Department of Transportation (DOTr) Acting Secretary Giovanni Lopez on Tuesday ordered the construction of the Mati Airport, formerly the Imelda R. Marcos Airport, in Davao Oriental to hasten for a faster disaster response in future calamities.
This came after Lopez visited the site of the airport where the passenger terminal building is under construction.
According to the DOTr, the Mati Airport’s passenger terminal building is expected to be complete by 2026, and is fully operational by 2027.
Once finished, the Mati Airport will be able to house and fly turboprop aircrafts, and serve as an alternative to the Davao International Airport, the DOTr added.
Despite the ‘limited budget in the past year,’ Lopez said that the DOTr is looking for ways to speed up the airport’s construction.
The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) has already allotted P700 million for the construction of the airport in 2026, the DOTr said.
The P87 million development project at the 49-year-old airport began in February 2025, for upgrades including larger runways, more efficient operations, and spaces for service equipment and fire station facilities.
Since October 10, Davao Oriental has been hit by near-consecutive earthquakes ranging from magnitude 4.6 to magnitude 7.4.
According to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, over 1300 aftershocks have been recorded with magnitudes 1.2 to 5.8, 18 of which were felt. /jpv