduardo Mangalili said the entire structure is 97 percent completed and will be ready for test flights in the next few days.

Upon seeing the progress of the works, all Drilon could say was: "I feel fulfilled."

Drilon along with then Governor Defensor was very instrumental in the initiation of the project.

For Defensor the NIADP is a "dream come true."

"After all the troubles, problems and challenges we now see the fruit of our hard work," Defensor said of the new airport which was initiated during his term and was implemented during the time of Governor Tupas.

Secretary Mendoza, on the other hand, expressed that the new airport would spur the development of Iloilo and the entire Western Visayas.

"Aside from passenger traffic we also expect a big volume of seafood cargo going direct to countries like Canada and the United States," Mendoza said.

Equipped with modern equipment, the NIADP which will be operational 24 hours a day could accommodate bigger aircrafts like Airbus 330 and Airbus 340 and even Boeing 747.

Mendoza said, initially the airport would accommodate domestic flights but it will be opened to international flights later.

Disposing old airport site

Meanwhile, the Asset Disposition Committee (ADC) of the Department of Finance is now on the process of disposing the existing 54-hectare Iloilo Airport site in Mandurriao district which will eventually be closed when the new airport starts operation.

Drilon said ADC will open the property for public bidding.

Initially, the senator said, the proposal is to develop the old airport site into a second urban center in the city of Iloilo. This means the area will be converted into a commercial complex.

Drilon, however, warned officials of the Air Transportation Office to ensure that the airport site will not be intruded by squatters once it is already vacated.

Need for stable energy

Further, Drilon expressed the province's need of a stable power supply to complement the expected entry of investors in the city and province of Iloilo.

Drilon noted the present problem on energy as the province is dependent on power coming from diesel plants of the National Power Corporation.

Drilon said there is an immediate need to attract investors in the power sector to address this problem.

The News Today. 1/29/2007. (1)
The News Today. 1/29/2007. (2)

ILOILO’S GATEWAY TO THE WORLD

The Guardian Iloilo. 1/27/2007

New airpoArt to land first commercial flight April 18
by Francis Allan Angelo

THE first commercial flight will land on the New Iloilo Airport Development Project (Niadp) at Cabatuan-Sta. Barbara area April 18.

This was the assurance made by the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) during a site visit-cum-media briefing at the P6-B airport facility Friday.

Among the national and local officials present in the visit were Senator Franklin Drilon, DOTC Secretary Leandro Mendoza, Iloilo 3rd district Rep. Arthur Defensor, Tesda Director-General Augusto Syjuco, Governor Niel Tupas, Airport Project Manager Eduardo Manalili and representatives from the Taisei-Shimizu Joint Venture, the project contractor.

Manalili said the project is now 97 percent complete, particularly the civil works.

The new airport, which is of international standards, sits on a 200-hectare land straddling the towns of Sta. Barbara and Cabatuan.

The facility includes a 2.5-kilometer x 45-meter runway; 48,000-square meter apron or the paved area on which aircrafts load and unload; 3-km x 30-m access road; 12,000-sq.m. passenger terminal; 1,281-sq.m. cargo terminal building; administration building; 35-m high tower and operation building; central plant building; maintenance building and equipment; and crash-fire-rescue station and equipment.

Other utilities are water supply, storage, and distribution system, electrical system and sewage treatment.

The newly-constructed airport can accommodate six commercial planes at a time.

The Japanese contractor is still testing and commissioning the high tech navigational and communications equipment of the airport before turning it over to the national government.

“There is no doubt that this facility will spur economic growth and development in this side of the region when the airport operates on April 18,” Drilon said.

Defensor said the airport has been a dream of Ilonggos who want to break into the international arena.

“The airport will be our gateway to the world, especially that many tourists flock not only Iloilo but also the rest of Western Visayas,” Defensor said.

Tupas said they are planning to put up an impressive launching party for the airport “to announce to the world the newest and most modern gateway to Western Visayas.”

The Niadp is financed by a P5.259-billion loan from Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) while the Philippine government allotted a counterpart fund of P928 million.

Yesterday’s airport tour saw Tupas and Drilon, who are opposition stalwarts, rubbing elbows with Defensor and Syjuco who are staunch allies of President Arroyo.

Drilon and Tupas jettisoned President Arroyo in 2005 at the height of the Hello Garcia and fertilizer scandals rocking her administration.

Tupas almost lost his post last week because of the dismissal order meted against him by the Ombudsman.

It resulted to a standoff between Tupas and Vice Governor Roberto Armada and a police raid on the Capitol which was stopped by the temporary restraining order from the Court of Appeals.

The Guardian Iloilo. 1/27/2007

New Iloilo Airport to spur Visayas dev’t — Drilon

Manila Bulletin. 1/27/2007

ILOILO CITY — The new airport here, to open this April, will provide a new gateway to the Visayas for air travelers not only in the Philippines, but worldwide. It will offer opportunities for businesses, employment and economic growth to the whole of Eastern Visayas.

These primary benefits from the opening of thje new airport were cited by Sen. Franklin M. Drilon at his speech at the topping ceremony for the new air terminal yesterday, which coincided with the start of the Dinagyang Festival in the province.

"This infrastructure project serves as a gateway that welcomes large-scale business transactions and visitors into the region while providing access to the citizens and businesses in Iloilo to the larger economy," said Drilon, also president of the Liberal Party.

Drilon hailed the development of the new airport as the springboard for economic growth in the provinces of Iloilo, Antique, Aklan, Capiz, Guimaras and Negros Occidental.

According to a report of the Department of Transportation and Communication (DoTC), "the annual passenger movement between Iloilo and Manila is expected to exceed 800,000 in the year 2010, and wide-bodied jet aircraft such as A330 is very much likely to be operated."

"This will meet the needs of the traveling public for generations to come," Drilon said.

The new airport, equipped with modern facilities, will cater to the increasing number of air passenger and cargo traffic in Iloilo and its neigbor provinces to boost economic development of the Visayas regions, the latest DoTC project status report said.

Construction of the New Iloilo Airport started in 2004 and will be completed by March 18 this year. The three-story passenger terminal is about 12,000 sq. meter in floor area. The airport can accommodate six aircrafts simultaneously parking at a time.

The DoTC said that the new airport is the first to have the latest technology belonging to Category F as determined by the International Civil Aviation (ICA) Organization. This means that the airport is accredited as a qualifier for international standards.

The airport complex has a six-hectare regulating pod, bigger than the Burnham Park in Baguio, that can hold even a year’s continuous downpour, to prevent flood at the airport runway.

Drilon, a native of Iloilo, played a lead role in the completion of the P8.7-billion Iloilo Airport project in the past eight years. He was part of the steering committee which oversaw the project’s implementation.

In November 1998, then President Joseph Estrada issued a memorandum creating the Iloilo Airport Coordinating Committee, with Drilon as adviser.

The airport is at a 188-hectare area in Sta. Barbara-Cabatuan, 19 kilometers north of Iloilo City.

Manila Bulletin. 1/27/2007

Topping ceremony of new Iloilo airport set Friday

Sunstar Iloilo. 1/26/2007

SENATOR Franklin M. Drilon leads the topping ceremony of the international airport in Iloilo City on Friday signaling its near-completion after eight years of planning and actual construction.

Drilon, who will be ending his second term as senator in June, considers the completion of the Iloilo airport project as one of his most significant achievement as a public servant.

"This is my way of expressing faith in the development and the future of my home town. My kasimanwa will greatly benefit from this new airport," Drilon said.

According to a report of the Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC), the airport is now 97 percent complete and will be operational in April this year.

"The New Iloilo Airport will bring a new level of comfort, traveling convenience and efficiency to passengers across the nation and the world," Drilon, who is also president of the Liberal Party, said.

Joining Drilon in the walk-through inspection of the airport on Friday are DOTC Secretary Leandro Mendoza, Iloilo Governor Niel Tupas, Sr. and other Iloilo local government officials.

Drilon, a native of Iloilo, played a lead role in the completion of the P8.7 billion Iloilo airport project in the past eight years. He was part of the steering committee which oversees the project implementation. In November 1998, then President Joseph Estrada issued a memorandum creating the Iloilo Airport Coordinating Committee, with Drilon as adviser.

The three-story passenger terminal, about 12,000 sq. meter in floor area, houses the baggage conveyor on the first floor, the check in area and the airline offices on the second floor and the pre-departure area on the third, and the arrival area along the corridors that lead to the first floor. The airport can accommodate six aircrafts simultaneously parking at a time. Air navigation systems, including a radar area is also in place.

The project was launched in Iloilo in January 2004. The airport is seen to increase air passenger and cargo traffic in the province and its influence areas to boost economic development in Western Visayas.

The new airport is sprawled in 188-hectare site between the towns of Cabatuan and Sta. Barbara, located 19 kilometers north of Iloilo City. The plan is to convert the area into a commercial, residential and semi-industrial district. It will be a domestic trunk line airport that will replace the existing airport in Mandurriao.

"The rise of a first-rate airport in Western Visayas that is compliant with international standards is crucial to the development of the country. This will boost our air transportation services, making the Philippines more accessible to the rest of the world," Drilon said.

Sunstar Iloilo. 1/26/2007

‘Sell’ WV airports now – Gordon

Panay News. 1/12/2007

By DAVID ISRAEL SINAY

ILOILO City – The government should start promoting the two airports of international standards in Western Visayas even before they fully operate to catch investors’ interest and to boost the tourism potentials of the region, a senator said.

Sen. Richard Gordon, former tourism secretar, said the government should tap travel agencies from Hong Kong, Japan, China and other countries to promote the opening of the New Iloilo Airport of International Standards and Silay City International Airport in Negros Occidental.
Gordon was one of the keynote speakers of the Liga ng mga Barangay – Iloilo Province Chapter during its convention at the Centennial Resort Hotel and Convention Center in Alta Tierra Village, Jaro district yesterday.

“Even if you have an international airport and you do not have the hotels, kakalimutan kayo (they will forget you),” Gordon also stressed in a press conference at Tatoy’s Manokan in Arevalo district here.

He said that once the airports in Silay City and the New Iloilo Airport opens, hotel rooms will be a necessity.

Gordon stressed that Iloilo City, being the center of commerce in Western Visayas, must address the need.

“The government should now start inviting ambassadors and travel agencies in Asia to promote the airports prior its operation to invite businesses. Are we going to wait for its opening before we do it?” asked the former tourism secretary.

During his stint in the Department of Tourism, Gordon initiated the WOW (Wealth of Wonders) Philippines program which encouraged foreigners to visit the country and experience what it has to offer.

Gordon recalled getting flak for this concept; he said some immediately concluded that the program will not prosper but he proved them wrong.

“We are an archipelagic country. Tourism should be a priority of the government. We have to focus on destinations now that we have (international) airports…to uplift our tourism industry,” he said.

AIRPORTS

Iloilo Gov. Niel Tupas Sr. disclosed Friday that the New Iloilo Airport straddling the municipal boundaries of Cabatuan and Sta. Barbara towns here is 98 percent finished.
The P6.1-billion New Iloilo Airport, which sits on a 188-hectare airport complex, aims to meet the increasing air passenger and cargo traffic in Iloilo and as well boost economic development in the region.

On January 26, 2007, Tupas said a test flight shall be conducted to assess operation of aviation facilities prior its full operation in April this year.

Former Senate President Franklin Drilon and Transportation and Communications Secretary Leandro Mendoza will come over for the test flight, Tupas said.

Also, the P4.5-billion new Silay City Airport is expected to be operational by the middle of the year despite the delays in construction due to rebel attacks made at the construction site in October last year.
Reports said about 50 suspected members of the New People’s Army blew up P30-million worth of construction equipment including a computerized batching plant and paving equipment owned by Hanjin International of South Korea, and a power generator by Takenaka-Itochu of Japan. The two airports are financed under the Yen Loan Package of the Japan Bank of International Cooperation.

LACK OF HOTELS

In the past years, one of the problems the City of Iloilo encountered with the influx of foreign and local tourists is the billeting accommodation capacity of hotel rooms and lodging houses.
Foreign and local tourists flock the region’s center of commerce, especially during annual festivities like the Dinagyang Festival. This, Mayor Jerry Treñas said despite “most of the local tourists coming over for the festival have friends and relatives to stay here (to accommodate them not in hotels and lodging houses).

Being short of hotel rooms, Treñas said some of the tourists tend to stay in the nearby island province of Guimaras. A 30-minute ride on a ferry would bring tourists to the City of Iloilo.
Also, “some stay in Bacolod City and just ferry during the highlights of the activity,” he added. However, Treñas is confident that the lack of hotel rooms is no obstacle for local and foreign tourists to enjoy, see and experience the Dinagyang festivities.

During this occasion, the city government is encouraging some shipping lines to operate floating hotels during the arrival of tourists, particularly on occasions as big as the Dinagyang Festival.

“Hopefully, these demands would encourage entrepreneurs to put up more structures needed for the visitors,” he said.

For 2007, Treñas said there will be several hotel establishments to open this month anticipating the famous festival celebration

Panay News. 1/12/2007

Iloilo Airport, others spur positive business outlook

Sunstar Iloilo. 1/10/2007

INFRASTRUCTURE projects led to more jobs and growth in trade, agriculture and tourism.

Transportation and Communications Secretary Leandro Mendoza said as he cited the new Iloilo Airport, which is now 97 percent complete and will commence commercial operations in April while the Bacolod (Silay) Airport project is 80 percent complete and is targeted for completion by July 2007.

The government, Mendoza said, would continue to pursue many strategic infrastructure projects this year as it has completed and started many projects last year vital to the country's economic and social progress.

In a related development, the 210-Megawatt coal-fired Mindanao power plant's importance to spur economic and rural productivity was emphasized by Energy Secretary Raphael Lotilla who represented President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo during the inaugural rites in Villanueva, Misamis Oriental.

The 210-megawatt coal-fired power plant was established by the German-owned Steag State Power Inc.

During the program Secretary Lotilla said that the President acknowledged the trust and confidence of the Steag State Power Inc. for their investment in Mindanao's latest and most modern power plant. The power plant's opening will now complement the Maria Cristina Waterfalls power plant in nearby Iligan City.

Established at a cost of US$305 million, the Mindanao power plant secures for the island an additional capacity of up to 210 megawatts and is capable of supplying 15 percent of the island's power requirement.

Another important project under President Arroyo's Mindanao Natin Program is the inauguration of the P49 Million newly upgraded Indanan-Parang National road in Sulu.

The rehabilitation of the 22-kilometer highway from Jolo to Parang via Indanan will directly benefit the 108, 419 small small farmers and fisherfolks in Indanan and Parang. (T.Villavert/PIA)

Sunstar Iloilo. 1/10/2007

The P6.2-billion new Iloilo International airport to generate more tourists

Bayanihan.org. 12/6/2006

Tourism

The P6.2-billion new Iloilo International Airport (IIA) that will be completed by the second quarter of 2007 will attract more tourists both local and international.

Transportation and Communications Secretary Leandro R. Mendoza said, the rise of the first-class airport in Western Visayas that is compliant with international standards is crucial to the development of the country.

"This will boost out air transportation services, making the Philippines more accessible to the rest of the world," Mendoza said.

He explained that vital airports are components of economic progress as it facilitates the movement of products and people and businessmen consider our facilities before doing business in the provinces.

On the other hand, Senator Richard J. Gordon, who was the former tourism secretary said, "The new airport would attract more tourists to go to the Philippines. In January 2004 alone, the tourism industry generated P4.4-billion in revenues. The figure would increase significantly once the airport and other facilities are fully utilized."

He said the importance of the airport could not be overemphasized because it will serve as a gateway to the country.

The new IIA is located in Cabatuan-Sta. Barbara, 19 kilometers north of Iloilo City.

The civil works, which is 92 percent complete include construction and structural works on runway, earthwork, embankment, sewerage systems, pavement, water drainage, landscaping, access road and burrow pit.

The utility works, now 91 percent complete include the construction of water supply storage, water distribution to all facilities, electrical supply works such as road and park lighting and power distribution.

Earlier, Mendoza and Osamu Murata, chief representative of the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) signed a contract for the construction of the airport.

The effort is part of the government's aim to improve air transportation safety and boost inter-regional economic development. The airport is targeted to also benefit the adjoining province of Panay Island.

The new airport was approved by the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) in March 2000 and was partly funded by JBIC.

The existing Iloilo Airport (Mamburao) is the fourth busiest in the country in terms of passenger traffic but has long faced problems of obsolete facilities, operational limitations and limited expandability due to the existence of roads and rivers, and growing urbanization around the airport. (PNA)

Bayanihan.org. 12/6/2006

New Iloilo airport now 87% complete

News.Balita.Ph. 11/20/2006

Provincial

The construction of the New Iloilo Airport Development Project (NIADP) in Cabatuan-Sta. Barbara is now being fast tracked to ensure its completion prior to its opening slated in the second quarter of 2007.

Air Transportation Office (ATO) Manager, Engr. Alan Java, revealed that the overall physical accomplishment as of October was pegged at 87.09 percent but the civil works was recorded at 92 percent.

The civil works include the construction and structural works of runway, airport, earthwork, embankment, sewage system, pavement, water drainage, landscaping, access road and burrow pit.

Meanwhile, the utility works was at 91 percent, which include the construction of water supply storage, water distribution to all facilities, electrical supply works such as road and park lighting, power distribution and the like.

Java further said that the sewage treatment plant was 81 percent completed.

The new Iloilo airport with international standard is expected to be open for business sometime in April. The project costs the government P6.187 billion which was sourced from the Japan Bank of International Cooperation (JBIC).

Meanwhile, Transportation and Communications Secretary Leandro Mendoza will inspect the facilities Friday.

He will also meet with Iloilo City Mayor Jerry P. Treñas on the same day to discuss the proposed privatization of the old airport situated in Mandurriao district. (PNA)

News.Balita.Ph. 11/20/2006

Test operation for new Iloilo airport set

The News Today. 11/20/2006
By Maricar M. Calubiran

The ongoing works at the new Iloilo Airport in
Cabatuan-Sta. Barbara, taken Sept. 29, 2006Air Transportation Office (ATO) Manager Alan Java said the Iloilo airport of international standards in Sta. Barbara-Cabatuan is likely to go with its schedule for test operation on April 12, 2007 as the over-all physical accomplishment already posted to 87 percent.

Based on the report provided by the contractor to the ATO, the total work accomplishment for the civil works is already 92 percent. This includes airport construction, construction of runway and earthworks. The construction of access road and borrow pit is 92 percent, utility work 91 percent and electrical works 91 percent.


The budget for the new Iloilo airport of international standards reached to P6.187 billion. Of the total budget, P5.259 billion is a loan from Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) and P928 million as counterpart of the Philippine government.

ATO foresees a decrease of local flights when the international airport becomes operational. Java said the decrease could be the result of the entry of big aircrafts. There are a number of local flights at the Iloilo airport since airline companies are flying airplanes with small seating capacity.

He cited that the Philippine Airlines (PAL) can already fly their Airbus 330 at the new international airport. It has a capacity of more than 300 passengers. It is also fuel efficient. Other airline companies are also acquiring bigger airplanes to compete.

Bigger and tougher competition among the airline companies are seen with the opening of the new international airport. Business activities will likewise flourish along the area, Java said.
Other Iloilo News
'Clash of the titans' in Guimaras with Lopez comeback?
Ramos endorses Treñas, Defensor, Banias
FVR donates books to Iloilo provincial library
Iloilo City imposes strict monitoring of child laborers

The News Today. 11/20/2006

Security measures upgraded to secure new airports in Iloilo , Bacolod, says Drilon

The News Today. 11/15/2006

Senator Franklin M. Drilon today allayed the fears of residents in Western Visayas by announcing that the Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC) has put in place security arrangements at the new airports being built in the provinces of Iloilo and Bacolod in order to prevent recurrence of similar attacks as the bombing on the new airport in Bacolod last month.

"DOTC Sec. Leandro Mendoza has assured me that measures were put in place to ensure safety and security within the sites and surrounding vicinities of the two ongoing major foreign-assisted airport projects in Region 6," Drilon said.

In a letter dated November 6, 2006, Mendoza informed Drilon that immediately after the bombing incident, Philippine Army and Philippine National Police units consisting of 22 army men and eight policemen were deployed to secure the New Bacolod Airport Development Project 24-hours a day.

This is being reinforced by the contractor's 18 security guards posted and roving during daytime with additional seven security guards during nighttime, Drilon said.

"This kind of arrangement together with the usual internal security measures between the contractor, consultant and the Project Manager Office of the New Bacolod Airport Development Project and other covert activities and undertakings by military and police will stay until the completion of the project," Mendoza said in the letter.

Drilon, who is also Liberal Party President, played a lead role in the facilitation of the P6.2 billion Iloilo airport project in the past eight years. He is part of the steering committee which oversees the project implementation. In November 1998, then President Joseph Estrada issued a memorandum creating the Iloilo Airport Coordinating Committee, with Drilon as adviser.

Drilon, along with President Arroyo and Secretary Mendoza, launched the project in Iloilo in January 2004. The airport is seen to increase air passenger and cargo traffic in the province and its influence areas to boost economic development in Western Visayas.

"Iloilo, whose airport has the fourth highest passenger traffic in the country, will benefit from the influx of tourists and investors once the new airport becomes operational next year," Drilon said.

In his letter, Mendoza also reported to Drilon that a group of about 50 military and police personnel are currently deployed 24 hours a day in the construction site of the New Iloilo Airport Development Project.

"Mendoza also relayed to me that his department is coordinating with the Armed Forces of the Philippines for the necessary assistance to protect the safety of construction sites and personnel involved in other ongoing ODA projects in the country," Drilon, who is also Liberal Party president, said.

During the budget deliberations of the Committee on Finance on the DOTC budget last October 9, Drilon, who is chairman of the committee, inquired from Mendoza what security measures are in place in view of the attack by alleged operatives of the New People's Army (NPA) on the new airport being built in Silay City.

Drilon had asked Mendoza to secure the Iloilo airport in order to prevent any delay in its scheduled opening on March 17, 2006.

Last October 8, NPA rebels bombed P30 million worth of equipment used in building the Bacolod airport project.

The P4.3 billion airport project, located 14 kilometers north of Bacolod, is funded partly by the Japan Bank for International Cooperation and was scheduled for completion in the second quarter of next year.

Like the airport project in Silay City, the Iloilo airport is in its last phase of completion and will begin operation next year. It is sprawled in a 184-hectare site between the towns of Cabatuan and Sta. Barbara, located 19 kilometers north of Iloilo City.

"The civil works and the electrical works are about to be finished on December 31, 2006. Test flights are supposed to be made on the first quarter of next year, the turnover will be made on March 17, 2007," Drilon said after an ocular inspection of the new airport in Iloilo.

The News Today. 11/15/2006