Breaking News: Tacloban Airport in full swing Published: Manila Bulletin, July 22, 2013 Tacloban City (PNA) — Construction of new apron and taxiway at the Daniel Z. Romualdez Airport is now in full swing and will be completed early next year, the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) said. DOTC area manager for Regions 6 and 8 Dante Lulu said construction of new airport facilities has started April 28 this year. The project, which is now 21 percent complete, was contracted to FIAT Construction Services and partner BM Marketing. Even if the project will be finished next year, it would be non-operational because of the absence of a new terminal building. “Even after construction of apron and taxiway, this will not be operational without a new terminal building but we have to proceed with the development since the fund is already there,” Lulu added. The official admitted that they couldn’t divert the P251.6 million budget to the terminal building since it is already in the 2013 General Appropriations Act. The budget was allotted for the airside development of Tacloban Airport, particularly for the construction of new apron and taxiway, completion of north-east shore protection with shoulder grade correction, construction of drainage system with box culvert, and the construction of temporary transition. Constructing a new terminal building will not happen soon due to constraints faced by the government in relocating more than a thousand of informal settlers in the proposed expansion site. In their initial listing in 2002, there were only 249 families in Sitio Alimasag, Barangay Costa Brava, San Jose District. The number rose to 708 when the local government surveyed in 2009. It increased to more than a thousand households this year. The DOTC, city government, and National Housing Authority are set to finalize a memorandum of agreement on the relocation of affected families. Officials are expected to inked deal within this year. Lulu is uncertain as to when the terminal building will be constructed but they’re hoping it will be realized before the end of President Aquino’s term. The DOTC is set to construct a temporary tent to address decongestion. Under DOTC’s long term plan, the existing building will be removed to give way to modern air and navigation equipments including fire station powerhouse and tower building. Passenger volume at the DZR Airport reached 1.14 million in 2012, 13 percent up against 1.01 million in 2011. It is the country’s seventh busiest airport.
Posted on: Mon, 05 Aug 2013 03:03:04 +0000
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