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Re ceived @
, MAR 21 2017

Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

Seventeenth Congress
First Regular Session

HoUsE BILL No_ 5851

Introduced by Honorable Erico Aristotle C. Aumentado

EXPLANATORY NOTE,

The bill seeks to include the Ubay Airport in Camambugan, Municipality of Ubay, Province of
Bohol under the administration of the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) to
be Utilized for other productive and commercial purposes.

The Ubay Airport was built by the Americans before World War Il in Camambugari, Ubay, Bohol
it was used during the war
Since then, it has been utilized by light planes. x

‘The airport has a land area of 54 hectares owned by the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines
(CAAP), formerly the Air Transportation Office (ATO). It is located in a flat terrain ideal for an
airport with a huge potential for expansion due to the highly agricultural and tourism service center
of Northeast Bohol, CAAP has included the Ubay Airport in its Annual Investment Plan in 2011
In fact it has initially programmed the Ubay Airport development. The airport has a runway of,
two (2) kilometres expandable even to three (3) kilometres given the vast potential for its
expansion therein,

The development of the airport has become imperative in the light of the selection of Ubay ~ the
biggest town of Bohol in terms of land area, population and income ~ as the tourism service hub
in the northeast corridor under the Bohol Tourism Master Plan crafted by the Pacific Consultants
Ine. of Japan.

The Ubay Airport, together with its fast developing port, is eyed as a major support infrastructure
of the Multi-Industrial Cluster (MIC) development strategy covered by an executive agreement
between South Korea and the Philippines.


‘The airport, once upgraded, can accommodate domestic flights to spur tourism, commerce and
industry in the Northeastern Corridor of Bohol and balance the economic development in the
province which is heavily tilted to Tagbilaran City and Panglao Island. For under the Bohol
Tourism Master Plan, the next major tourism destination to be extensively developed will be the
scenic eco-heritage Anda Peninsula with white sandy beaches against the backdrop of lush
mountain vegetation, and the panoramic Mindanao Sea comparable to the beauty of the
Mediterranean seascape. The destination would be thirty (30) minutes ride away from the Ubay
Airport.

On the other hand, the world famous Chocolate Hills in Sagbayan and Carmen, and the eco-
adventure tourism in historic Danao town would be less than an hour away from the Ubay Airport.

Tagbilaran City and Panglao Island are just a little over an hour away in the light of Bohol’s very
‘good highways

‘The Airport, furthermore, can host aviation schools and serve as training facility to relieve Mactan-
Cebu International Airport and the Tagbilaran Airport from training flights of aviation students.

The bill calls for the inclusion of the Ubay Airport in the coverage of military reservations which
shall be subject of conversion to other productive and commercial uses pursuant to RA 7227 as
amended. The proposed measure shall convert the Ubay Airport into a dual-use airport which will
serve the Northeastern Corridor of Bohol and functions as a subsidiary airport to Tagbilaran
Domestic Airport and the Panglao International Airport to be implemented under the Public Private
Partnership Program (PPP) or other programs of the government.

‘The administration of the altemative products will be with the Bases Conversion and Development
Authority (BCDA), but the airport can be used as a training base where training units and other
support units of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAAP). Further, itis the intention of the bill to keep
the ownership of the property with CAAP, and not to be transferred to the BCDA, Thus, adjoining
areas may be developed through Public Private Partnership (PPP) to hasten economic development
in the Northeastern Corridor of Bohol with the possibility of creation of an economic zone under
the BCDA within the Second District of Bohol

In view of the foregoing, approval of this measure is earnestly sought



Sec. 4. Appropriations. The funds necessary for the implementation of the Ubay Airport
Development Project shall be sourced from an Official Development Assistance (ODA)
concessional compact loan of Three Million US Dollars (S3,000.000.00) from Export-Import Bank
of the Republic of Korea and CAAP’s corporate funds, For this purpose, CAAP is hereby
authorized to negotiate such ODA from the Export and Import Bank and Economic Development
Cooperation Fund of Korea and a possible grant for the feasibility study and detailed engineering
design from the Korean Intemational Cooperation Agency. (KOICA),

Sec. 5. Effectivity — this Act shall take effect upon its publication in a newspaper of general
circulation of the Official Gazette.

Approved,


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
Quezon City

Seventeenth Congress
First Regular $

HOUSE BI

Introduced by Honorable Erico Aristotle C. Aumentado

AN ACT

PROVIDING FOR THE UBAY AIRPORT DEVELOPMENT TO ACCOMMODATE
COMMERCIAL DOMESTIC AND AVIATION TRAINING — FLIGHTS,
APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR, AND FOR OTHETR PURPOSES.

Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress
assembled:

Section 1. Short Title. This Act shall be known as the “Ubay Airport Development Act”

Sec. 2, Statement of Policy ~ it is hereby declared as a policy of the State to develop
Airports under the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) to service areas with a
strong potentials for tourism, agro-industrial, commerce and industry to spur the economic
development therein. Towards this end, the Ubay airport is one of those included in the CAAP
annual investment plan for development

Sec. 3, Development Trust ~ the Ubay Airport Development Project shall cover its
feasibility study, engineering design, improvement of the existing runway, construction of a
terminal building with appurtenances thereto, installation of navigation and lighting facilities and
all the equipment indispensably required for domestic commercial flights and aviation training
flights.