Aviation authority urged to improve airport

NATIONAL Economic Development Authority (Neda) Davao region called on the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (Caap) to act on its recommendations to improve the Francisco Bangoy International Airport.

The recommendation was submitted to the Caap two years ago, but no word has been received from Caap ever since.

Neda Director Maria Lourdes Lim, speaking in Monday's Kapehan sa Dabaw at SM City, said a technical working group from Regional Development Council (RDC) evaluated the city's international airport and came up with many recommendations to further improve it.

Among the priority needs is the extension of the runway and upgrading of the terminal building for better passenger convenience.

"Being part of the competitive environment, we have to keep up with the global situation," she said.

Lim said the recommendation to upgrade the terminal building came after the requests of the airlines, considering that many guests crowd the lounge of the airport while waiting for the next flight.

"But the passengers are paying the same terminal fee of P200," she said, in comparison to bigger terminals elsewhere in the country like the ones in Metro Manila and Clark.

Meanwhile, Lim also announced that Neda and all its attached agencies such as National Statistics Office (NSO) and National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB) will stage the Regional Development Planning Week that kicked off Monday until Friday, this week.

In the briefer, Neda will hold a two-day gallery exhibit of the evolution of regional development planning in Davao Region at the SM City Annex.

She said they will also conduct a public forum with regional development planning stakeholders today at the SM City Annex.

NSO Davao region will also set up a booth for Civil Registry System (CRS) offline services today wherein the people can secure birth and marriage certificates, and other vital documents.

Some of the objective of the two-day activity is to enhance the awareness and understanding of regional stakeholders, including students, on the extent and relevance of Regional Development Planning efforts in the region.