A RESOLUTION requesting the Department of Transportation through Secretary Jaime Bautista to install customs, immigration and quarantine (CIQ) facilities at the Bacolod City-Silay Airport was passed by the Sangguniang Panlungsod in its regular session on Wednesday, October 26, 2022.

Authored by Councilor Em Ang, the resolution states the establishment of the CIQ at the airport would result in the accommodation of international flights.

Ang said that Republic Act No. 9593 or the Tourism Act of 2009 declared tourism as an indispensable element of the national economy and an industry of national interest and importance, which must be harnessed as an engine of socio-economic growth and cultural affirmation to generate investment, foreign exchange and employment.

She said this would likewise continue to mold an enhanced sense of national pride for all Filipinos.

Ang also said that travel and tourism have already opened after an almost two-year hiatus because of the global pandemic.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said in a statement in September that his administration intends to fully utilize regional airports by opening direct flights going to the same, minimizing the air traffic in Metro Manila and cutting down connecting flights making travel of tourists more comfortable.

“In order to promote inbound tourism from international tourist visitors and pump prime local economy of Bacolod City and other local government units in Negros Occidental, it is imperative for the Bacolod-Silay Airport to have CIQ facilities,” Ang said.

Meanwhile, Ang also filed a resolution for the establishment of a sister city relationship between the cities of Bacolod and Carson, California, USA.

“It is important for local government units to have bilateral relations with other local governments, domestic and abroad, to foster a spirit of brotherhood and cooperation,” she said.

The councilor said Bacolod has successfully initiated sister city relationships with other cities already, which have generated tourist arrivals and investments in the previous years.

Ang reiterated that the exchange of ideas, technology, education and best practices will be highly mutually beneficial to both parties.

“It is of vital interest to any growing city to expand its connections with other cities, locally or internationally to bring about progress and advancement in the field of business investments, tourism, health and education which will redound to the benefit of our city and its people,” she said.

Carson is a city in Los Angeles County, California in the South Bay region of Los Angeles, just 13 miles south of downtown Los Angeles, and has a big Filipino-American population.

One of its newly elected city council members, Arleen Bocatija Rojas, is a Filipino American with roots in Bacolod City. She is also a member of the Long Beach Bacolod Association (LBBA).

Ang believes that forming a sister city relationship with Carson will benefit Bacolod by increasing international tourism arrivals, potential large business investments, and exchange of technology ideas and best practices.