BY CRIS DIAZ
MISAMIS ORIENTAL: Ground works for the two-year expansion and conversion of the domestic Laguindingan airport into an international port is expected to start in 2024, a lawmaker said Sunday.
Rep. Bambi Emano of Missmis Oriental’s province Second District, said that the Mindanao Development Authority (MDA) informed the Congressional office that the MDA has secured the approval of the budget from the Department of Transportation for the airport’s expansion in 2024 and 2025.
Emano did not mention the cost of the project, but the funds for 2024 would be for the construction of the Passenger Terminal Building (PTB) and for consultants responsible for the Detailed Engineering Design (DED).
He said that the MDA also disclosed that in 2025, the extension of the runway and the expansion of the cargo terminal building would also start.
According to Emano, his office legislated the proposed expansion of the Laguindingan airport in Misamis Oriental in order to upgrade the existing airport into an international port.
“As an international airport, the business and tourism industies in Northern Mindanao, particularly in Misamis Oriental, will certainly stimulate jobs and investment opportunities,“ Emano said.
He said that Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW)s, domestic and foreign tourists, could also travel directly to Misamis Oriental as the gateway in Northern Mindanao.
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