RDC okays P219M airport expansion

THE Regional Development Council (RDC)-Western Visayas approved during their meeting at Silay City on Friday the P219 million expansion of the Bacolod-Silay Airport.

Silay City Mayor Jose "Oti" Montelibano said that the airport expansion will start during the first quarter of 2013.

The project will include the expansion of the airport terminal pegged at P194 million and the 500 meter runway extension pegged at P25 million, he added.

The matter was personally brought up by Montelibano to President Noynoy Aquino in his recent visit to the province during the mass oath taking of the members of the Liberal Party held at Nature's Village Hotel in Talisay City.

The President has already approved the proposal in principle.

Montelibano said that the funding for the airport expansion will be included in next year's budget, as the budget of the Civil Aviation Administration of the Philippines has already allocated its budget for this year for the lighting requirements of other airports in the country.

He said that the airport's funding will be including during the budget hearing on October.

The Bacolod-Silay airport started operation in 2007 and CAAP noted that right now there is a significant increase of ten percent in terms of the number of passengers catered at the airport, 18 percent increase in terms of cargo and 40 percent increase in terms of the number of flights.

With the realization of the expansion, Montelibano said that more flights, particularly international ones, are expected in the airport.

He also explained that the airport expansion is in line with the thrust of the Department of Tourism to promote tourism all over the country. The project will also boost the tourism potential of Silay City and the whole province as well, added Montelibano.