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TACLOBAN CITY – The P42.46 million restoration of badly devastated Daniel Z. Romualdez (DZR) Airport in this city will be completed by end of July 2014, an official of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) said.
CAAP Eastern Visayas area manager Efren Nagrama said restoration projects are now in full swing after the Department of Transportation and Communications(DOTC) awarded the contract to a local firm B.M. Marketing on February 28.
“This is not the full rehabilitation project. The government has to execute restoration activities to normalize the airport operation,” Nagrama said.
With the implementation of post-Yolanda restoration projects, the plan to build P18.77 million semi-permanent terminal building, which is supposed to proceed late last year, has been cancelled.
“However, the P2.1 billion full rehabilitation will still be pursued, but it will be completed in 2017,” Nagrama added.
The DZR Airport, one of the premier airports of the country, sustained major damages when Yolanda hit Tacloban. The damages were severe that talks went around that it would be relocated to the nearby town of Palo.
The ongoing development project includes the P251.6 million construction of new taxiway and apron.
The cost will still be adjusted since the new terminal building’s design should be “storm surge-resilient.”
The DOTC asked a team of consultant to study the structure of new airports in tsunami-hit areas of Japan and Indonesia, according to Nagrama.
Nagrama is optimistic of restoring normal operations of the airport in three months since the contractor, through negotiated procurement on emergency cases, has started civil works even before the notice to proceed from DOTC.
Restoration activities are concentrated on reconstruction the damaged airport terminal building, perimeter fence, and CAAP administration office.
“The restored facility is not really a climate-resilient, but way better than the old structure. It will only be used for three years while waiting for the completion of full development,” Nagrama added.
Spaces provided for airline companies will be converted to departure and arrival area. Airline firms were asked to build office space outside the old terminal building.
The absence of perimeter fence prompted the government and airline companies to step up security measures, more so that top foreign officials and humanitarian groups have been coming to Tacloban City after supertyphoon Yolanda.
The facility has 22 security personnel from CAAP, 30 from the Philippine National Police and about 30 security staff from airline companies.
Nagrama noted that arrivals at the DZR Airport have significantly increased, but the agency is still consolidating post-Yolanda status reports after big waves destroyed all records.
All the 11 daily in and out flights have been back in operation. Still suspended are Tacloban-Iloilo and the Tacloban-Cebu flights of Cebu Pacific and Philippine Airlines, respectively.
When the supertyphoon struck last year, the airport, located near the shoreline, was rendered unusable for days after severe destruction to its control tower and terminal. (SARWELL Q.MENIANO)
