March 11, 2008 [ Manila Bulletin Online ]
By BOY RYAN B. ZABAL
DoTC orders upgrading of Kalibo airport to international standards
KALIBO, Aklan — The Kalibo domestic airport will soon be an international gateway, said Aklan Rep. Florencio Miraflores.
The solon said Transportation Secretary Leandro Mendoza signed the order on March 5 upgrading Kalibo domestic airport into an international airport.
This will pave the way for another surge of tourism activities in this province, particularly in the tourism island of Boracay.
Initially, the budget is R80-million for the new terminal building to cater the international tourists and it is expected to operate next year.
“It has regular customs and immigration offices to service more international flights and with assurance of additional facilities from the national government,” Miraflores added.
Last week, Air Transportation Office (ATO) Kalibo manager Percy Malonesio, DoTC head for Engineering and Architectural Design Division Arturo Baldera, and Miraflores conducted an ocular inspection of the Kalibo airport.
Together with Aklan Gov. Carlito Marquez, the solon lobbied with President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to upgrade the airport and to attract more international flights from other countries.
This April, the new terminal building starts its construction adjacent the old terminal building equipped with tourism standard facilities.The old terminal building is undergoing expansion and improvement to accommodate more domestic tourists and visitors, Miraflores said.
“This is a stop-gap move in our mission to build modern facilities, but for the meantime, since our budget is limited, it will answer the needs of the demand of tourists and passengers. Let’s make the airport safe with tourist-efficient services despite, the lack of facilities,” he added.
Miraflores pointed out that Tourism Secretary Joseph Durano revealed during the Boracay Island Comprehensive Land Use Plan (CLUP) workshop in the island resort that a new regional airline from Taiwan is planning to establish regional flights to Kalibo aside from the regular flights of Asian Spirit Airlines from Incheon, South Korea .
“The Panay Island has other airports like Iloilo and Bacolod , but the demand is in Kalibo and Boracay. We thanked President Arroyo for the support to declare Kalibo airport as international gateway,” he said.
