Department of Transportation Sec. Arthur Tugade insisted that the Bicol International Airport will start operating this coming October and clarified that the design is based on the original plan before the Duterte administration took over the said project.

During DZRH’s weekly program Commuter Corner, Tugade said that there have been fake news circulating online regarding the subpar design of the said airport. Some even claim that the previous design is more appropriate and better than what’s being constructed now.

Tugade said that all these are lies because the design they were referring to was not intended for the Bicol International Airport but for another project, the Bicol Convention Center.

The DOTr secretary added that critics should stop blaming them for the delay of the project because it is the current administration in fact, that made this project’s completion possible.

Meanwhile, Tugade also announced that the LRT1 Cavitex extension project is 59 percent done. Just last week, they were able to put the girders already. Instead of using the traditional free-casting method which will take time and inconvenience to commuters, they made use of the full expand girder launch.

Expect that partial operability for the LRT1 Cavitex project will be in 2022, and it will roughly take another two years for its total completion.

Tugade is confident that they will be able to finish the said project because the plans are laid out already and the budget is there.

Commuters will expect a shorter amount of time going to and from Baclaran to Bacoor, Cavite once the project becomes fully operational.