DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 11 October) – Fifty million pesos will be set aside from the budget of the national government for the feasibility study on the proposed domestic airport in Dinagat Islands, an official said on Friday.
The budget allocation for the conduct of the study has been included in the proposed national budget for next year, Dinagat Islands Governor Nilo Demerey Jr. said Friday, the second day of the 1st Mindanao Infrastructure Summit.
He said the province has vast tracts of available lands and can provide 68 hectares, the minimum requirement for the construction of a domestic airport.
He said the provincial government sees the need for an airport in Dinagat Islands to improve its connectivity because it is fast-becoming a tourist destination in Mindanao for its beaches.
He said the financial requirement to construct an airport in the province would be determined once the feasibility study is completed.
He added the locals and visitors outside Mindanao would have to take a one-hour boat ride from Surigao Airport in Surigao City to reach Dinagat Islands.
Dinagat Islands is composed of the municipalities of Basilica, Cagdianao, Dinagat, Libjo, Loreto, San Jose, and Tubajon. The 2020 census placed the population of the entire province at 128,117.
Demerey, who is also chair of the Regional Development Council of Caraga Region, said they are also pushing for the improvement of several airports in the region, including the transfer of Surigao Airport to a bigger location, rehabilitation of the airport in Tandag, and expansion of the airports in Bislig City, Butuan City, and Siargao.
The governor said the airports would help improve air connectivity, hastening development in Caraga Region. (Antonio L. Colina IV/MindaNews)
