The City Government of Zamboanga is looking to complete the lot acquisition phase of the New Zamboanga International Airport (NZIA) project within three months in time for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s State of the Nation Address in
July.

Mayor John Dalipe convened the Local Inter-Agency Committee (LIAC), which made the decision last Thursday afternoon.

Joining the said meeting, District 2 representative Mannix Dalipe committed to personally request for an additional P1B funding from the Department of Transportation (DOTr) to pay for the land parcels yet to be acquired.

Similarly, the City Housing and Land Management Division operating under the Office of the City Mayor pledged to complete its Relocation and Resettlement Action Plan (RRAP) within a month.

The NZIA project, one of the flagship initiatives of Mayor Dalipe’s administration and funded by the national government through DOTr, is set to purchase some 390 lots for the development of a bigger and better airport in the city.

To date, DOTr had already downloaded P1.7B of funds, which had been used for the payment of 231 lots, survey works, and incidental expenses.

The meeting was well attended by LIAC members composed of key city department heads, representatives from the national agencies and relevant stakeholders. (Claudine Uniana)