Senator Christopher “Bong” Go expressed hope that the Sangley Airport will help decongest the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).
Go attended the inauguration of the newly completed initial phase of the Sangley Airport Development Project (SADP) which was led by President Rodrigo Duterte on February 15, 2020, in Cavite.
The original target of the airport’s completion was March 2020.
“But upon the directive of the President, Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Arthur Tugade committed to meet an earlier deadline,” said Go.
Go said the completion of SADP not only achieves another milestone in the “Build, Build, Build” (BBB) program of the Duterte Administration but will also help boost the country’s economic growth.
As one of the key infrastructure projects of the BBB program, the new airport will help improve the Philippine tourism and aviation industry.
In his speech, Duterte commended Tugade for completing the project ahead of schedule, and for wisely spending the government’s budget.
Duterte also said that he will use the airport for his last flight to Davao after his term ends in 2022.
“I’m just two years away and I will go home and pack up, and (I will) use the flight or my last flight as long as it will not go down there in the sea. I will take my last flight as President to Davao. I will use this airport,” Duterte said.
The airport’s facilities will initially cater to commercial cargo operations. It will be utilized for general aviation and turboprop operations from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The DOTr also had previously done an operational dry run though a maiden Cebu Pacific cargo flight in October last year.
The airport also features a 750-square meter passenger terminal building equipped with CCTV, X-ray, baggage handling, and a 160-passenger seating capacity that will support Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) operations for future commercial flights.
SADP’s second phase, worth P500 million, will begin this year and is expected to be completed within eight months. It will involve further improvement of the drainage system of the airport and expansion of the existing runway to accommodate 4C aircraft or turbo jet planes.
The DOTr and the National Housing Authority (NHA) are also in coordination for housing projects for affected soldiers from the Philippine Navy and Philippine Air Force.
Cavite Governor Jonvic Remulla presented the proposal on the entire Sangley Point International Airport (SPIA) project which will be funded by a private consortium. This project aims to decongest international flights in NAIA through the expansion and development of the Sangley Airport as an international airport.
In previous statements, Go advised government agencies in charge of infrastructure development to abide by President Duterte’s order to ensure that infrastructure projects under the “Build Build Build” program will be ready for use to benefit the general public.
Go manifested this during the Senate plenary deliberations on the 2020 budget as he cited the several projects that the Duterte Administration is undertaking through the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) and the rest of the infrastructure cluster of the government. /Stacy Ang
