The “Old” Iloilo Airport saw operations moved to the ‘New” Airport in suburban Iloilo (Cabatuan to be precise) on June 14, 2007.
As many will recall the Old Airport was located behind what is now SM City in Mandurriao. For those of you who flew from the Old Airport, may want a reminder of what it looked like, because sometime soon there will no longer be any trace of it…She Who Must be Obeyed was one person who flew from the Old Airport many times since her first airplane ride to Canada in the early 1990′s until early 2007 when she returned home for a visit.
Here are some of the photos I was able to take one day not too long ago as I was on my way to visit another church for the website.
The old airport site was purchased by Megaworld which plans to redevelop the property. Megaworld Corporation held a public hearing and revealed their plan for the development of the 54 hectare old airport lot in Mandurriao called the “Iloilo Business Park”.
The runway of the old airport will be turned into an 8 lane highway and will be the main artery of the Iloilo Business Park. Along this road will be mostly low-rise to mid-rise buildings (up to 12 floors) for commercial spaces including BPO offices. At the center of the property is a large space for a 5,000 seater convention center and a hotel. At the southern end is reserved for a hypermart and a theme park, both of which will be developed after the other components.
The Iloilo Business Plan was devised so that all people coming from Mandurriao-ALEOSAN and going to the City Proper or Molo will be passing by the Megaworld Property
In related news, concerned citizens of Iloilo are advocating the preservation of the control tower of the old airport owing to its sentimental and heritage value. The Ilonggos are asking Megaworld to spare the demolition of the structure and turn it into a landmark to remind people of the Old Iloilo Airport instead.
The representatives from Megaworld were able to display the layout design of the Iloilo Business Park, the components of which include BPO offices, residential condominiums, a hotel, convention center, commercial and retail center, skills training center and recreational facilities.
New business process outsourcing (BPO) towers and a hotel will rise at a portion of the Iloilo Business Park project, Megaworld said.
“With our groundbreaking rites (May 6, 2011), we affirm the strong business prospects of Iloilo City and the Western Visayas region in particular. The Iloilo Business Park is an important component of the BPO triangle I am envisioning that will make the Philippines an exciting and thriving BPO destination worldwide,” said Andrew Tan, Megaworld chairman and chief executive officer.
The first retail component of the project, Festive Walk, will be completed in the latter part of 2012, after which Megaworld is set to invest more to bankroll the development until 2020.
The site of the project is the former Iloilo Airport, which Megaworld acquired from the National Government in 2007 for P1.2 billion in cash.
Megaworld told the Philippine Stock Exchange that it is earmarking an initial P2.5 billion over the next two years to develop the road network within the 54.5-hectare IT park, it added.
The funds will also be used to for the construction of Richmonde Hotel Iloilo and Richmonde Tower plus two more BPO office towers, the company said.
The groundbreaking ceremonies for Richmonde Hotel Iloilo and Richmonde Tower mark the first projects to be started within the Iloilo Business Park. The 12-story hotel will host 90 guest rooms, ranging from superior rooms to junior suites.
Richmonde Hotel Iloilo is the third project of Megaworld under this hotel brand. The hotel is projected to serve businessmen and tourists.
The Richmonde Tower will occupy the second to sixth floors of the hotel, offering more than 9,000 square meters of office space for BPO locators. Both projects are scheduled for completion within the next two years.
Since the Iloilo Business Park was granted a certification by the Philippine Economic Zone Authority as an IT park in January 2010, BPO locators at Richmonde Tower will be entitled to exclusive perks such as income tax holidays, duty-free importation of office equipment and repatriation of earnings, among others. At 54.5 hectares, Iloilo Business Park is the largest IT park yet of publicly-listed Megaworld.
information gathered from: http://iloilocityhub.blogspot.com
Iloilo Time