Bohol Panglao Island Airport Waste of Money?

Delays in the bidding and pre-construction activities of the Panglao Bohol International Airport Project has raised doubts on the availability of funds coming from its lead implementing agencies.

Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) assistant general manager Tirso Serrano however allayed suspicions on the existence of funds that would jumpstart the P4.2 billion airport.

The MIAA and the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) are the lead implementing agencies of the Panglao airport.

Serrano told the Chronicle yesterday that "government procurement procedures" has to be met that also affected timeline of the project.

"Funding for the project is not the cause of the delay," he stressed.

In its original timeframe, the bidding process for the consultancy services for the detailed engineering design and construction management supervision of the airport project should have been completed last June 22.

The notice to proceed for the detailed engineering design should have been already issued to the consultant and start rendering its services last July.

Serrano said, "we are already going through the procedures considering the rules and pertinent procedures to be followed for such a big project."

"As of this time, we have been conferring with the Government Procurement Board, but rest assured, this will not substantially delay the airport's completion target in 2010," Serrano explained.

However, in a letter to MIAA general manager Alfonso Cusi last July 3, DOTC undersecretary and project implementation officer Anneli Lontoc asked for an explanation on the "problems encountered, causes of delay and actions being taken to resolve the issues" on the pre-construction activities.

Lontoc noted that the project implementation so far is still in the short-listing stage of interested contractors.

According to Serrano, however, they are already in the process of awarding the contract for the detailed engineering and design to the three short-listed bidders.

"We have confidence in the qualifications of the 3 bidders short-listed and the contract could be awarded after the project managers will meet next week," Serrano added.

The DOTC, through assistant secretary Elmer Soneja likewise asked for the provincial government to submit reports and supporting documents in connection with the fund utilization for the airport project.

Not less than 75% of the amount already transferred to the provincial government is required to be reported as the program of work for the Panglao airport was revised to include the P170 million for the land acquisition.

The revised program of work was already approved by the DOTC. - The Bohol Chronicle