“WHEN it rains, it pours,” goes the adage which happily applies to Bicol and all Bicolanos this year.
Finally, after a long delay and wait, the P4.8 billion Bicol International Airport (BIA) in Daraga, will eventually open this year. The blessing is further made joyful by the construction kick-off for the equally vital P175-billion Philippine National Railways (PNR) South Haul that stretches from Calamba City in Laguna to Matnog in Sorsogon.
Greatly elated by these developments is Albay Rep. Joey Sarte Salceda, House Ways and Means Committee chair who said DOTr Secretary Arthur Tugade has assured him of the two events this year. Both projects are deemed vital to unlocking the economic potentials of Southern Luzon, particularly via tourism.
The BIA is hailed as the country’s “Most Scenic Gateway.” It is expected to play a huge role in helping realize soon the country’s 20-million annual foreign tourists arrivals target. Tourists flying in via BIA will land right at the heart of Bicol’s tourism hub, Albay, home of the world famous iconic Mayon Volcano and the historic Cagsawa Ruins.
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. Earnest construction work on the BIA started in 2009. It is designed to accommodate two million passengers annually with its expanded and state-of-the-art facilities.
Work on the PNR South Long Haul, on the other hand, starts in the second quarter. The project compliments the BIA, and will further boost Bicol’s tourism by about 30%, which forms part of its predicted 24% economic returns to the countryside when fully operational. A component of the PNR Luzon System, it will reduce to only five hours the travel time over the 639-kilometer rail stretch from Manila to Legazpi City.
The PNR Luzon System is part of the government’s massive “Build, Build, Build” infrastructure program. 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. When finished, it will enhance the connectivity of major airports, seaports and growth hubs in Southern Luzon 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.
