[ Manila Bulletin Online ] June 10, 2008
Officials, leaders say it will set back city’s economic growth
By DEXTER A. SEE
BAGUIO CITY — City officials and leaders of various sectors in this mountain resort city are up in arms against a plan of the national government to close the Loakan airport here, saying that the move will be a major setback in the effort to speed up the economic growth of the Cordillera.
Tourism stakeholders, city officials and businessmen had earlier protested the plan for the closure of the Loakan airport.
Under the plan, the airport area in Loakan is to be used as an expansion site of a firm now operating in the economic zone in the city.
The stakeholders said that the airport should remain open, adding that city officials are willing to help the company find another site for the expansion of the operations of the company in the economic zone administered by the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA).
The private sector in the city is recommending a part of the Camp John Hay (CJH) reservation and an area in Balatoc, Itogon, Benguet as sites for the expansion of the operations of PEZA-registered locators.
This plan would result in the continuous operation of the Loakan airport.
Petitions and communications had been forwarded to the Office of the President, making clear the city’s vehement opposition to the plan for the closure of the airport.
The stakeholders said the city needs the airport not only for its economic benefits but also for its use in cases of calamities.
Furthermore, President Arroyo was asked not to push through with the plan to close the airport because many foreign and domestic tourists prefer to travel by air because of the time saved in travelling from Metro Manila to this city.
They said that the two-hour period of travel from San Fernando, La Union to Baguio to pay a visit to the city is a waste of time, and so closing the Loakan airport is not advisable.
Last year, the President announced that the national government is intending to close the Loakan airport to give way to the expansion of the operation of a PEZA-registered locator, but the plan was not pursued after various sectors in the city raised an uproar over the move.
But the national government has revived such plan after the PEZA locator threatened to pull its multibillion-dollar investment out of the country.
The firm said it would transfer its business to another country if it is not allowed to pursue its expansion project.
The expansion would result in employment opportunities for local residents, economic development, and more investments, it was learned.
City officials are also seeking the support of the Cordillera congressmen for the bid to stop the closure of the Loakan airport.
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