International airport to rise in Maguindanao del Norte in BARMM

The Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) government on Saturday said it is planning to establish an international airport in Maguindanao del Norte.

The proposed site is in Barangay Tambo in the municipality of Sultan Mastura, the BARMM local government unit (LGU) said in a press release.

BARMM officials from the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC), through the Bangsamoro Airport Authority (BAA) went with representatives from the Japan International Cooperation Agency and the local executives of the municipality of Sultan Mastura on August 3 to conduct an ocular inspection at the proposed site.

"This project is just the beginning of more intent collaborations from BAA and MOTC to the LGU of Sultan Mastura, as there are concerns to be established in the future undertakings relative to the development of this endeavor," MOTC BAA OIC-Director Atty. Hanamir Emblawa said.

Sultan Mastura Mayor Zulficar Ali "Bong" Panda said the international airport will help boost the local economy, especially in the Iranun Corridor.

“It’s a welcome development for us, dahil malaking tulong ‘to sa ekonomiya ng Sultan Mastura. Ang job generation ay madadagdagan at malaking impact ‘to sa kabuhayan ng tao, maraming infrastructure, businesses at establishment ang maipapatayo sa lugar,” he said.

The airport project is in line with BARMM's 12-Point Priority Agenda which includes developing reliable and resilient air transportation and other strategic infrastructure to spur economic growth in the region. —KG, GMA Integrated News