The Department of Transportation (DOTr) is set to inaugurate two completed transport infrastructure projects in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental on Thursday, March 11.

The back-to-back inauguration of projects will formally mark the start of operations of the upgraded Port of Dumaguete and the newly-developed Dumaguete (Sibulan) Airport.

President Duterte will grace the twin event as the guest of honor and keynote speaker, with Transportation Secretary Arthur P. Tugade and other officials from the national and local government units also in attendance.

“We need to roll up our sleeves and make haste. These projects that we are developing should be utilized by the Filipino people in no time,” Tugade said.

One of the projects to be inaugurated on Thursday is the upgraded Port of Dumaguete, a project of the DOTr and the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) that involves the construction of a two-storey Port Operations Building (POB). It can accommodate around 500 passengers.

With the project's completion, the need for proper monitoring of vessel arrivals and departures will be addressed, while providing passengers bound for the nearby islands of Siquijor, Cebu, and Bohol with a state-of-the-art passenger terminal building.

“Even in the midst of a pandemic, the PPA, under the guidance of Secretary Tugade, never stopped in delivering much-needed port infrastructure projects. We will be relentless in building and rehabilitating ports nationwide as this is our commitment to the Filipino people,” PPA General Manager Jay Daniel Santiago said.

Meanwhile, to boost air mobility in the region, the DOTr and the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) shall likewise inaugurate the completed airport rehabilitation project of Dumaguete, which serves the province of Negros Oriental and the neighboring Siquijor island.

The project includes the re-blocking of the apron, construction of two taxiways, expansion of the existing Passenger Terminal Building (PTB), runway asphalt overlay and shoulder grade correction, and the expansion of the CAAP Administrative Building.

The improvements have upgraded the airport’s capability to accommodate heavier aircraft and increased the terminal’s passenger capacity from 330 to 450.

“These improvements are what the Philippine aviation industry badly needs right now, given the adverse impact of the pandemic. We are excited to finally witness, once again, a vibrant atmosphere in the country’s airports,” CAAP Director General Jim Sydiongco said.