DOTr vows P218M for Ormoc City airport

CEBU, Philippines - The Department of Transportation, through undersecretary for aviation and airports Manuel Antonio Tamayo, said the DOTr has earmarked P 218 million for the improvement of the Ormoc airport so that it can accommodate bigger planes.

At present, only a 72-seater, turbo prop plane of the Cebu Pacific commercially flies at the airport, carrying passengers from Cebu-Ormoc and back. However, there is a demand for direct Ormoc to Manila flights, which can only be served by bigger planes like A320 family aircraft.

In a letter to Representative Lucy Torres-Gomez (4th district, Leyte), Tamayo said the DOTr assessment shows the Ormoc airport is actually capable of accommodating bigger A320 family aircraft, albeit its runway needs widening at the ends to serve as “turnaround pads” for the bigger aircraft.

For the purpose, Tamayo said, some P 85 million has been allotted for it and will be implemented before the year ends. For 2018, another P 128-million has been earmarked for its continued development and rehabilitation of facilities affected by the July 6 earthquake.

In a presidential visit to Ormoc last July 13, after the city and nearby Kananga was badly affected by a 6.5 quake, Transportation Secretary Art Tugade told President Duterte that he couldn’t help but notice the airport terminal that remains unrepaired.

Lucy was thankful to Tugade and the government. She said that the damaged airport terminal building was neglected despite her constant request to the past administration to have it repaired. “God bless the work of your hands,” she said. (FREEMAN)