Tagbilaran airport resumes operation in end of July

By Rey Anthony H. Chiu

Sunday 17th of June 2012

TAGBILARAN CITY,June 17 (PIA) -- Civil works at the Tagbilaran City Airport is expected to be completed by the end of July or the first week of August.

Bohol governor Edgar Chatto said works at the rehabilitated Tagbilaran City Airport include the additional second floor pre-departure area, the transfer of airline ticketing offices to free more space on the second floor, widening of the ground floor passenger lounge and other related development.

Chatto told Boholanos during his weekly radio program that the rehabilitation puts up a combined 570 seats in the departure areas on the first and second floors.

Tagbilaran City Airport has 9 daily flights to Manila, most of them served by Airbus 319 jets, piling up passengers in the waiting lounge at certain times of the day.

The P37M project is the government’s response through the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) to provide necessary measure to serve the tourist island province while the new Panglao Bohol Airport is still on the drawing board.

From the inconvenience of the civil works in the construction however sprout complaints from tourists and riding public about the stifling heat while awaiting out-bound flights.

The local government then urged the CAAP through Aerodrome Development and Management Service (ADMS) for the installation of additional air-conditioning units and the necessary support infrastructure to get them working.

Chatto admitted he has to step into the problem to know the real score of the work just as Bohol ended a month-long fiesta with homecoming Boholanos and tourists going through the hot lounge ordeal.

He said CAAP has already purchased the air-conditioning unit but due to its size and capacity, a separate power transformer is needed to keep the cooling equipment running.

Unluckily, Chatto said the there is no local supplier for such a transformer and it has to be sourced out from Manila.

Chatto added that as per government procurement and bidding procedures, a process has to be followed before the installation could be done. (mbcn/rahc/PIA-Bohol)