President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Monday, July 14, led the groundbreaking and time capsule laying for the construction of the new Caticlan Passenger Terminal Building (PTB) at the Caticlan Airport in Aklan, hailing it as a major step in improving regional connectivity, tourism, and economic growth.

“We are slowly putting together the building blocks of our policy of opening up our areas, tourist areas, our business areas, to international travelers without having to go through the Manila airport,” Marcos said during the ceremony held at Caticlan Airport.

Located in the municipality of Malay in northern Aklan, Caticlan Airport serves as the most direct and practical access point to Boracay Island.

Just a short ferry ride away from the world-renowned beach destination, the airport is poised to accommodate the influx of tourists more efficiently with the upcoming terminal expansion.

The two-story terminal will span 36,470 square meters and feature six passenger boarding bridges and 36 check-in counters.

Once operational, it will have the capacity to process up to 3,000 passengers simultaneously, with a projected annual throughput of seven million passengers. Completion is targeted for 2027.

The design-and-build contract for the terminal was awarded in 2024 to Megawide Construction Corporation. The facility is owned and operated by Trans Aire Development Holdings Corp. (TADHC), a subsidiary of San Miguel Corp. (SMC) Infrastructure.

In his speech, Marcos emphasized the importance of bypassing congestion in Manila through regional airport development, noting upgrades are also underway in Iloilo, Bohol, and Siargao.

“Although Manila airport is improving… it would be much easier for our tourists or for any travelers na diretso na sila dito sa Caticlan (if they can come straight here to Caticlan),” he said.

“The influx of people, of travelers, is going to be a big boost to the local economy. And I might add, the national economy.”

He recalled his personal experience visiting Boracay and described the ferry transfer as a memorable part of the trip and a valuable “part of the experience.”

Tourism currently contributes close to 8 percent of the Philippines’ gross domestic product (GDP), according to the President.

He said infrastructure projects like the Caticlan terminal are crucial to increasing that figure by making travel easier and more enjoyable for visitors.

“This is one step… the beginning of the journey, and that journey is to bring the Philippines once again to the forefront of the rest of the world,” he said.

“[That] this is a place where people can invest, this is a place where people can come to have a vacation, [and that] this is a place where the businessmen can come and do business.”PNA