CATICLAN, Malay, Aklan – President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. underscored the national significance of the soon-to-rise Caticlan Passenger Terminal Building (PTB), describing it as a catalyst for broader economic growth and enhanced regional accessibility during the project’s ceremonial groundbreaking on July 14.
Speaking before local officials, aviation stakeholders, and business leaders, Marcos framed the project as part of a larger strategy to decentralize the country’s international gateways.
“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,” he said.
Caticlan Airport, the primary gateway to Boracay Island, is located in the municipality of Malay, Aklan. With the island attracting millions of visitors annually, the airport’s new terminal aims to meet the demands of surging tourist arrivals.
The forthcoming two level structure, spanning 36,470 square meters, will be equipped with six boarding bridges and 36 check-in counters. Designed to accommodate up to 3,000 passengers at any given time, it is expected to handle as many as seven million passengers annually once completed in 2027.
Megawide Construction Corporation secured the design-and-build contract in 2024, while Trans Aire Development Holdings Corp. (TADHC), a San Miguel Corp. (SMC) Infrastructure subsidiary, continues to oversee the airport’s operations.
Marcos emphasized that improvements to regional airports, including those in Iloilo, Bohol, and Siargao, would help ease the burden on the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), which has long suffered from congestion.
“Although Manila airport is improving… it would be much easier for our tourists or for any travellers na diretso na sila dito sa Caticlan (if they can come straight here to Caticlan),” the President said.
He added that the expanded accessibility would translate into a strong economic ripple effect: “The influx of people, of travellers, is going to be a big boost to the local economy. And I might add, the national economy.”
Drawing from personal experience, Marcos recalled his own visits to Boracay and remarked that the ferry ride from Caticlan to the island is a “part of the experience.”
Currently, tourism accounts for nearly 8 percent of the Philippines’ gross domestic product (GDP). The President stressed that projects such as the Caticlan PTB are key to raising tha share by enhancing visitor convenience.
“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.”/PN
