FIFTH District Representative Duke Frasco slammed Cebu Governor Pamela Baricuatro for rejecting the idea of establishing a secondary international airport in the province, calling her reaction “expected from someone whose mindset is limited by politics rather than vision.”
In a Facebook post on Wednesday, October 22, 2025, Frasco reacted to Baricuatro’s earlier statement describing his proposal for another international airport in Cebu as “ridiculous.”
The congressman said the governor made the remark “without even studying the proposal.”
Frasco argued that having a secondary airport is standard in many major cities around the world, citing examples such as New York’s John F. Kennedy and LaGuardia airports, London’s Heathrow and Gatwick, and Tokyo’s Haneda and Narita.
“Even Manila has NAIA and Clark. So why not Cebu?” Frasco said.
The lawmaker warned that Cebu’s reliance on the Mactan-Cebu International Airport leaves the province vulnerable in times of crisis.
“If something were to happen to our airport in Mactan, whether due to a calamity or any other event that renders it inoperative, Cebu would be cut off from the rest of the country by air,” Frasco said.
“It would be catastrophic for Cebu and would cripple our economy and risk millions of jobs,” he added.
Frasco urged Baricuatro to put aside political considerations and work together for the welfare of the province. (JJL)