Missed opportunities

Remember the Davao International Airport Authority? On 30 August 2019, then-President Rodrigo R. Duterte signed Republic Act 114571 creating the Davao International Airport Authority.

The Act enunciated with all clarity how the assets, management, and supervision of all commercial interests and enterprises of Francisco Bangoy International Airport of Davao will be transferred to the DIAA.

The power of the DIAA is also meticulously spelled out, I would say that whoever crafted the bills in both congressional houses did their job well.

The consolidated bills have all that are needed to transform the Davao airport into something we can be proud of.

In his State of the Nation Address that year, Duterte made mention of a P40.57-billion Davao airport modernization project.

He declared that it would be the last of the airport projects of his administration. However, he expressed apprehension that the modernization may not even be done before his term ends by 2022.
He was correct in his misgivings.

Nearly four years had elapsed since he signed the DIAA Act and delivery of his SONA, and only a few pieces of plywood that covered the facade of the terminal building would indicate some rehab jobs are ongoing.

The fact is that not even a semblance of carpentry work is taking place. The only improvement that had happened is the doubling of parking fees. We don't even know where the proceeds go.

The Department of Transportation is the lead agency for the modernization of the Davao International Airport.

The DIAA charter states that the DoTr Secretary (Art Tugade then) shall be Chairman of the Board of Directors. The DIAA Board must have 15 members including the DoTr Secretary and the General Manager of the Authority as Chairman and Vice Chairman, respectively.

I do not know what is the logic behind it, but the DIAA Board of Directors includes Secretaries of the Departments of Finance, Agriculture, and Health. All of them are ex-officio members along with the Secretary of Tourism and a non-elective official to be designated by the City Mayor of Davao. Seven more members will come from the private sector from the provinces and cities of the Davao region.

Looking at the composition gives you the reasons why the DIAA is in limbo and buried in the deep sheet of bureaucracy.

That is for the much-ballyhooed Davao International Airport Authority.

Shortly before President Duterte bowed out of office, he signed the bill creating the Metropolitan Davao Development Authority.

MDDA was conceptualized by then-Mayor Inday Sara Duterte when she was a member of the Regional Development Council to integrate the development programs of the Davao Region's local government units.

Davao Congressman and Deputy Speaker, Isidro T. Ungab crafted the bill in the Lower House while Sen. Francis Tolentino authored the Senate version, and co-sponsored by Senators Bong Go and Bato de la Rosa.

Ninety days after President Duterte signed the Act creating MDDA, the Metropolitan Davao Development Council should have promulgated the Implementing Rules and Regulations. It has failed to do so up to this date.

The Council members are composed of the Chairman of the Regional Development Council, the governors, and the city mayors of the Davao Region.

By the looks of it, the Council has not been formally organized following some changes in the political leadership after the May 9 elections.

I commiserate with Deputy Speaker Ungab who worked hard in getting the proposed MDDA bill passed in Congress.

Two important Acts, for certain, will have an unquantifiable economic and development impact in Davao Region.

We can only hope that our political leaders put their acts together to save these from drifting to oblivion and push these instead into fruition.