TAGBILARAN CITY, Philippines — Bohol has to expect rise in the tourist influx by December when Philippine Airlines is expected to open two direct flights a week from Korea in time with the completion of the expansion of the passenger terminal at the Tagbilaran Airport here.
Governor Edgar Chatto finalized the arrangement in a recent meeting with key officials from Korea, PAL, Department of Tourism, Bureau of Customs, Bureau of Immigration and Department of Agriculture for the quarantine protocol.
Chatto said PAL will be fielding Airbus 320 aircrafts which the Tagbilaran Airport has the capacity to accommodate.
To brace for the expected increase of tourist arrivals and ease airport congestion, Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez said the Tagbilaran Airport is among the priority targets of the government program on airport capacity expansion, while waiting for more complex development such as the construction of the New Bohol Airport in Panglao
Jimenez said that lightings will also be installed to make the airport fit for night flights, explaining further to install modular airport terminals is a short-term solution to congestion in high-traffic local airports.
The national government started studying the plan in July this year and it was the first time Jimenez announced it during the Visayas Business Conference in Bohol last Friday.
The government plan will be to install modular terminals, which works usually run for six months, while expansion or construction of permanent air terminals is being undertaken.
The modular terminals, patterned after a German technology, “can be knocked down and re-assembled in other locations.” According to reports, “it is very popular in Europe, as well as in Latin and South America countries.”
Its feasibility has been studied by the DOT and the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) after getting feedbacks regarding congestion in different local airports in the country.
The number of units to be installed will be determined later, depending on the budget that DOTC would allocate. Jimenez described President Aquino’s enthusiasm for the New Bohol Airport in Panglao is not only on pronouncing that it should get constructed within his term, but also on constantly checking the budget for such and in getting the details on the design and the photographs of the site.
(FREEMAN)