ILOILO CITY – The city government of Iloilo is keen on pursuing a public-private partnership (PPP) to improve the state of the international airport here.
Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas said in a briefing that at least two business groups have expressed interest to join the bidding.
“We are pushing also for the PPP for the airport. Like recently, I wrote a letter asking for almost P200 million for asphalt repair for the runway, we need to do asphalt overlay, air conditioning units that needs to be repaired. I have a letter, I just sent it (but) government work takes time,” Treñas said. “There are two interested parties now, Prime of the Villar group and the Aboitiz group.”
As part of the plan, Treñas issued a resolution urging the Department of Transportation (DOTr) to expedite the privatization, repair and improvement of the airport.
Under the Iloilo City Local Development Council Executive Committee’s Resolution No. 03 series of 2023 issued on October 19, improvement of the airport is needed as daily arrivals are way beyond the original design of the facility.
The resolution cited data from the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) for September which showed that Iloilo International Airport recorded 2,550 passenger arrivals while departures peaked at 2,876 passengers.
The resolution pointed out that it has air traffic of around 25 aircraft arrivals and 25 aircraft departures, while the main terminal of the airport is originally designed to accommodate only 400 to 450 passengers daily.
The resolution also said the Regional Development Council-Western Visayas Infrastructure Development Committee has urged both the DOTr and the CAAP to expedite the airport’s improvement as Iloilo City has become a meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions hotspot.
Treñas said in the resolution that pursuing the improvement of the airport via PPP is beneficial for the government as it is “the most expeditious and efficient course of action to expand, improve and develop” the airport with “minimal to no financial burden upon the government.”
Meanwhile, Treñas is also optimistic that the approval of the proposal of International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) to improve the Iloilo City International Port will be fast-tracked with the issuance of a city resolution.
Treñas issued the resolution urging the Department of Transportation to expedite the privatization, repair and improvement of the said port located at Barangay Loboc in Lapuz district here.
Under the Iloilo City Local Development Council Executive Committee’s Resolution No. 02 series of 2023 issued on October 19, it said the port’s improvement is necessary after recording a higher economic growth rate among all regions at 9.3 percent, exceeding the national average of 7.2 percent.
The resolution said the privatization of the port through a public-private partnership is deemed as “the most expeditious and efficient course of action to expand, improve and develop” the port with “minimal to no financial burden upon the government.”
Treñas told reporters the port is badly in need of improvement since it was established in the ‘70s.
“They (ICTSI) presented a proposal to our local economic development office. They proposed to convert it into a container port to improve berthing facilities, add equipment and I think they want to develop the ro-ro (roll on, roll off) port since at the moment the ro-ro has no terminal. If ICTSI comes in, we will be able to accommodate more international and domestic vessels,” Treñas said.
