Construction of a bigger and better passenger terminal building at Siargao Airport kicks off Friday, a move expected to more than triple its daily capacity from 200 to at least 750 passengers once completed.

Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon said Tuesday the expansion, ordered by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., is intended to ease congestion and improve comfort for both local and foreign travelers visiting the popular island destination.

“Our tourists—both domestic and foreign—are having a hard time, so the President has tasked us to improve the experience of local and foreign tourists in Siargao because this tourist destination is very important,” Dizon said.

The project forms part of the bundled unsolicited proposal for the modernization and expansion of Davao and Bicol airports submitted by the JG Summit and Filinvest Groups under a Public-Private Partnership deal.

To boost connectivity and tourism nationwide, the government wants to privatize 10 more regional airports through public-private partnerships by 2028.

Dizon said the list includes airports in Iloilo, Davao, Siargao, Laoag, Busuanga, Bicol, Tacloban, Bacolod-Silay, General Santos, and Puerto Princesa. 

To make the project more attractive to investors, the government is looking to bundle multiple airports under a single contract.