KABANKALAN CITY – Mayor Isidro Zayco on Sunday said the National government has allocated P45 million in additional funding for the development of the city’s airport.
Zayco, at the sidelights of the 41st Sinulog Festival in this southern Negros city, said the Department of Transportation will provide P30 million for the concreting of the runway.
He added that Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri also assured him of additional aid worth P15 million allocated for the development of the airport terminal.
“The P45-million aid is on top of the P30 million which the city government has already allocated for the development of our airport,” he said, adding that with more interventions from the national government, its completion is targeted as soon as possible.
The city government started the construction of the 105-hectare airport situated in Barangay Hilamonan in 2007.
Once the development pushes through, it will be the second airport in Negros Occidental, next to Bacolod-Silay International Airport in Silay City, and the third in the region.
Currently, Zayco said the airport can already cater to small planes.
However, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) has not yet provided them the permit for landing.
The mayor said the City Government will ask the CAAP to assess whether the runway has already complied with the standards so that it can proceed with the concreting.
“This is not as big as that of Bacolod-Silay Airport, but at least we can now start preparing for the future. When southern Negros is ready for huge commercial developments, we already have the facility ready for use,” he added.
Budget
Meanwhile, this year, the City of Kabankalan has its biggest annual budget at P1.023 billion.
The figure is comprised of P930 million worth of Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) share, and about P120 million in local revenues.
With bigger budget this year, Zayco assured his constituents of continuity in the delivery of basic services like in health, education, environment, and infrastructure, among others.
In terms of infrastructure, the city is in the process of completing its P100-million bridge construction project in Barangay Camugao.