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Bizmen urge PGMA to start upgrading Caticlan Airport |
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Businessmen in this resort island urged President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to immediately approve the upgrading of the Caticlan Airport in Malay, Aklan.
Cong. Florencio Miraflores said the Boracay Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) and the Boracay Foundation Inc. (BFI) asked Arroyo to issue an executive order for the purpose.
"According to the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC), the airport upgrading is ready since last year but because of some bureaucratic issues, the upgrading was stalled," Miraflores disclosed.
The DOTC had already granted approval to Manila-based consortium Caticlan International Airport Development Council (CIADC) to upgrade the airport through a built, operate and transfer scheme (BOT).
"It is still pending because the project still needs to be reviewed by the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA)," Miraflores added.
However, if Arroyo creates an executive order, the planned upgrading will commence immediately and the DOJ and NEDA approval won't be needed anymore by the contractor.
The Caticlan Airport is considered as the premier gateway of tourists bound for Boracay Island. But the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) ordered the re-routing of major plane companies to the Kalibo International Airport.
According to the CAAP, the Caticlan Airport can only accommodate small planes due to runway limitations. Its facilities and equipment are also obsolete.
The BCCI and BFI want the upgrading to start immediately so that tourists would find it convenient to come to Boracay. |
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