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Manila Bulletin devider Business devider Trade & Industry devider DOTr rolls out ₱1.75-billion regional airport upgrades

DOTr rolls out ₱1.75-billion regional airport upgrades

Published Jan 8, 2026 09:09 pm
FILE - A traveler looks out at an airplane at Salt Lake City International Airport, in Salt Lake City, July 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File)
FILE - A traveler looks out at an airplane at Salt Lake City International Airport, in Salt Lake City, July 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File)
The Department of Transportation (DOTr) is planning to spend roughly ₱1.75 billion to upgrade four regional airports in a bid to bolster their operations amid rising demand for air travel.
Separate notices showed the DOTr wants to improve airports in Camiguin, Tacloban City, and Virac, as well as build a new airport in Dumaguete City.
Three of these projects cover construction work, while one is intended for consulting services.
The DOTr has earmarked ₱455.9 million for construction and improvement of landside and airside facilities at Daniel Z. Romualdez Airport, otherwise known as Tacloban Airport.
The project includes construction of access road, airport perimeter road, and airport shore protection, as well as site development for runway extension and the landside area near the passenger terminal building.
Completion of this project is expected to be within 600 days upon issuance of notice of award.
The DOTr is looking to spend ₱264.62 million to rebid the development of Virac Airport, the gateway to Catanduanes province.
To strengthen airport operations, the agency wants to build a control tower, powerhouse, cistern tank and pump house, turning pad, and perimeter fence, as well as runway extension.
The project will have a longer, 720-day completion target.
The last construction-related project involves adjusting the slope along the runway centerline at Camiguin Airport.
Worth ₱174.6 million, the project entails runway correction works, including asphalt overlay and runway strip adjustment, along with related construction requirements.
The DOTr expects this project to be completed within 180 days.
Interested bidders for these three projects must submit their bidding documents to the DOTr until Jan. 29, with a pre-bid conference set on Jan. 16.
Bidding will be restricted to Filipino citizens or sole proprietorships, as well as cooperatives, partnerships, or organizations that are at least 60-percent Filipino-owned.
Upgrades to the three airports are expected to support growing passenger demand, with Filipinos traveling more to seek new tourist destinations or to return to their home provinces.
The DOTr is also rebidding consultancy services to design the New Dumaguete Development Airport project, valued at $14.5 million, or roughly ₱858.69 million.
In a request for expressions of interest, the DOTr said the amount is pursuant to the guidelines of Export-Import Bank of Korea (KEXIM) and the South Korean government’s Economic Development Cooperation Fund (EDCF).
Consultancy services for this project cover basic design preparation, tender assistance, and construction and maintenance supervision for the airport project, with a 78-month contract duration.
Bidding will be conducted through limited competitive bidding and will be exclusive to South Korean firms, in accordance with EDCF guidelines.
In 2024, the government secured a ₱13.15-billion official development assistance (ODA) from South Korea to build Dumaguete’s new airport, covering 77 percent of the project’s total cost of ₱17.06 billion. The DOTr will shoulder the rest of the funding.
The planned airport is expected to accommodate up to 2.5 million passengers annually, significantly higher than the capacity of the existing Dumaguete-Sibulan Airport, which handles around 800,000 passengers a year.
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