City airport gets P18M projects, says Chatto

WITH Panglao airport still in drawing boards, sustaining Bohol tourism rests in an P18M priority allocation for projects at the Tagbilaran City airport. The financial earmark in the proposed 2006 national budget, Congressman Edgar M. Chatto said, would be focused on development initiatives and concerns of the airport. In a coordination meeting among key officials of the Department of Transportation and Communication and Air Traffic Office at the Metro Center Hotel last Wednesday, May 3, 3006 , Chatto called DOTC and ATO to coordinate for the implementation of the project. In the meeting was DOTC Asec. Jose Torralba, DOTC project management office representative Engr. Rolando Bayaboc and Ms. Julieta F. Baltar, OIC of the Air Transportation Office. Identified for implementation in the city airport are: P11.5M widening of runway (12 X 300 mt.), P3.6M baggage carousel and P2.9M expansion of arrival area in the terminal building.

Cong. Chatto also asked for updates of existing projects including the repair of airport toilets, the concreting of vehicle parking area, construction of water tank, demolition of old fire station, expansion of terminal building and concreting of runway turn around pad to accommodate bigger aircrafts like the Airbus 320s. In the same meeting, Chatto called on DOTC Sec. Leandro Mendoza asking for a designation for DOTC Asec. Torralba to take charge of coordination efforts in the Tagbilaran Airport Terminal in addition to his task as head of the Panglao Airport Project Management Office. Cong. Chatto believes that with Torralba's designation, various concerns at the local airport, which needs immediate attention can be closely monitored by DOTC and properly addressed.

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