Del Mar to DOTC, MCIAA: Fasttrack construction of 2nd airport runway

CEBU, Philippines - Cebu north district Representative Raul del Mar has urged the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) and the Mactan-Cebu International Airport Authority (MCIAA) to fasttrack the establishment of the airport’s second runway.

 Del Mar filed House Resolution No. 2236 directing the DOTC and MCIAA to proceed with the project utilizing as fund source and financing the P14.4 billion premium remitted by GMR-Megawide consortium relative to the award of the construction of the new MCIA Passenger Terminal Building (PTB-2).

 Del Mar was the principal author of Republic Act 6958 approved on July 31, 1990, which created the MCIAA.

MCIAA is a government-owned and controlled corporation, an attached agency of the DOTC which shall principally undertake the economical, efficient and effective control, management and supervision of the Mactan-Cebu International Airport and other airports that may be established in the future.

 As of May 2015, MCIA has 576 domestic flights per week and 132 international flights per week, and served 25 domestic destinations, flying to 12 international destinations as well. In 2014, MCIA served 6,839,849 passengers.

 On April 22, 2014, the DOTC and MCIAA entered into a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) - Concession Agreement (CA) with the GMR-Megawide Consortium for the construction of the New MCIA Passenger Terminal Building and the Operations and Maintenance of the Existing and New PTBs.

 This Concession Agreement includes the operations and maintenance of the ramp and associated landslide facilities.

 The GMR-Megawide Cebu Airport Corporation (GMCAC), the Consortium’s operating entity, started operating the existing terminal in November 1, 2014 and is now constructing PTB-2 to be completed in 2018.

 The new terminal will increase the current terminal capacity of 4.5 million passengers per annum to around 13.5 million passengers yearly, which will result to increasing frequency of flights and boosting passenger arrivals.

 Del Mar said the expected rapid increase in passengers and flights will certainly result to as much higher and heavier utilization of the existing 3.3 kilometer runway which will result to airfield congestion as time passes.

 Del Mar also pointed out that the approved Concession Agreement includes the provision of an additional runway within the concession period the timing and mechanism for the creation of which is clearly laid out in Section 22.7.

 On July 3, 2013, Del Mar filed House Bill No. 1080 which seeks the establishment and construction of a second runway at the MCIA.

 HB 1080 was approved by the House of Representatives on third reading last October 20, 2014 and was transmitted to the Senate on October 22, 2014. — (FREEMAN)