President Rodrigo Duterte will lead the inauguration of two newly completed infrastructure projects in Negros Oriental on Thursday, March 11, 2021.
Secretary Arthur Tugade of the Department of Transportation (DOTr) said the inauguration of the upgraded Port of Dumaguete and Dumaguete-Sibulan Airport would boost the province’s “maritime and air connectivity.”
The Port of Dumaguete upgrade is a joint project of the DOTr and the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA). It includes the construction of a two-story building that can accommodate some 500 travelers.
Tugade said the new state-of-the-art Port Operations Building would address the need to properly monitor inbound and outbound vessels in neighboring provinces of Cebu, Bohol, and Siquijor.
Jay Santiago, PPA general manager, said port rehabilitation throughout the country continued despite the pandemic.
The president will also lead the inauguration of the rehabilitated airport in Dumaguete City that serves both Negros Oriental and Siqujor.
The rehab project involved the re-blocking of the airport apron, construction of two taxiways, and the expansion of the passenger terminal, among other improvements, to accommodate bigger aircraft and increase passenger capacity from 330 to 450. Ryan Sorote