The P4.8-billion Bicol International Airport in Daraga, Albay finally opens this year and the region which will also witness the construction kick-off of the P175-billion Philippine National Railways South Haul that stretches from Calamba City in Laguna to Matnog in Sorsogon.
Albay Rep. Joey Sarte Salceda, who chairs the House Ways and Means Committee, said Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade has assured him of the two events this year.
Long stalled by various constraints, both projects are deemed vital keys to development and are set to unlock the economic potential of Southern Luzon, particularly via tourism.
Hailed as the country’s “Most Scenic Gateway,” Salceda said BIA will play a huge role in the Department of Tourism’s drive to bring foreign ambassadors to the country’s globally known yet less- visited destinations.
“Tourists flying in via BIA will land right at the heart of Bicol’s tourism hub, Albay province, home to the world’s iconic Mayon volcano and the Cagsawa Ruins without traveling far from the airport to visit them,” he pointed out.
Salceda had patiently worked on the projects for years, from his earlier stint in Congress and later as Albay governor and Bicol Regional Development Council chairman for nine years.
The BIA project started in 2005 but construction began in earnest only in 2009. It is expected to play a major role in achieving a target potential of 20 million tourist arrivals in the country annually.
“There is now reasonable optimism the executive decisiveness of the Duterte administration could deliver the BIA, a vital infrastructure to the main potential of Bicol and Southern Luzon, and which is also crucial to country’s development program,” Salceda noted.
BIA is designed to accommodate two million passengers annually with its expanded and state of the art facilities. It is expected to transform Albay, the regional center of Bicol, into an economic powerhouse.
Also, the first phase of the PNR South Long Haul project that runs from Calamba City in Laguna down to Legazpi City in Albay, is set to start construction in the second quarter of 2020.
The bidding for the 408-kilometer railway segment has already been completed November last year and will be awarded to the winning contractor in April 2020.
Salceda said the PNR South Long Haul compliments the BIA, and will further boost Bicol’s tourism by as much as 30 percent which forms part of the predicted 24 percent economic returns it brings to the countryside when fully operational.
The PNR Long Haul stretch consists of a 639-km standard gauge railroad tracks from Manila to Sorsogon, which cuts the Manila-Legazpi travel time down to less than five hours. It is a component of the PNR Luzon System program.
to unlock economic potentials of the vast Southern Tagalog and Bicol areas, will soon be a reality,” said Salceda, the project’s original proponent.
It runs from Manila to Matnog in Sorsogon with nine major stations “• Manila, Los Baños, Batangas City, Lucena City, Gumaca town in Quezon, Naga City, Legazpi City, Sorsogon City, and Matnog town.
The PNR Luzon System under DOTr forms part of the massive “Build, Build, Build” infrastructure program of the Duterte administration, and is among is among the major infrastructure projects under an Official Development Assistance agreement recently signed between China and the Philippines.
Quoting DOTr reports, Salceda said its phases 2 to 4 bid documents will be completed and procurement will be done in the third quarter of 2020.
Phase 2 of the project stretches 117 kms Legazpi City to Sorsogon, while Phase 3 connects Calamba to Batangas, a 58-km stretch. Phase 4 runs from Sucat to Calamba, a 56-km distance.
The project’s Design and Tender Assistance Consultant is China Railway Design Corp., the contract with which was signed in November 2018, and whose China EXIM Bank Loan was signed in August 2019.
Salceda said the modern railways project will be a major backbone of economic development in Southern Tagalog and Bicol with spillover benefits to other regions of the country.
When finished, it will enhance the connectivity of major airports, seaports and growth hubs in Southern Tagalog and Bicol regions, and provide a fast and reliable alternative transport system for untapped areas along its route.
From Manila, PNR’s new railway tracks will traverse Laguna, Batangas, Quezon, Camarines Sur, and Albay provinces before it reaches Matnog in Sorsogon.
The DOTr and the PNR, along with government housing agencies, have already signed last year a memorandum of agreement for a P54-billion relocation project for some 100,000 informal settler families who will be affected by the project.
