The Regional Development Council (RDC) in Bicol has “urgently and strongly” urged the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to restore the P1.2-billion budget cut in the proposed 2026 allocation for the Naga Airport Development Project (NADP).
Through Resolution 3-61 series of 2025, the region’s RDC complained that the proposal of the Department of Transportation (DOTr) for a NEP outlay next year of only P444 million, from the original approved allocation of P1.6 billion, for the Naga Airport upgrade “will further extend the project timeline to almost 20 years.”
The RDC is composed of the top local government (LGU) officials, regional directors of Departments, and representatives of nongovernment organizations (NGOs).
In a statement, Camarines Sur Gov. Luis Raymund Villafuerte said allocating enough funds for the airport’s upgrade is necessary to prevent another delay in the long-planned yet repeatedly deferred expansion of this gateway.
“Restoring the original DOTr budget of P1.6 billion to complete the NADP is a must, given that President Marcos ordered the DOTr to study how to accelerate the implementation of both the Naga Airport upgrade and the ‘Bicol Express’ during an RDC-V meeting in Pili (CamSur’s capital municipality) last March,” he pointed out.
