(Eagle News) — President Rodrigo Duterte is expected to lead the inauguration of the country’s very first “eco-airport” on Tuesday, Nov. 27.
The Department of Transportation made the announcement about the launch of the Bohol-Panglao International Airport in a statement on Monday, Nov. 26.
According to the DOTr, the construction of the airport on a 220-hectare lot in Panglao was in cooperation with the Government of Japan and made possible by funding support from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
The project cost P8.914 billion.
“The new airport is set to be the country’s first eco-airport, taking pride with its complete airport facilities that feature green and sustainable structures, such as solar panels and motion sensor lighting, among others,” the DOTr said.
It added that the airport, which will be opened to international flights on Nov. 28, can accommodate “as many as two million passengers a year, more than double the annual 800,000 passenger capacity of Tagbilaran Airport.”
Apart from Duterte, DOTr Secretary Arthur Tugade, Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines Director General Capt. Jim Sydiongco. Bohol Governor Edgar Chatto, Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat, and National Economic Development Authority chief Ernesto Pernia are expected to grace the launch.