Cogonon Airstrip

The airstrip was permanently closed following the catastrophic impact of Typhoon Bopha (local name: Pablo) on December 4, 2012. The typhoon devastated the municipality of New Bataan, leaving thousands of families homeless. The flat, stable, and centrally located land of the airstrip was identified by the government and humanitarian organizations as an ideal site for a large-scale relocation project. The closure was not due to economic or operational failure, but a direct result of a natural disaster and the subsequent humanitarian need for land to build permanent housing for survivors.

The site of the former airstrip has been completely repurposed and is now the Cogonon Relocation Site. The entire length of the former runway and surrounding grounds are now occupied by a dense housing project consisting of hundreds of permanent shelters. These homes were built by various government agencies (like the DSWD), non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and international aid groups to house the families displaced by Typhoon Bopha. Satellite imagery clearly shows a grid of streets and residential buildings where the runway once lay.

Cogonon Airstrip was a private airfield primarily serving the region's large-scale agricultural industry. Its main operations included supporting vast banana and palm oil plantations that are prevalent in the Davao de Oro province. The airstrip was crucial for agricultural aviation, including crop dusting, aerial spraying of fertilizers and pesticides, and cloud seeding operations. It also likely handled light aircraft for transporting company personnel, technical staff, and high-value, time-sensitive cargo to and from the remote plantations, connecting them to larger commercial hubs like Davao City.

There are zero plans or prospects for reopening the Cogonon Airstrip. The land has been permanently converted into a residential community. Re-establishing an airport at this location would be impossible as it would require the demolition of the entire housing project and the displacement of thousands of residents who were settled there as part of a major disaster recovery effort. The land's use is now firmly established as residential.