P959M General Santos aerotropolis to put Mindanao on world map

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Gensan-Airport-complex_sampleThe proposed P959-million General Santos City Airport Industrial Complex will position Region 12 as a major international gateway or aerotropolis in Mindanao, according to the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA).

MinDA executive director Janet Lopoz said the aerotropolis, a major infrastructure project under the Mindanao Development Corridors (MDC), will boost competitiveness of Region 12, located in the south-central part of the MDC.

“The project will integrate the different points of entry in Region 12, particularly General Santos’ international airport, fishport complex, and Makar Wharf,” Lopoz said at the 50th Regular Meeting of the Regional Development Council XII recently held at Villa Amor Hotel in Mindanao.

Region 12 is composed of four provinces—North Cotabato, South Cotabato, Sarangani Province, and Sultan Kudarat—and  the five cities of Koronadal, Tacurong, General Santos, Kidapawan, and Cotabato.

The proposed aerotropolis will see the development of some 200 hectares of property surrounding the General Santos airport into an integrated complex of business parks, amusement parks, hotels, an integrated food terminal, food processing and manufacturing activities, and shopping malls.

The Department of Transportation and Communications-Project Development Services last year met with local government units, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, and the Area Development Project-Project Management Unit to gather input for the detailed engineering design of the project.

“General Santos City has the potential to be a hub for the consolidation of products and services due to its proximity to major economic centers of Mindanao and the BIMP-EAGA,” Lopoz added.

Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) is an economic sub-grouping that aims to accelerate the socioeconomic development of less developed areas in the participating countries.

Besides the General Santos City Airport Industrial Complex, other projects under the Mindanao Development Corridors are the Mindanao Railway System; Davao South Marina and Industrial Park; Davao International Airport Operations, Maintenance, and Development Project; Davao City Sasa Port Modernization Project; and a number of major road projects connecting the South-Central Mindanao Corridor to other development corridors.

The MDC is a key spatial strategy of MinDA that will help pave the way for a connected and globally competitive Mindanao. Cited under Chapter 10 of the updated Philippine Development Plan, this strategy captures the Aquino government’s accelerated infrastructure development agenda for Mindanao.

“We need to interconnect Mindanao for it to be efficient,” said Lopoz, adding that “the corridors strategy will accelerate development and ensure aligning of infrastructure projects in Mindanao to facilitate better economic activity and a much attractive investment climate.”

The Mindanao corridors will also help position the island-region as a single, integrated economy that leverages on its membership in the BIMP-EAGA to actively participate in world trade.

“In the past several years, Mindanao has been experiencing an economic growth of six to seven percent, but this increase must also translate to higher incomes and more jobs,” Lopoz said.

The corridors strategy will promote infrastructure development, connectivity, and development of growth clusters within Mindanao for balanced and inclusive growth.