LEGAZPI CITY, (PNA) –- Construction work on the P979-million Southern Luzon International Airport runway will start early next year, Albay Governor Joey Sarte Salceda said Tuesday.
Salceda said Department of Transportation and Communications Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya assured him on Friday that the much-delayed airport project will start soon in 2014 after project glitches have already been ironed out.
Abaya and Salceda met at Malacanang on Friday during the Civil Service Commission (CSC) 2013 Presidential Lingkod Bayan Awarding Ceremonies where Salceda was an awardee of the most-coveted award for public servants in the country under the CSC Honor Award Program.
The Albay governor said Abaya told him that the DOTC had already issued a notice to proceed to the winning contractor, which he failed to name.
He said with the issuance of a notice to proceed, the civil works will begin next year for the airport’s 2.1-kilometer runway in Barangay (village) Alobo, Daraga town, about 12 kilometers from Legazpi City.
Businessmen and frequent travelers in Bicol are becoming impatient over the delay in the construction of the SLIA.
They claimed that the delay has pushed back their investment plans, especially those engaged in tourism — as the much-anticipated increase in foreign tourist arrivals would be greatly boosted by the new airport.
The DOTC had earlier put on hold the construction of the SLIA due to technical problems in the bidding process.
An amount of P979 million has been readied for the resumption of the construction of the airport’s runway.
Salceda had earlier expressed dismay over the delay due to technicalities in the bidding process, despite the availability of funds.
He said this is pushing the project’s timetable beyond the target completion date of 2016.
The Albay governor said the project should have been started this year but has to be put on hold by the DOTC because of the May national and local elections.
He noted that after the project was awarded to Sunwest Construction Corp. in October 2012, other erstwhile bidders complained of flaws in the bidding process, which prompted the DOTC to bring the case to the Solicitor General for resolution.
Accordingly, the SolGen issued a ruling awarding the construction project to Sunwest.
The DOTC subsequently issued a notice to proceed to Sunwest last August 6.
Sunwest Construction Corp. is owned by Elizaldy Co, a local businessman who also owns and operates the Embarcadero Mall and a string of hotels here and in Manila, notably the Misibis Bay Resort in Bacacay, Albay, and Hotel St. Ellis here.
Another cause of the delay was the proposal of Sunwest to include in the project contract a condition which would reimburse future losses such as the burning of its equipment by lawless elements while implementing the project.
Salceda said Abaya was not aware of any new condition proposed by the project contractor.
He said Abaya told him that if there are any new developments, “I will personally look into it.”
The government has already poured in some P1.6 billion since 2009 for the construction of the SLIA.
The funds were released in three tranches: P300 million in 2009 and another P300 million in 2010 for concrete road construction and site development.
The SLIA lies in a 148-hectare area with 2,100-meter runway strip, to be equipped with night landing capability and take-off facilities, control tower, passenger and cargo terminal, car park, fire station and other modern facilities.
“We are missing out on opportunities, especially on tourist arrivals, as the SLIA will reduce transportation costs and travel time,” Salceda said of the delay.
The governor sees the generation of 1.5 million tourists coming to Bicol by 2017 once the international airport has been completed.
While there are several airports north of Manila like the Clark International Airport and the Laoag International Airport, Salceda said there is none in the southern part of Manila.
The SLIA would be a viable market and serve as alternate gateway to Manila, the Visayas and Mindanao, especially in times of extreme weather disturbances in these areas.