By Ven rebo Arigo
Pres. Benigno S. Aquino III on Wednesday twice committed right in front of the Boholanos to build the long-fancied P7.4 billion new Bohol airport on Panglao island within his time.
The president’s firm words served as a reassurance of his pronouncement in his State of the Nation Address (SONA) in Manila last July to construct and finish the airport before he leaves Malacañang in 2016.
Aquino declared in the mass oath-taking to the Liberal Party (LP) at the Bohol Cultural Center here Wednesday afternoon that the concrete implementation of the ambitious project will start in November next year.
He made the same commitment less than an hour earlier when he keynoted the first Bohol Barangay Day celebration attended by some 7,000 barangay officials at the Bohol Wisdom School gym.
Gov. Edgar Chatto thanked the president and his administration for the imminent Bohol development breakthrough that is the modern airport of international standard.
Aquino confirmed that the construction of the gigantic air terminal was already approved by the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Board during its September 4 meeting led by the president himself.
The new airport is crucial to accommodating the demands of tourism as the president heralded the industry to boom dramatically in this part of the country with the aggressive, irresistible promotion of Bohol as the “Heart of the Islands†that is “Truly Philippines.â€
The bold plan to have four direct flights a week from two known Korea points to Bohol hopefully starting this mid-December despite the limited capacity of the existing Tagbilaran City airport already hints of much more that a far bigger modern airport can do to the economy .
In another indication of its getting globalized, Bohol is soon to seal a twinning pact with the province of San Sebastian in Colombia, South America.
Once the new Bohol airport is fully done and operational, the Tagbilaran airport can be transformed into a potential business park as mulled by some key development planners from both the private and government sectors.
Usec. Cristino Panlilio said the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has shortlisted 300 Japanese companies for possible relocation to different good business sites in the Philippines.
The Bohol airport project is schemed for implementation with huge foreign support under the so-called Official Development Assistance (ODA) thru the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
According to Rep. Rene Relampagos, the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) under Mar Roxas, who is the new DILG chief, already released the department order on the different committees for the execution of the Bohol airport project.
The DOTC order likewise mandated the composition of the steering committee which vice chairman is Chatto with Relampagos sitting as a member.
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