MANILA — The Cagayan Economic Zone Authority (CEZA) will seek to improve and modernize Cagayan province’ airport and seaport in hopes of enhancing the business environment and bringing economic growth in the country’s north.
During the CEZA Investment Summit 2018 Tuesday, CEZA Administrator and Chief Executive Officer Raul Lambino said the development of Port Irene in Sta. Ana and the upgrading of the Cagayan North International Airport in Lal-lo were identified as big-ticket projects of the agency.
“Port Irene needs a major dredging of its narrow bay so it could accommodate bigger and heavier vessels,” said Lambino, adding that the port would need more wharves and piers to expand its capacity to 600,000 twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU). Container yard and bulk cargo facilities will also be part of the development of Port Irene.
On the sidelines of the event, Lambino told reporters that the Port Irene project will have an initial cost of PHP5 billion and would entail an additional PHP5 billion should a new breakwater infrastructure be needed. Fairbridge Overseas Development Philippines, Inc. will be undertaking the dredging and reclamation project for the Port Irene. It is also set to pour in an initial investment of PHP2.5 billion, the CEZA chief noted.
Lambino said CEZA will also be seeking to establish the Port Irene Industrial Park.
Moreover, Lambino said CEZA intends to bring back the operation of Cagayan North International Airport. CEZA, along with Cagayan Land Corp., formed the Cagayan Premium Development Ventures to operate the airport.
Lambino mentioned that when he took office in 2017, the operation of Cagayan airport had already ceased. It accommodated mainly chartered flights, from Macau and Hong Kong during its time in operation.
Lambino said CEZA hopes to bring the Cagayan airport back to full operation within the year, pending a certification from International Civil Aviation Organization giving it the go-signal.
“In Cagayan North [International Airport], we are also updating our masterplan there. We are thinking of putting additional taxi way or another strip of runway to make it truly world class international airport that would cater the biggest commercial planes,” said Lambino. He said CEZA is in talks with airline companies such as Philippine Airlines, Cebu Pacific, Air Asia, and SkyJet Airlines.
“For now, and in the foreseeable future, we have assigned the highest priority to the development of Port Irene and Cagayan North International Airport,” Labino said. (Kris Crismundo/PNA)
