Sangley airport south of Manila inaugurated

A refurbished former military airfield-turnedcommercial airport was inaugurated by President Rodrigo Duterte on Saturday as officials also bared plans to turn the facility into an international gateway by 2023.

In a speech, Duterte said he expects the Sangley Point Airport to already be operating at a considerable capacity by the time he steps down from office at the end of his six year term by 2020. “[By the time], I will take my last flight aspresident to Davao. I will use this airport,” he said.

The project is one of the key initiatives of the Duterte administration’s “Build, Build, Build” programme, and aims to decongest Ninoy Aquino International Airport in southern Metro Manila.