Gloria can land in Laguindingan Airport in June, says exec

By Mike Baños

“WE reiterate our earlier commitment to President Gloria Arroyo that she can land in the Laguindingan Airport by June this year.”

 This bold pronouncement was made with confidence by Engr. Della Capicenio, project office manager of the Laguindingan Airport Development Project (LADP) during a recent forum hosted by the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) in a local hotel.

 “She can land in the runway as early as May,” Capicenio said in reply to a question during the open forum. “However, it would be safer for her to do it in June.”

 In a project status report filed February 25, 2010 with NEDA Acting Director General Augusto B. Santos, Leon M. Dacanay Jr., NEDA-10 regional director said the LADP civil works are expected to be 72.07%  completed when President Arroyo’s term ends in June 30, 2010. 

 The LADP will terminate and be operational in January 2012, Dacanay added.

 The US$167.09 Million (PhP7.853 Billion) LADP is one of the Super Region Projects cited by the president during her SONA.

 As of February 17, 2010, Dacanay said Capicenio had reported that civil works and buildings are 57.89% complete and +0.47% vs. target, the access road 99.38% substantially complete with a slight slippage of -0.62%, right-of-way acquisition 76.57% acquired with 320.19 hectares (ha.) of 418.14 has. targeted for acquisition already acquired, with 295.99 has. (75.14%) of  the main airport’s 393.94 has. already acquired.

 The resettlement area for the Phase II site development and housing had previously been completed Sept. 15, 2008 with the construction of 109 Duplex Units completed, the report said.

 Installation of air navigation and support facilities is scheduled to start by April 2010 and be completed by October 2011. Flight test and commissioning is scheduled for November 2011 and operational test run would be carried out from November 2011 to December 2011. However, funding for the air navigation and support facilities have yet to be secured.

 As approved by the Investment Coordination Committee-Cabinet Committee (ICC-CC),  the air navigation facilities/equipment (ANF/E) component would cost US$15.84 million (PhP744.44 million), 84.5% (US$13.38 million or PhP629 million) of which would be sourced from a loan with the Nordic Investment Bank (NIB). The remaining funding requirement for this component of LADP would be provided by the Government of the Philippines (GOP).   

As the NIB loan for the ANF/E was not yet approved as of 2009, the DOTC Central Office submitted to NEDA Central Office Dec. 10, 2009 the necessary documents to facilitate the presentation to the NEDA-ICC the request to shift the financing of the ANF/E component from NIB loan facility to the Korean Export-Import (KEXIM) Bank loan facility. 

During the joint meeting of its Technical Board and Cabinet Committee on January 28, 2010 the ICC approved the shift in financing of the LADP- ANF/E to the KEXIM Bank loan facility on condition that there would be no change in LADP total project cost; no additional budgetary requirement; no change in scope of works and that the air navigational facilities/equipment that would be installed in Laguindingan Airport would meet international standards to ensure their reliability and safety of all airport users.