TAGBILARAN CITY, Aug. 13 –The local government of Panglao expressed confidence that the construction of the New Bohol Airport will be completed within the timeframe set.
Panglao Mayor Nila Montero on Saturday said the municipal officials visited the site of the New Bohol Airport on Aug. 9 to check the status of the project.
The municipal team posted on Facebook photos of the ongoing civil works at the project site showing that the runway is already paved to its partial completion, the frames of the administration building already coming into shape, the foundation of the building already in place, and its control tower also showing form.
Montero added that representatives of Japan Airport Consultants (JAC) presented to them the status of the project on the same day at the conference hall of the municipal hall.
The mayor, together with Sangguniang Bayan members and some department heads, then headed to the project site after the report by JAC.
With the mayor were SB Members Yolie Hormachuelos, Aya Montero, Dennis Hora, and Cres Arbutante, Engr. Bonao, municipal assessor Josefina Penales, acting MPDC Jairus Fuderanan, MDRRMO Arthur Bagcat, and Executive Assistant Danilo Reyes.
The JAC team assured that the construction of the PHP7.8-billion New Bohol Airport will be completed by March 2018 and will start operation in June 2018.
By then, the airport will be ready for a sunrise-to-sunset operation with day flights of international standard.
By December 2018, the modern airport’s operation will be expanded to a 24/7 round.
According to JAC, the New Bohol Airport can accommodate seven aircrafts at one time, six of which on tube docks.
It can accommodate large aircrafts for international flights and the airport will have immigration officers.
Once it becomes operational, the Tagbilaran Airport will be immediately closed.
The notice to commence work on the main civil works for the project was issued on June 15, 2015 and the project started in full swing on June 22 of the same year.
The scope of the project includes the construction of a 2,000-meter runway which is projected for expansion to 3,000 meters, other airside facilities such as two taxiways and apron, and an 8,361-square-meter passenger terminal building.
Other buildings now being constructed under the current project phase are the control tower, administration building, fire station, and ancillary buildings.
Also to be installed is the navigation system which is the ILS-VOR-DME complex or the instrument landing system/very high frequency omni-directional Range/Distance Measuring Equipment complex.
Other facilities are access roads, car parks, drainage system, and a soaking yard with the capacity of 200,000 tons.
Power supply system, water supply system, and sewage treatment system will also be established.
The New Bohol Airport is designed as “A Green Gateway to the World”, having its component on sustainable environmental protection.
The present site of the Tagbilaran City Airport will be developed into a business park when aviation system would be transferred to Panglao.
The business park is already included in the Comprehensive Land Use Plan (CLUP) of Tagbilaran City.
The Provincial Planning and Development Office (PPDO) has already completed the blueprint for the monorail system’s other connections to nearby municipalities.
The stations of the monorail system will be set up at the future Bohol Business Park to cater to commuters going to the New Bohol Airport in Panglao, and the towns of Albur, Corella, Maribojoc, and back.
Bohol’s first monorail system will initially serve these four routes and will be expanded to other areas of the province. (Angeline Valencia/PNA)
