Economic and tourism activities in Siquijor, are expected to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic as Philippine Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Art Tugade led the inauguration of the newly transformed Siquijor Airport on Thursday, 26 August 2021. The upgrading of Siquijor’s gateway was driven by the commitment of the DOTr and the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) to the “Build, Build, Build” program of President Rodrigo Duterte.
The upgrade covers the construction of a new Passenger Terminal Building (PTB), a powerhouse, and a vehicular parking area. Additionally, CAAP also completed the repair and maintenance of the airport’s perimeter fence, constructed a concrete path walk, installed runway, taxiway, and apron markings, and further improved the PTB’s interior and exterior in August this year. All of these were accomplished ahead of the target completion date.
Meanwhile, the DOTr, CAAP, and local government of Siquijor are working together to ensure the development of Siquijor’s air mobility, accessibility, and connectivity. Proposals are now being considered and works are underway to make the airport ready to serve commercial flights. There are also plans to implement a PHP 450 million (USD 9 million) project under CY 2021 for the site acquisition, extension, and asphalt overlay of Siquijor airport’s runway, which are targeted to be completed by June 2022.
The improved Siquijor Port was also inauguarated on the same day. Siquijor is located in the middle part of the Philippines and is about 1.5-hour flight south of Manila.
(Source: Department of Transportation (DOTr))