4 provincial airports up for improvement

The government is developing four more provincial airports in line with the administration’s plan of increasing infrastructure spending to encourage economic growth outside established urban centers.

Documents from the Department of Transportation and Communications (DoTC) showed that four new airport development projects are being put on the auction block this year.

The DoTC last week published invitations for bidders for the development of existing airports in Legazpi in Bicol province, San Vicente in Palawan, Borongan in Eastern Samar and Cagayan de Oro City. The four projects have a total cost of P463.07 million, all to be taken out of the 2011 budget.

The deadline for submission of bids for the four airports, which are being auctioned off separately, will be on July 13.

The DoTC assured that it would be fair in screening bidders by using a “non-discretionary pass/fail formula in the eligibility check and preliminary examination of bids.”

“The DoTC reserves the right to reject any or all bids, waive minor defects and accept the offer most advantageous to the government,” read all four invitations posted on the department’s website.

The four projects are only the latest in a series of provincial facilities that have been put up for bidding by the Aquino administration.

Last year, the government called for bidders for the development of airports in Maasin (Leyte), Catarman (Northern Samar), Sultan Kudarat, Bukidnon, Puerto Princesa (Palawan) and Ipil (Zamboanga).

Better airports are seen to improve the trade and tourism activities in areas that are currently difficult to access.

Increasing spending on infrastructure, while promoting transparency and fairness in the procurement system under the so-called public private partnership (PPP) scheme, is the centerpiece of the administration’s economic program.