IN the inspiring words of Pierre Bernardo, “To travel is to evolve”, Bohol is on its way to make transformative journeys happen, not only for travelers seeking its beauty, but also for the locals of the charming province themselves.
In my previous column, I mentioned how the Philippine tourism industry boomed this January alone, with tourist arrivals registering an impressive 16.48-percent growth compared to the same one-month period last year. Without a doubt, Bohol, with its stunning natural wonders and historical attractions drawing crowds of adventure-seekers, had a big share in making this happen.
With developments like a new, state-of-the-art international airport currently being constructed in Bohol, I’m quite optimistic that these numbers will soon soar further and keep the province busy with visitors from all over the world.
Bohol to welcome international flights
Soon to replace the Tagbilaran Airport is the Panglao International Airport, a P7-billion facility that began construction in June 2015 under the helm of the Chiyoda-Mitsubishi joint venture as contractor.
Expected to be fully functional by early-2018, the structure serves as a major lifeline in boosting tourist traffic in Bohol and its surrounding neighbors. While currently seeing roughly 800,000 passengers annually, the new airport will be servicing both international and domestic flights in a bigger space, giving Panglao the influx of local and global guests that can easily double its numbers in the coming year.
In a combined effort between the Philippine government and the Japan International Cooperation Agency, much of the work has been focused on modernizing and expanding the grounds and facilities to accommodate a large number of people comfortably. With complete amenities and necessities like access roads, runway strips, toll booths, and service structures, the airport is steadily seeing itself emerge as the beacon of a brighter and bustling future for Bohol’s tourism.
A green and timely upgrade
With all the developments already set in motion, it’s important to remember the importance of maintaining sustainable and eco-friendly materials and structures. Thankfully, that is one of the key factors in Panglao International Airport’s building measures.
With advanced Japanese technology implemented, the airport will not only see more efficient systems and space allocation but also set higher standards in green building. Using geotextile sheets, the surrounding environment will be protected from pollutants seeping out from the drainage and soaking yard. That process will be backed by a cutting-edge filtering system that will be put into place during the construction process. Energy consumption will, of course, be another factor in the sustainability of the airport. That is where the photovoltaic power-generation system comes in, operating all the equipment and fixtures by converting solar-cell energy into electrons. The predeparture sections will be air-conditioned using solar power, while most areas will make use of natural ventilation. Lighting the place will use the combined strength of natural light and LED bulbs. To top it all off, a waterworks system will be put in place to aid filtration and waste disposal.
With the continuous modernization of our surroundings and the spike of calamities throughout the nation, it’s good to know that the beauty and reliability of Bohol’s natural resources are not being sacrificed for the sake of building steel giants and bringing in more flights. In fact, it just goes to show that the new airport will only create more positive avenues for Bohol to flourish and succeed.
Developments for a more vibrant Bohol
As with any stable ecosystem, Bohol’s efforts will be culminated with other infrastructure projects and partnerships that will complement and serve the cycle of active tourism and economic development.
As EEI Corp. handles local civil matters regarding the upcoming Panglao International Airport, the local government aims to establish various infrastructure projects that will connect to the airport and expand accessibility to other areas.
One of these new developments is the monorail system being initiated by the Provincial Planning and Development Office (PPDO) to connect the airport and the Bohol Business Park to other towns in the area. Starting with Alburquerque, Corella and Maribojoc, PPDO is looking to connect to even more towns as the project develops.
In order to further better connectivity and harness the united, yet varied, formations of each area, projects like the North-South road expansion, interisland bridges connecting to Bohol and the Loon Port Development Project have been lined up for the near term.
With all these projects building up toward a bigger and brighter interconnected system, I can’t help but be thrilled at how Bohol is evolving as the new frontier in Philippine tourism. As traversing the province and its surroundings becomes easier in the coming years, I’m sure more adventure-seekers will appreciate the transformative appeal that only the Philippines can bring.
Image credits: Stewart Lim via JustGola.com, The Department of Transportation and Communications, PinoyAdventurista.com