Department of Transportation (DOTr) Sec. Arthur Tugade stated on Tuesday, May 11, 2021, that he hopes to see the privatization of the Bohol Panglao International Airport (BPIA) push through and finally implemented by June 2021, according to a report.
The report adds that the secretary said there are parties interested in managing the BPIA located in the province’s tourism hub, Panglao town.
Tugade made the statement during an address in an online forum that was organized by the Management Association of the Philippines (MAP) on Tuesday.
He mentioned during the forum that there are some discussions going on related to the technical matters of the privatization scheme of BPIA.
Moreover, Tugade said that he sees the parties discussing the privatization of the BPIA and that all parties interested will be able to comply with the requirements of the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA). This way, the privatization of the Bohol airport can be finally implemented by the end of next month.
According to the same report, NEDA in November 2019 approved the plan to privatize the BPIA for 25 years.
The government has been pushing for the privatization of airports such as the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) and the Francisco Bangoy International Airport (FBIA) in Davao City, aside from the BPIA where the operation and management concession will be handled by a private entity, the same report bares.