Panglao-Bohol International Airport Development Project

[litigs]

Originally Posted by noli-kun

From CAAP.

Nice chart! This only tells the runway is away from my favourite Alona beach and the approach path is in line with noise abatement standards, that means the lesser path below inhabited areas, the better. I can see the excitement of Boholanos now!

[majaba98]

Originally Posted by litigs

Nice chart! This only tells the runway is away from my favourite Alona beach and the approach path is in line with noise abatement standards, that means the lesser path below inhabited areas, the better. I can see the excitement of Boholanos now!

On this chart there are 2 road-passageways from Bohol to Panglao. Are these 2 bridges connecting to the isle ? I thought there only was one ?

[litigs]

There are two bridges; one direct to downtown Tagbilaran, the other is smaller further south.

[arianespace]

Sadly, the problem lies where the white marks were. CORAL REEFS. Whichever orientation you do, just the same environmental damage. And thanks to the lobbying of a popular resort nearby, it got a new set of directions away from it. Clever. It just cost the government another 3B more for its price tag, in exchange for Shangri-la?

[litigs]

Originally Posted by arianespace

Sadly, the problem lies where the white marks were. CORAL REEFS. Whichever orientation you do, just the same environmental damage. And thanks to the lobbying of a popular resort nearby, it got a new set of directions away from it. Clever. It just cost the government another 3B more for its price tag, in exchange for Shangri-la?

Shangri-la???, Boholanos would be more excited, something like Mactan! We'll, if the re-alignment cost another 3B; should the government even be more happy?, ahh...that's for the wise ones to get!

[Bohol Guy]

It looks like the new runway orientation is better to avoid noise issues with the existing resorts there compared to the old one.

http://traveltreats.files.wordpress....anglao-map.jpg

[litigs]

Originally Posted by Bohol Guy

It looks like the new runway orientation is better to avoid noise issues with the existing resorts there compared to the old one.

http://traveltreats.files.wordpress....anglao-map.jpg

Yes, that's what I said from my comment on the chart. But take note as well about Arianespace take with Shangri-la hotel. I don't think something else better can be done that, I'm glad its all away from Alona.

[s_w_stars]

Nice drawing of the orientation. It seems to go right into where the corals are.

Safety issue is a primary concern. IF the current TAG airport is not safe, then CAAP has to close it down, or limit the type of aircrafts so passengers will not go through traumatic experience whenever they land. (So far no traumatic landing for me at TAG.) The orientation of an airport is one key safety consideration. Another is the topography, terrain or geology of the future Panglao airport. Is it safe? According to that study (Swedish I believe which I posted the link here before) there are problems with the geology (or terrain).

And there's the economic side of this issue. Has anyone done a cost benefit analysis of this project based on real numbers? If one amortizes the cost of a P3b airport (USD 150+ in current exchang rate), how long will that pay for itself? How many hotel rooms and tourist facilities should they have for how many thousands (or millions) of visitors (domestic/int'l) and how much local traffic should Bohol have, and how many wide bodied jets per day for how many years to justify that P3B.

Bohol sells itself as an Eco tourism destination, the word ECO is the operative word. Boholanos seem to be proud with what they have in spite of being small quiet island without an int'l airport. (According to a tourist guide, not even booming nightlife or squatters.) Nature is FREE, no capital expense. Even if Bohol had only 300,000+ (2009) plus visitors to the province, the province, the Phil gov't did not spend a cent to develop that. One might say it's all "profit."

Baguio used to have Loakan airport. Now it's closed. But people still go to Baguio and the Cordilleras using an alternative mode, buses! They had 700,000+ visitors in 2009. Travelers to Bohol have the option of taking supercat ferries or planes more suitable to TAG.

[litigs]

Originally Posted by s_w_stars

Nice drawing of the orientation. It seems to go right into where the corals are.

Safety issue is a primary concern. IF the current TAG airport is not safe, then CAAP has to close it down, or limit the type of aircrafts so passengers will not go through traumatic experience whenever they land. (So far no traumatic landing for me at TAG.) The orientation of an airport is one key safety consideration. Another is the topography, terrain or geology of the future Panglao airport. Is it safe? According to that study (Swedish I believe which I posted the link here before) there are problems with the geology (or terrain).

And there's the economic side of this issue. Has anyone done a cost benefit analysis of this project based on real numbers? If one amortizes the cost of a P3b airport (USD 150+ in current exchang rate), how long will that pay for itself? How many hotel rooms and tourist facilities should they have for how many thousands (or millions) of visitors (domestic/int'l) and how much local traffic should Bohol have, and how many wide bodied jets per day for how many years to justify that P3B.

Bohol sells itself as an Eco tourism destination, the word ECO is the operative word. Boholanos seem to be proud with what they have in spite of being small quiet island without an int'l airport. (According to a tourist guide, not even booming nightlife or squatters.) Nature is FREE, no capital expense. Even if Bohol had only 300,000+ (2009) plus visitors to the province, the province, the Phil gov't did not spend a cent to develop that. One might say it's all "profit."

Baguio used to have Loakan airport. Now it's closed. But people still go to Baguio and the Cordilleras using an alternative mode, buses! They had 700,000+ visitors in 2009. Travelers to Bohol have the option of taking supercat ferries or planes more suitable to TAG.

Baguio closed?, I think only scheduled commercial traffic, it could still be open for civil-military ops. Also, I haven't heard any official advisory.

[makatiprime]

there are still private commercial planes from manila flying tovbaguio, although not as big as pal,ceb and zest air companies. the sky pasada air co. which is owned by world citi college has a chartered flights to baguio

[majaba98]

Originally Posted by arianespace

Sadly, the problem lies where the white marks were. CORAL REEFS. Whichever orientation you do, just the same environmental damage. And thanks to the lobbying of a popular resort nearby, it got a new set of directions away from it. Clever. It just cost the government another 3B more for its price tag, in exchange for Shangri-la?

This whole project simply is a waste of money and a sustainable loss to nature - the reefs. Besides that, I will definately skip this island once a noise annoying airport is installed in a such a grand little tourist spot.

[s_w_stars]

Originally Posted by makatiprime

there are still private commercial planes from manila flying tovbaguio, although not as big as pal,ceb and zest air companies. the sky pasada air co. which is owned by world citi college has a chartered flights to baguio

SkyPasada is now flying again to Baguio according to their website. Last I heard, they stopped operation mid last year to comply with CAAP requirements. I've flown them to TAG-Basco v.v. on their LET airplane, it is so small once you get in your seat, you're practically trapped, don't even know if they have a bathroom, very noisy engines, plus they put on full volume a religious music video (was that a hint?!?). The weather was calm, flight was very smooth, the only thing you get from it is a headache from the noise. Would I fly it to Baguio with all those mountains, mmmm.....I'd rather take the bus.

[noli-kun]

I'll repost the approved orientation for comparison and reference.



I've just recently unearthed these from my stash of virtual files. Courtesy of CAAP- Engineering and Survey Unit. The images are in a chronological order.

[litigs]

Originally Posted by s_w_stars

SkyPasada is now flying again to Baguio according to their website. Last I heard, they stopped operation mid last year to comply with CAAP requirements. I've flown them to TAG-Basco v.v. on their LET airplane, it is so small once you get in your seat, you're practically trapped, don't even know if they have a bathroom, very noisy engines, plus they put on full volume a religious music video (was that a hint?!?). The weather was calm, flight was very smooth, the only thing you get from it is a headache from the noise. Would I fly it to Baguio with all those mountains, mmmm.....I'd rather take the bus.

So Sky Pasada hasn't resumed their operations yet pending retrofit for an additional exit door on their LET. For a starting small airline, that can be costly. As for the Baguio route, it can be both exciting and nerve wracking. Perhaps because the approach is a precision maneuver between terrain and runway!

[Rodel]

Originally Posted by lightsaber46

P4-B Panglao airport ready in 3 years
http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/052...adlines09.html
By Recto Mercene
Reporter

PRESIDENT Arroyo Tuesday joined the capsule-laying ceremony of the planned Bohol-Panglao International Airport (BPIA), an ambitious P4-billion project envisioned to be the center of commercial and other business activities in Central Visayas.

Mrs. Arroyo was flown in by helicopter from Cebu and landed at the cleared spot where the future runway would be located.

She was greeted with cheers and applause by residents, who were housed in a temporary shelter. She approached and shook hands with a few of them.

Mrs. Arroyo, in a brief speech after the capsule-laying, said the future airport would be a magnet that would attract development and benefits not only for the 1.3 million Boholanos but for the whole country, as well.

“We will see to it that Bohol would be the center of tourism in Central Visayas and strive to make the Chocolate Hills [included in] the seven [natural] wonders of the world,” she said in Visayan, to the shout of approval from the locals.

The island, she noted, has world-class resorts, unparalleled dive sites and the famed Chocolate Hills to attract tourists from around the world.

Manila International Airport Authority (Miaa) general manager Alfonso Cusi said the BPIA would be finished in 2010, complete with the needed infrastructure and passenger terminal.

The Miaa provided P3 billion of the airport’s capital, while the transportation and communications department gave P1 billion.

“This is a major infrastructure development that we were able to achieve without the need of a foreign loan,” Cusi said.

He said the Miaa raised P3 billion from the payment made by Philippine Airlines to cover back accounts of aeronautical fees.

Transportation Secretary Leandro Mendoza, in a media briefing, said the Panglao airport is envisioned to be a hub of various activities in the area, generating thousands of jobs and spurring a construction and real-state boom when finished.

“The BPIA will be the center of export-processing zones like the Mactan-Cebu International Airport, and will employ skilled workers to provide the manpower for industrial projects, parks and export-processing zones,” Mendoza said.

He said the government had completed 100-percent expropriation of the surrounding lands.

“The aerodrome [for air traffic control] is done, and we have a very good forecast that Bohol will be a prime tourist destination now that it is directly accessible by plane from the rest of the world,” Mendoza added.

Panglao Island is 10,000 hectares in area, bigger than the 7,000-hectare Mactan, where the Mactan-Cebu International Airport is located.

The airport complex will occupy 216 hectares, of which 4.8 hectares is subject to expropriation, according to Bohol Gov. Erico Aumentado.

He said the runway is 2.5 kilometers long with reserved area for a 3.5-kilometer extension.

Bohol counts among its visitors tourists from South Korea, Japan, China and Taiwan.

Meanwhile, Cusi said the Miaa, being a major source of capital, has the option to securitize its investments by selling to potential investors the airport’s surrounding real estate and various projects. “The island has plenty of room for development,” he noted.

Meanwhile, Mendoza disclosed that part of the “aeronautical highway” is the plan to connect all the major tourist spots and potential business hubs in the country. This is set for completion in 2009.

He said the plan is the answer to the call of foreign businessmen to have airports that could be directly accessed by foreign air carriers. This is seen as a measure to increase the volume of tourists coming to the country.

Travel agencies were reported to have avoided the Philippines and concentrated on Thailand and Bali in Indonesia, and other countries in the region where air carriers could directly deliver their tourists, avoiding the hassle of airport transfers.

The DOTC chief said that since the Philippines has already been connected by a “nautical highway” provided by roll-on, roll off ships, the next move is the establishment of the aeronautical highway to connect the rest of the country’s prime tourist spots.

Besides Panglao and the airports in Palawan as part of the aeronautical highway, Mendoza said the airports targeted for upgrading are those in San Vicente, Palawan; Laguindingan, Cagayan de Oro; Siargao, Butuan, Zamboanga and Jolo.

Also included is that in San Fernando, La Union, which is seen to make the famed Sagada in the Mountain Province and Alaminos or Sta. Barbara in Pangasinan accessible.

“Before 2010, we will have the new aeronautical highway in place,” Mendoza assured the public.

ano na po ang nangyari dito. 3 years after, Panglao Airport is not yet open. another 3 years?

[litigs]

Originally Posted by Rodel

ano na po ang nangyari dito. 3 years after, Panglao Airport is not yet open. another 3 years?

You can forget what GMA said and the ceremonial ground breaking, its a new administration now. Its supposed to be under the PPP of Pnoy but the takers are not yet in the picture; otherwise the govt. Will have to find its own way.

[Bricken Ridge]

Group withdraws opposition to Panglao airport

Assured that Bohol will benefit from project

By Ronnel Domingo
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 20:58:00 04/03/2011

MANILA, Philippines—A group of Boholano economists, scientist and a lawyer who are based in Metro Manila has retracted its opposition to a planned new airport on Panglao Island, which is among the priority items in the government’s public-private partnership infrastructure program.

The group included former University of the Philippines president Jose Abueva, Assistant Solicitor General Herman Cimafranca, and UP professors Ernesto Pernia, Ramon Clarete and Raul Fabella (economics); Caesar Saloma (physics), Carlo Arcilla (geology) and Rene Rollon (meteorology).

In a letter to President Aquino, they said they now endorse the provincial government’s efforts to proceed with the construction of a P7.5-billion airport in Panglao.

We are now supporting the plan because the “Bohol provincial government would formulate and enforce a corresponding land-use plan that prevents the new airport from causing rapid urbanization of Panglao Island through sudden increase of its population density and unregulated construction of high-rise buildings as well as sprawling commercial ventures and manufacturing complexes,” they explained.

They also cited as reason for support the capitol’s intention to enact and enforce laws that protect and preserve the Bohol Marine Triangle, including Panglao Bay.

The bay serves as a critical habitat, feeding ground and nursery for fish, fish larvae and other marine organisms.

The group added that it was now backing the project because the Bohol government committed to ensure that the new airport would bring socioeconomic benefits not only to the people of Panglao “but to all Boholanos by minimizing the internal migration of labor and services from different places on the main Bohol island.”

According to the group, the planned facility would feature state-of-the-art navigational equipment and service facilities that would help ensure security, safety and comfort of passengers and users.

The airport is designed to support only short- to medium-range, narrow-body passenger planes such as the Airbus 319-100, Airbus 320-200 and Boeing 737NG.

"Its footprint would not exceed 2.25 percent [approximately 225 hectares] of the entire Panglao Island land mass,” the group said. “The Panglao domestic airport is [being] built to replace the critically inadequate Tagbilaran Airport and to bring tangible socioeconomic benefits … while protecting and preserving the natural beauty of the entire Bohol island.”

The group said the airport would enable Bohol to become a model of ecotourism development for the rest of the country.

[manila_eye]

Originally Posted by Bricken Ridge

Group withdraws opposition to Panglao airport

Assured that Bohol will benefit from project

By Ronnel Domingo
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 20:58:00 04/03/2011

MANILA, Philippines—A group of Boholano economists, scientist and a lawyer who are based in Metro Manila has retracted its opposition to a planned new airport on Panglao Island, which is among the priority items in the government’s public-private partnership infrastructure program.

The group included former University of the Philippines president Jose Abueva, Assistant Solicitor General Herman Cimafranca, and UP professors Ernesto Pernia, Ramon Clarete and Raul Fabella (economics); Caesar Saloma (physics), Carlo Arcilla (geology) and Rene Rollon (meteorology).

In a letter to President Aquino, they said they now endorse the provincial government’s efforts to proceed with the construction of a P7.5-billion airport in Panglao.

We are now supporting the plan because the “Bohol provincial government would formulate and enforce a corresponding land-use plan that prevents the new airport from causing rapid urbanization of Panglao Island through sudden increase of its population density and unregulated construction of high-rise buildings as well as sprawling commercial ventures and manufacturing complexes,” they explained.

Hmmm... Basta wag magaya sa Boracay okay na sakin to. And please sana mga high end development at yung malalaking developers ang magtayo ng mga resorts.

[sonnyville]

i am completely against this project on this island. i have been to panglao island and if the people in government aren't too greedy to just fill their pockets in the name of "development and improvement or progress", they shouldn't build an airport on panglao island and destroy it's natural beauty. there is no need to put up an international airport on every island in the RP to attract tourism. if palawan was a successful eco-tourist spot in the RP, they should also do the same and conserve panglao island!! there are larger neighboring islands such as cebu, that need priority attention when it comes to the subject of airport and airport improvement. it upsets me because instead of conserving, the government destroys the environment and our country has one of the most appalling environmental practices in the world. this is a national natural treasure and it should be protected. the daily ferries from cebu are sufficient enough to sustain a reliable transportation for tourism to the island.

[kingdiz_55]

i am completely against this project on this island. i have been to panglao island and if the people in government aren't too greedy to just fill their pockets in the name of "development and improvement or progress", they shouldn't build an airport on panglao island and destroy it's natural beauty. there is no need to put up an international airport on every island in the RP to attract tourism. if palawan was a successful eco-tourist spot in the RP, they should also do the same and conserve panglao island!! there are larger neighboring islands such as cebu, that need priority attention when it comes to the subject of airport and airport improvement. it upsets me because instead of conserving, the government destroys the environment and our country has one of the most appalling environmental practices in the world. this is a national natural treasure and it should be protected. the daily ferries from cebu are sufficient enough to sustain a reliable transportation for tourism to the island.

You make an interesting point there. They can just spend the money to upgrade Cebu's airport and ferry infrastructure which makes Cebu more open to trade and industry, tourism. )