Difference between revisions of "Cebu Province News January 2013"

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Province of Cebu - Archived News

Wars of ancient history were about possessions, territory, power, control, family, betrayal, lover's quarrel, politics and sometimes religion.

But we are in the Modern era and supposedly more educated and enlightened .

Think about this. Don't just brush off these questions.

  • Why is RELIGION still involved in WARS? Isn't religion supposed to be about PEACE?
  • Ask yourself; What religion always campaign to have its religious laws be accepted as government laws, always involved in wars and consistently causing WARS, yet insists that it's a religion of peace?

WHY??

There are only two kinds of people who teach tolerance:
  1. The Bullies. They want you to tolerate them so they can continue to maliciously deprive you. Do not believe these bullies teaching tolerance, saying that it’s the path to prevent hatred and prejudice.
  2. The victims who are waiting for the right moment to retaliate. They can’t win yet, so they tolerate.
Cebu metro.jpg
Aerial View of Metro Cebu

Dietary supplement is a product that contains vitamins, minerals, herbs or other botanicals, amino acids, enzymes, and/or other ingredients intended to supplement the diet. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has special labeling requirements for dietary supplements and treats them as foods, not drugs.

Manufacturers and distributors of dietary supplements and dietary ingredients are prohibited from marketing products that are adulterated or misbranded. That means that these firms are responsible for evaluating the safety and labeling of their products before marketing to ensure that they meet all the requirements of DSHEA and FDA regulations.

Oslob butanding featured in fashion shoot with int'l models

By Ruth Sindico (philstar.com)

MANILA, Philippines - The butanding (whale sharks) of Oslob, Cebu are featured in an underwater fashion shoot with international models. The photos appear in the online edition of the United Kingdom's The Telegraph.

According to The Telegraph, the models "dived up to 25 feet deep into the ocean to pose with the world's largest fish - measuring 30 feet long and weighing 20,000 pounds."

The photo shoot was the "brainchild" of American photographers Shawn Heinrichs and Kristian Schmidt.

"People are blown away by the images. Most find it hard to believe they are actually real - many people assume the models are Photoshopped into the pictures," Heinrichs told The Telegraph.

Politicians told to 'behave' during Sinulog Festival in Cebu

By Rachelle M. Nessia (RMN/PIA-7 Cebu)

CEBU CITY, Jan 9 (PIA) -- With the 2013 midterm elections a few months away, organizers of the Sinulog 2013 Festival warned politicians to “behave” during the Sinulog festivities.

The Sinulog Foundation Inc. (SFI) have received calls from several politicians, especially from the national level, requesting to be invited during the celebration.

“This is understandable since it’s now election season,” said SFI Executive Director Ricky Ballesteros during a Kapihan forum held by the Philippine Information Agency here.

SFI has come up with guidelines for politicians to strictly follow if they attend the celebration.

“They are prohibited from distributing campaign materials during the activities,” said Ballesteros.

Putting up of streamers with politicians’ faces printed on them are also banned.

“We make sure to remind them of the do’s and don’ts. If they violate the rules, they will be dealt with accordingly. They should follow the rules as model politicians,” he added.

Requests from politicians asking to be invited, said Ballesteros, are referred to the office of Cebu City Mayor Mike Rama.

Some government officials from other provinces also send their staff to Cebu to observe how the SFI organizes the annual festival.

The Sinulog Festival in Cebu is one of the biggest crowd-drawing events in the country.

Reports indicate that hotels in the city are bracing for the influx of foreign and local tourists as the Department of Tourism in the region have earlier announced they are expecting an increase in tourist arrivals this month.

DOT-7 Regional Director Rowena Montecillo pegs the current hotel occupancy in the city at already 90%.

DSWD-7 calls for more civil society participation in poverty alleviation programs

By Ferliza C. Contratista (mbcn/FCC/PIA-Cebu)

4Ps now include families of streetchildren, victims of crimes

CEBU CITY, Jan 8 (PIA) -- The Department of Social Welfare and Development in CV (DSWD-7) reiterated its call for civil society organizations (CSO’s) to participate in government's poverty reduction programs.

The department needs more groups who will help in the implementation of the modified version of the conditional cash transfer popularly known as the 4 P’s “Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program,” Nemia Antipala , DSWD-7 assistant regional director, said during a program briefing for CSO members.

“We want to reduce hunger and poverty but DSWD cannot do it alone but together we can make a difference,” Antipala said. The agency needs help in the conduct of Family Development Sessions (FDS) for beneficiaries of the Modified Conditional Cash Transfer (MCCT).

DSWD-7 4Ps focal person Aileen Lariba said there is a need for more private participating groups because the needs of the household beneficiaries under MCCT are more complex than those of the original conditional cash transfer beneficiaries.

MCCT covers families whose children were victims of child trafficking and violence; and children with disabilities and street children.

“These are not ordinary families and they have special needs so we are encouraging these NGO’s to partner with us because they are already handling these type of clients,” Lariba said.

Identification of beneficiaries are done through the accredited NGO’s and CSO’s. However unlike the original 4 P’s, MCCT identified beneficiaries have more frequent meetings called Family Development Sessions (FDS). Lariba said they are required to meet every week instead of the once a month FDS.

“Aside from that, the meeting is not only attended by the social worker but there is also a psychologist, from the education sector,” Lariba said.

On the financial side, Lariba said there is no difference; each family received P500 for the head and P300 for every child, maximum of three children for every family.

“It is really very personalized, there is close monitoring because we have to make sure that all the needs are met, we have to take them out from the streets if they are “libud-suroy’s,” Lariba said.

Private organizations who are interested must submit Updated Work and Financial Plan, Monthly Monitoring Report, Quarterly Accomplishment Report, Financial Reports as prescribed in Commission On Audit Circular 2007-001 or based on the requirements of external funding organizations, Project Documentation Report at the end of the project period.

They also need to be registered with government agencies such as the Securities and Exchange Commission, Cooperative Development Authority and others or accredited with DSWD.

Antipala said there are 17 CSOs that have shown interest in DSWD’s call for public-private partnership specifically in strengthening the promotion of family life among household beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilya program.

The Conditional Cash Transfer program started in 2009 with 10 identified barangays in Cebu City and some municipalities in Negros Oriental.

Preservation of Calungsod thanksgiving mass site eyed

(PNA)

Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma has called for the preservation of the site where a thanksgiving mass was held for the canonization of San Pedro Calungsod.

“The event should be immortalized, remembered,” he said.

The Prelate was worried that the templete, which was built with bamboo, cloth and other indigenous materials, will soon deteriorate.

“The ground is not ours. Sooner or later, the template will be gone and considering its material, it will not last,” he said.

The Templete de San Pedro was built specifically for the national thanksgiving celebration last Nov. 30 in Cebu City’s South Road Properties.

The celebration came a month after the official declaration in Rome of the second saint from the Philippines.

Archbishop Emeritus of Cebu Ricardo Cardinal Vidal had celebrated the mass within the template, which is located inside a 27 hectare area of the SRP

The templete itself has a floor area of 1,200 square meters.

Fr. Brian Brigoli, templete construction chairman, said there are no instructions yet on what to do with the structure.

A memorandum of agreement between church officials and Cebu City government representatives is being discussed.

Late last year, Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama issued an executive order declaring the template as a heritage structure. He also formed a team of government and church representatives to ensure the preservation and maintenance of the structure.

The move is important as part of efforts to preserve the culture and history of Cebu, said Brigoli, adding the moveto declare the template as a heritage structure is for a living memory imbued in the structure of the template.

It will be “a living reminder for all generations on the value of the celebration on Nov. 30, 2012.

Liloan bares plan for reclamation project

By Jose P. Sollano (The Freeman)

CEBU, Philippines - Officials of Liloan town, through a resolution, have informed the provincial government of its intention to undertake a reclamation project.

Liloan Municipal Mayor Vincent Franco “Duke” Frasco signed the resolution and forwarded it to the Capitol.

The resolution states that the town of Liloan, while endowed with vast landholding, has no proprietary land of its own from whence big projects benefiting its large constituency could be launched.

Vice Mayor Lucilito Pilapil and members of the Sangguniang Bayan said the price of land even in this town has soared that owning a piece of it has become prohibitive, not to say the least a dream-come-true for the less financially gifted individuals or entities.

“Ever-searching for goods that redound to the benefit of the greater mass, the municipal government, under its present leadership, has mulled the reclamation of a portion of its seashore to accommodate monumental and publicly needed projects that enhances public service-delivery as well as raises revenue for its public coffers,” the resolution stated.

In 2008, the municipal government had already envisioned the reclamation of a track of foreshore land situated in barangay Poblacion.

Cebu to host two stages of Ronda Pilipinas cycling

By Dale G. Rosal

Ronda Pilipinas, the biggest cycling event in the country, will hold two of its 16 stages in Cebu on Jan. 17 and 18.

After the third stage from Pagadian to Iligan on Jan. 14, the race visits Cebu for its fourth and fifth stages. The fourth leg will start at the Plaza Independencia en route to Dumanjug town southwestern Cebu and back. The next leg the following day will start at the Lapu-Lapu City Hall grounds covering the northern part of Cebu.

“We really intend to include Cebu as part of the route in this edition of Ronda Pilipinas,” said Ronda Pilipinas project director Moe Chulani. “We are glad that it’s scheduled during the Sinulog festival season.”

After the two stages in Cebu, the sixth leg brings riders to Luzon for the Malolos to Tarlac route. A total of 2,142.2-kilometers will cover the entire race. The average distance for each leg is 146 kilometers. The race’s longest route will be from Tuguegarao to Solano, which covers 204 kilometers.

Markjohn Galedo, the defending overall individual champion, is considered to be the top contender for the P1 million cash prize. His team, the Roadbike Philippines, is also a top contender for the team competition.

Teams competing for the 16-stage race are the American Vinyl, Philippine Navy/Standard Insurance, V.Mobile/Smart, PLDT/Spyder, Pangasinan-Hundred Islands, Ilocos Sur, One Tarlac, Metro Manila-San Miguel, Team Enrile, Cebu’s Y101 and Cycle Line Butuan. The individual stage champion will receive P130,000.

The first leg of the race starts Jan. 12 in Zamboanga. The last stage will be in Baguio City.

Meanwhile, Jonjie Gonzales, consultant of the Lapu-Lapu City mayor Paz Radaza, said they are ready to host the prestigious race.

“We will be providing enough traffic marshalls along the route and we will be implementing half-road closure in the city’s major roads including the Marcelo Fernan Bridge,” he said.

The race is presented by LBC and sponsored by Total Gas, MVP sports foundation, Smart Communications, Radio One Telecommunications, Maynilad, North Luzon Expressway and Standard Insurance.

3rd Sinulog Football Cup to kick off CFA-sanctioned events this year

/ MARS G. ALISON (CORRESPONDENT)

THE 3RD Sinulog Football Cup slated next weekend will kick off this year’s football tournaments sanctioned by the Cebu Football Association (CFA).

After the Sinulog Football Cup, tournaments being plotted aside from the ongoing 15th Aboitiz Football Cup are the Thirsty Cup this February, the Cebu International School tournament in March and the BRO festival tournament in April.

Glenn Quisido, who heads the tournament committee of the CFA, said that as much as possible, they do not want to turn away groups who want to organize a tournament.

However, since most schedules are already taken up until April, those who want to organize a tournament this year will first be asked to write an official letter to the CFA.

They will then be called to a meeting with the CFA Board to agree on the schedule.

Quisido said that they do not want to hold tournaments simultaneously to avoid conflicts. But if it is just a festival, they are willing to give leeway.

Quisido also said that Cebu may host another international friendly match in March or April pitting the Philippine Azkals against either Thailand or Vietnam aside from one match of the Group E of the 2014 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Challenge Cup qualifiers.

According to Quisido, the Philippine Football Federation (PFF) now has three areas to choose from to hold international football matches—Manila, Bacolod and Cebu.

“As soon as PFF gives us the confirmation, then we will readily accept,” said Quisido.

2013: A make or break year for Cebu tourism

By Ehda M. Dagooc (The Freeman)

CEBU, Philippines - Although there are dozens of reasons why Cebu is anticipating another exciting year for tourism, the year 2013 may be the sector’s “make or break” year while competition is surging, and infrastructure and services supplementation is not properly balanced.

Cebu Business Club (CBC) president Gordon Alan “Dondi” Joseph said that tourism sector may experience more pressure this year, saying “it’s a mistake to assume that things stay the same.”

According to Joseph, Cebu is obviously lacking proper soft and hard infrastructure to complement the bullish tourism industry here.

Cebu as the center for the Philippine tourism, should create its own effective tourism roadmap or masterplan. Otherwise, its edge in tourism will be outsmarted by other provinces, or regions that are now desperately working hard to improve their tourism advantages.

Nevertheless, Joseph said tourism will continue to offer good opportunities for capitalists—big or small in Cebu. However, government and private sector also should world together in providing good infrastructure and services that will complement the robust growth in the sector this year.

Joseph also expressed confidence of the government’s effort to make tourism the country’s major revenue contributor, saying the government vowed to spend more money in tourism developments. “Definitely, there is still opportunity for tourism.”

Tourism capitalists and business leader Jay P. Aldeguer said that Cebu will always be on top in the tourism sector in the Philippines, and 2013 is another year that tourism stakeholders in Cebu will be excited about.

“I think the momentum is on our side. Philippine tourism is on the upswing and Cebu will definitely benefit from this. The airport expansion, more flights domestic and international, interest from local businessmen in the sector, whale shark attraction, St. Pedro Calungsod’s canonization are factors that will revitalize Cebu’s tourism even more,’ Aldeguer said.

Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) chairperson for tourism committee, Milagros Espina, likewise emphasized Cebu’s need to strengthen the tourism support services, such as infrastructure and others.

“We should increase budget for services and infrastructure and human resources by cultivating further the culture of tourism in Cebu,” Espina said.

This June’s Cebu Business Month (CBM 2013), the event will once again highlight the tourism advantage of Cebu by promoting the province as the preferred tourism destination globally.

Espina said the CBM 2013 Tourism theme is dubbed “Power Up Cebu—in the global market.” This aims to define Cebu’s cutting–edge advantage in the tourism sector.

Overall, Espina said Cebu’s 2013 will steadily increase because it will expand to prolific areas like architecture tourism, medical tourism, real estate, fashion and lifestyle.

Moreover, Cebu must sustain its zeal to make the place safe, clean and beautiful devoid of political undertones.

Expat hoteliers also joined the Cebuano tourism stakeholders’ sentiment to improve the infrastructure support in tourism, in order to ride-on the market’s sustained interest for Cebu tourism.

Radisson Blu Hotel Cebu general manager Lyle Lewis said that Cebu has all what it takes to attract travelers across social status segment, and luring the high end market can be easily achieved if infrastructure and attraction development will be improved.

“Infrastructure and attraction is vital for a destination to succeed. Airport access in particular is very important,” Lewis said in an interview.

Likewise, in a separate interview with Cebu City Waterfront Hotel and Casino general manager Alfred Portenschlager, he said that Cebu has all the charm to attract the wealthy travelers providing the proper infrastructure should be in place.

Portenschlager said that if Cebu is going to take advantage of its potential to get the high-end business and leisure travelers all over the world, it has to work hard on putting on right infrastructure and providing travel accessibility should be the first priority.

The expatriates tourism players believe that while the province is already well-known as a destination that offers both business and leisure attractions, it has to move further in seizing the high-spending travelers, and offer what this particular market is looking for.

Portenschlager added that aside from putting off support services for the high end market such as offering world-class accommodation facilities and services, travel accessibility is very important.

Although there are a number of low-cost airlines providing travel access to different destinations in Asia Portenschlager said business and the wealthy travelers prefer convenience over cost.

The foreigner hotelier said hat Cebu should not cheapen itself as a destination, because it has huge potential to attract the middle to high-end market, which can afford to spend more on transportation cost, leisure, and others.

He added that it is “hard” for the business market to be forced to transfer to low-cost just to get to Cebu. Otherwise, there are wide alternatives for a business and leisure destination among the Asian countries.

According to Portenschlager competition is tough, Cebu or the Philippines should trail the blaze in seizing the opportunity to further boost tourism.

Also, seeing Cebu’s capability to lure the affluent traveling market around the world, National Association of Independent Travel Agencies (Naitas) chairman emeritys Bobby Lim Joseph said that Cebu should attract tourism capitalists that would build six-star hotel and resort facilities. 

“Cebu needs more five star or six star hotel and resort facilities. It needs for signature brand shops, nicer and bigger museums, and more attractions that could entice the high end foreign tourist market,” said Joseph.

“We have to develop Cebu as high end destination, thereby attracting the big MICE [Meetings, Incentives, Conference and Exhibition] market from all over the world,” Joseph said.

Therefore, the year 2013 will define Cebu’s edge in tourism sector, and implementation of infrastructure support projects for tourism, will play a critical role in the growth and sustain vitality of the sector.

Economic experts say: 2013 to bring more growth

By Ehda M. Dagooc (JPM, The Freeman)

CEBU, Philippines - The year of the “water snake” brings heightened confidence for Cebu economy and the Philippines in general, as businessmen and economic experts believe a much better growth and livelier 2013 are up ahead.

Undoubtedly, Cebu enjoyed the start of economic “turn-around” in 2012, and this momentum is expected to gain strength—even better. Starting 2012, the Philippines, through the magnified thrust of Aquino-led government in curbing corruption, enjoyed good ratings, thus international investors are zooming in their interest to the Philippines, once again, said businessman Dondi Joseph.

Cebu, with its well-known economic stability despite crises and calamities, benefited from the good Philippine economic landscape, in fact, it has been able to soar higher economically, while tangible indicators in real estate, tourism, and BPO (Business Process Outsourcing), and retail cannot be denied even by the most sceptical observers.

Number of real estate projects soared, constructions for hotels, commercial buildings, shopping malls, condominiums, subdivisions, among others have doubled in number in 2012, and this is seen to triple in 2013.

Businessman and tourism advocate Jay P. Aldeguer also expressed confidence on the right economic track the country is heading, saying the economic turn-around is no longer a mere “perception”, but is already happening.

“It seems that Cebu will continue to thrive in 2013. The momentum is very apparent. Not only is there immense interest from outside investors but also a lot of investments coming from the Cebuano community which I think is best indication,” Aldeguer said.

Tourism, real estate, BPO and retail are some of the more dynamic industries that will continue to dominate Cebu’s economy, Aldeguer emphasized, adding that another exciting development is the number of small businesses sprouting up everywhere. “This is a very good sign that business is good and confidence is up.”

While in the past, businessmen showed off their fears, with a clear “wait and see” attitude, this time, fear and cautiousness were no longer part of their business “vocabulary,” while the evidence of opportunities are showing and even more profound.

Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) president Prudencio Gesta confirmed this positive outlook for Cebu and the Philippines in general in 2013, saying “we’ve seen good signs of growth in 2011, as long as the trend will continue, we should expect increased financial and economic opportunities.’

The 7.1 GDP (Gross Domestic Product) performance of the Philippines based on the latest report cemented the confidence of local and international investors to pour in more investments for the Philippines by 2013, Gesta said.

Artificial GDP growth is expected in the first half of 2013 due to the election season and this will bolster more strength to the country’s economy and improve further the purchasing power of Filipinos.

Gesta urged local capitalists and businessmen to take advantage of the opportunities and holding to the confidence that the Philippines is out of the ‘razor’s edge’ in terms of economic fragility.

“We are calling the local investors to start their positioning now, if they haven’t positioned yet,” he said, otherwise, outside capitalists will take the golden opportunity of Cebu and ultimately take over and siphon the wealth readily available.

Mandaue Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) president Philip Tan echoed the Cebuano business leaders’ economic optimism, saying growth is expected for 2013, and that’s “no doubt.’

Cebu Investment and Promotions Center (CIPC) supported the high-powered optimism of the Cebu business community, saying the revival of global manufacturing investors’ interest to the Philippines will bring thousands of employment opportunity for Cebu starting this year.

CIPC managing director Joel Mari S. Yu said that his office had already received dozens of inquiries from foreign investors expressing interest to locate in Cebu to set up huge light engineering facilities.

With the manufacturing renaissance, employment opportunities in Cebu will not only be limited to “college graduates,” or the professionals, but also jobs for the undergrads, as most manufacturing companies do not require higher educational attainment for their rank and file employees.

Renowned Filipino economist Bernardo Villegas also painted a rosier economic picture for the Philippines in 2013, saying the country is facing brighter prospects even in the next 10 to 15 years, “the best it has ever faced.’

According to Villegas the Philippines’ remarkable economic foundation gained praises from outside economic rating agencies and experts who do not have self-serving reasons to include the Philippines as the country to watch out for in Southeast Asia in the next few years.

Villegas, who is a professor from the University of Asia and the Pacific (UA&P) said that his bright prospects for the Philippines is not just because he is known as the “prophet of boom” economist, but he is just confirming what economic experts in the world have been projecting for the Philippines.

The HSBC for instance recently named the Philippines as the 16th largest economy in 2050 based on its Wider World in 2050 report.

“We will see a different Philippines in terms of growth in the next 10 to 20 years,” said Villegas.

Now, if Filipinos will refuse to believe their own country’s positive economic journey, “it’s another story.”

“What the Philippines has achieved right now, and where it will go economically has been the result of the positive contributions of the past Presidents, including what the Pnoy government is building at present,” he said.

Villegas is confident of the positive road the country is headed regardless of who will sit as the President after Pnoy.

“It doesn’t matter who the next President will be. He will have very little freedom to be tempted to be corrupt—because he will be constantly watched,” Villegas said.

The famous economist mentioned what international bestseller “Breakout Nations” author Ruchir Sharma, head of the emerging markets division at Morgan Stanley stressed in his book, saying that the Philippines is among the upcoming stars in the international economic scene, together with Turkey and Indonesia.

Sharma said the TIP (Turkey, Indonesia, Philippines) are the countries that should be watched out for in the next few years, while the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, and China) are losing steam.

The Philippines’ surprising growth in GDP (Gross Domestic Product) of 6.4 percent is a good start to convince Filipino capitalists and even ordinary Filipino to believe in the brighter economic future of the country, despite some negative attributes.

“We are different, in a way that we are being favored. Labor unrest in China right now? The Philippines had been able to experience and overcame it during the 1990s, and even social unrest in other countries,” said Villegas, explaining that what other countries are experiencing right now, the Philippines experienced these already.

In terms of GDP growth, the Philippines is even better than Russia and Brazil.

However, aside from establishing good environment for governance, curbing corruption, and pursuing PPP (Private-Public-Partnership), Villegas recommended that the present administration should also take serious look in changing the constitution as some rules are already obsolete and do not attract foreign direct investments (FDI) in volumes which the country is desperately needing to complement the rosy prospects.

Gov’t to award P10-B Mactan, Cebu airport project in Sept

By Lawrence Agcaoili (The Philippine Star)

MANILA, Philippines - The Aquino administration is set to award the P10-billion contract for the Mactan-Cebu International Airport project in September to cope with the growing number of tourists using the gateway to enter the country.

The Department of Transportation and Communications and Mactan-Cebu International Airport Authority has invited prospective bidders to apply to pre-qualify and bid for the construction of a new passenger terminal; rehabilitation and expansion of the existing terminal; operation, maintenance and management of the terminals.

The project involves the construction of the new passenger terminal, apron for the new passenger terminal, rehabilitation and expansion of the existing terminal, installation of all the required equipment and other associated facilities, installation of the required information technology and other equipment commensurate with the operations as well as operation and maintenance of both the new and existing passenger terminals.

The pre-qualification, bids, and awards committee (PBAC) is set to hold a pre-qualification conference on Jan. 28 and prospective bidders are required to submit their qualification documents on or before Feb. 28.

The PBAC would then require pre-qualified bidders to submit both technical and financial proposals, a bid security, as well as other supporting documents on Aug. 2 that would be evaluated by the committee.

The PBAC would first review the bidders’ technical proposals afterwhich the committee would then evaluate the financial proposals of bidders whose technical proposals were rated passed. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1

The committee would then issue the notice of award to the winning bidder in Sept. 17 and the winner would have to comply with all the requirements within 20 days from official receipt of the notice.

Based on a PPP Center briefing paper, the Mactan-Cebu airport project involves the construction of a world-class passenger terminal building with a capacity of eight million passengers a year as well as the operation and maintenance of the old and new facilities.

The Mactan-Cebu international airport is situated in a 797-hectare property and has a single 3,300 meter runway that is complemented by a full-length taxiway.

The terminal building has a capacity of handling 4.5 million passengers annually on two wings, the domestic wing and the international wing. It is a major trade center in the south for both domestic and international traffic.

The passenger traffic for year 2011 was around 6.2 million passengers. The deterioration in the level of convenience and lack of ability to handle more passengers may hinder further development and growth of international airport.

To solve the problem, DOTC is set to bid a contract for the construction of a new world-class passenger terminal building with a capacity of about eight million passengers per year; and the operation of the old and new facilities.

The construction of a new world-class passenger terminal, including all related facilities, is proposed to separately cater to domestic and international operations with an initial investment of P10.3 billion and a future expansion of P12 billion.

Several companies including diversified conglomerate San Miguel Corp., the tandem of Ayala Corp. and Aboitiz Equity Ventures Inc. as well as Metro Pacific Investments Corp. have expressed interest in the airport project.

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