Guv now heads Pite Task Force

GOV. Erico Aumentado Friday assumed as head of the Panglao Island Tourism Estate Task Force (Pite TF) in rites held at the posh Flushing Meadows Resort and Playgrounds in Barangay Dao in Dauis town.

Undersecretary Phineas Alburo of the Department of Tourism (DOT) turned over responsibilities to Aumentado as the project – that includes the Panglao International Airport Development Project – shifts from the planning to the implementation stage. Aumentado foresees a smooth project implementation, saying he will call regular coordination meetings of concerned agencies as he is doing now in the Bohol Circumferential Road Improvement Project Phase 2 (BCRIP 2). After all, he said, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's Memorandum Order (MO) 178-A ordains that various line agencies will provide funds for the airport project and other agencies to provide technical expertise.

The governor has sought further amendment to the MO. The project being an airport, it is but fitting and proper that the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) now headed by General Manager Alfonso Cusi be the lead agency in its implementation, he said. On the land acquisition, Aumentado said on his representation with Cusi and Executive Secretary Manuel Gaite of the Office of the President who is in charge of legal matters, and the Philippine Tourism Authority (PTA) Board has approved the allocation for the purpose. “We are now only waiting for the instructions of President Arroyo to PTA General Manager Robert Dean Barbers and the funds will be out. I will follow this up during my dinner meeting with the President tomorrow,” he said.

Assistant Sec. Jose Torralba of the Department of Transportation and Communications (DoTC) said Undersecretary Robert Castañares also gave him the same information. Cusi who this early agreed to host the task force's next meeting in June at the MIAA said since MIAA is funding the project, he is taking the initiative of being the project leader. He said Bohol might need to buy even more land than the current targeted 220 hectares. While Engr. Raul Glorioso of the Air Transportation Office (ATO) said the area is enough for one runway, Cusi said Bohol must think of tomorrow already.

He said the area will be barely enough for one runway. Since President Arroyo has declared the project to be an international airport as reflected in the Medium-Term Philippine Development Plan (MPTDP), he said Bohol must already think of expansion, of areas for the airport amenities and the of more immediate concern – the reorientation of the runway.

“The 220 hectares may suffice for the Airbus 320 but we must already think ahead – of Airbus 340s and the third generation Airbus 380s – of accommodating them without need to impose load penalties,” he stressed. Since Bohol is a tourism destination, Cusi said he has tapped the likes of the Ayala Properties Consultants to review the airport plans to also meet the different standards of different nationalities. As MIAA general manager, he said the cleanliness of rest rooms of airports nationwide has been his concern. Provided there is water, an airport does not need to renovate or refurbish its rest rooms in order to make them clean and working. The key is strengthening the janitorial maintenance, he said. “We redefine ‘clean' and teach ‘those cleaning standards to the janitors. This is an experience brought to us by Ayala that owns the giant Glorietta and Greenbelt malls,” he explained.

Tourism Region 7 Dir. Patria Aurora Roa could not agree more with Cusi. She said she feels embarrassed every time she uses a toilet that does not flush especially when tourists are in the queue waiting for their turns. “TCGI Engineers, the company that did the airport's feasibility study has been redefining its plans [to suit the latest developments], but we [MIAA] make the decisions,” he said.

Cusi initially thought MIAA alone can finance the construction of the Panglao International Airport . He expressed confidence that MIAA can generate P2.2 billion in the next two to three years. With the changes to meet minimum international standards, however, the general manager said the Panglao airport will need at least P2.7 billion to complete. Cusi is bearish on and would rather avoid foreign lending. He suggests the floating of provincial bonds or availing of loans from local banks – not a foreign syndication of the loan. He assured the task force that MIAA is committed to release the initial funding soon to start the construction rolling, he said.

Meanwhile, on Alburo's suggestion that the local hotel and resort association “adopt” the airport to ensure that the rest rooms are properly cleaned according to their guests' standards, Peter Dejaresco, chair of the Bohol Provincial Tourism Council (PTC) said he will sound the matter off to the Bohol Association of Hotels, Resorts and Restaurants (Bahrr). On Trade and Industry Region 7 Dir. Asteria Caberte's suggestions on what to do with the craft village project in Panglao, Aumentado chose the “hybrid option.” Instead of ceasing operations and turning the common facility center into a training center, the weavers will be allowed to continue weaving at home and the building will be used as training and display center even as the department will attract bigger private sector participation.

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