Partylist Rep. Bernadette Herrera said that the Mactan Cebu International Airport needs to be upgraded with a second runway to prevent another closure. Likewise Iloilo, and Bohol airports must be upgraded as key to Visayas Progress.
Mactan Cebu International Airport (MCIA) runway, which had to be closed because a Korean Air overshot the runway, should be a stark reminder to Congress about upgrading it with a second runway.
The Department of Transportation (DoTr) and the entire country by now realize how important the recent MCIA closure is to nearby regional airports.
The NAIA has already reached its maximum capacity for Metro Manila and Luzon and there has been an increase in traffic at Clark International Airport.
Rep. Bernadette Herrera said she wished the Bulacan International Airport would be finished sooner rather than later.
“While the MCIA was temporarily closed, air traffic had to be diverted to faraway Davao City. If only the airports in Iloilo or Bohol were of the same status as MCIA, then the diversion would be to those facilities instead,” Herrera said.
“I ask the DOTR and the aviation agencies to continually update Congress on the airport projects and recommend solutions on how to ensure multi-year funding,” she continued.
She said that the national budget cannot fund all the projects. The private investors had been waiting for the new rules on Build Operate and Transfer and Public-Private Partnerships. It is great news that the new rules were published recently—last September 27.
“To follow up on that success, I ask the National Economic and Development Authority to work faster on the draft bill to amend and update the BOT Law,” she emphasized.
“I look forward to seeing that bill and I am open to being among those who will file and sponsor it. I agree with the administration's suggestion that project cost approval ceilings be removed. I will, however, not be a rubber stamp because I will have my input based on my understanding of the successes and shortcomings of the current BOT framework,” Herrera cited.
“I believe it would be wise to put in place descriptive guidelines, inflation-proof our economic bills, set deadlines on procurement and bidding processes, and infuse transparency and full disclosure at all stages of major programs and projects,” she added.
Herrera explained that the prospective bill and other economic bills in Congress should be future-proofed. And they need to not micro-manage everything through the bills approved and restrict the ability of the Executive Branch to adjust to operational matters at the NEDA and other economic agencies.
“I further suggest that when that bill does get filed, it be certified as urgent soon after it gets committee approval,” she said.
Tags, #BoholIloIloAirports, #MCIA, #RepHerrera