President Rodrigo Duterte on Saturday said the newly-completed passenger terminal building in Clark International Airport will help decongest traffic at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).

In his speech in Clark, Pampanga, Duterte said the building can accommodate eight million passengers a year which is twice the airport’s current average capacity of more than four million passengers per year.

"It will surely help decongest traffic at the busy Ninoy (Aquino) International Airport and provide a better flying experience for locals and tourists alike," Duterte said during the inspection of the airport.

"This development will also certainly boost economic growth in North and Central Luzon and provide these regions their own gateway to the rest of the Philippines and the world," he said.

He hoped that the local economy could absorb the number of people coming to visit the Philippines.

Duterte said he is glad that another major component of the "Build, Build, Build" program is ready to benefit the Filipinos.

"We are thankful that another major component of this administration’s 'Build, Build, Build' Program is ready (to) benefit our people," he said.

"The structure before us reflects the administration’s unyielding commitment to improve the quality of life of every Filipino by providing big ticket infrastructure projects such as this that will improve connectivity, mobility, create jobs, and disperse economic activity to the regions," he added.

As the country continues to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and adapts to the new normal, Duterte expressed hope the public will look forward to a safer, easier, and more comfortable travel experience at the Clark International Airport.

The new terminal building is the first hybrid public-private partnership (PPP) project completed under the Build Build Build program of the Duterte administration.

Leading this project are the Department of Transp