The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) has approved plans for seven high-impact infrastructure projects in the Philippines with a combined cost of P154.72 billion. Some of the key projects includes the Department of Transportation’s (DOTr) New Dumaguete Airport Development Project, under which a new international airport will be built in Bacong, Negros Oriental. The PHP17 billion facility will replace the existing Dumaguete-Sibulan Airport. The existing airport is facing physical and operational constraints and the new airport is expected to improve passenger capacity.
The airport project will be funded through a PHP13 billion loan from the Government of South Korea, through the Export-Import Bank (EXIM) of Korea-Economic Development Cooperation Fund (EDCF). The remaining amount will be provided by the Government of the Philippines. Construction will take around seven years.
NEDA also approved the PHP 7.6 billion increase in cost of the MRT 3 Rehabilitation project from PHP21.9 billion to PHP29.6 billion. The agency has also approved Project of the Department of Public Works and Highways’ (DPWH) Integrated Flood Resilience and Adaptation (InFRA) phase one. The project is expected to cost PHP20 billion and aims to improve flood and climate change resilience.
Utilisation of Japan International Cooperation Agency’s (JICA) loan balance of PHP2.12 billion has also been approved for the Communications, Navigation, Surveillance/Air Traffic (CNS/ATM) Management, Maintenance and Resiliency Enhancement project. The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) expects the project to improve passenger movement at some of the most congested airports in the Philippines.
Requests for change for ongoing projects has also been approved. This includes DOTr’s proposal for changes in scope, cost, and implementation period for the Metro Davao Public Transport Modernisation Project (DPTMP). The implementation period has been extended by six years from 2023 to 2029. Additionally, DOTr’s request for changes in cost and implementation period for the Metro Rail Transit line 3 (MRT3) Rehabilitation project was also approved.
