Bantayan Island to open new airport

TOURISTS CAN soon easily visit Cebu’s famous Bantayan

Island as its commercial airport in Santa Fe town is set to open on October 16 with Governor

Gwendolyn Garcia leading the inauguration ceremony.

Garcia said she invited

Department of Tourism (DOT)

Regional Director Hofer Tamano to

Shahlimar grace the event - a milestone both for Bantayan Island and the province. The governor will also meet the tourism stakeholders in the island to prepare for the reopening of its tourism activities.

Tamano thanked the governor for the invitation and shared the collaboration the

Capitol, DOT, and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) have done in re-opening the tourism activities in Badian, Alegria, Moalboal, and Cordova towns.

“We will be in Bantayan next week. There will be a dialogue between the (provincial tourism) task force and our stakeholders in the three towns (Santa Fe, Bantayan, and Madridejos),” he said.

The DOT will out also carry its “Oplan Islas,” a mobile accreditation program partnership between the DOT 7,

Philippine Coast Guard and Maritime Industry Authority, that provides a one-stop shop for the registration and accreditation of water tourist transport operators, boat men and dive operators.

“Here in the region, we make sure that all tourist transports are accredited, including kanang sa island hopping, dili ni parehas sa mass transport ha? Para ni siya sa island hopping, these should be accredited,” Tamano said. “We are really opening not mainly for leisure but really for employment. Most of our stakeholders should get back their jobs slowly but surely, so mao na atong direction.”

Garcia also praised DOT’S “Wake Up in PH” campaign video and travel safety advisories.

The “Wake Up in the PH” videos are 16 films that highlight the best all over the far-reaching tourism country. campaign spots This attempts to showcase all the fun one can experience in the Philippines in all of its 16 regions.

Last September 30, the

Cebu Provincial Government and Mactan Cebu International Airport Authority signed a

Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) for the termination of a previous agreement signed in 2018 and the new MOA paves the way for the development of a commercial airport located in

Santa Fe.

“Things are looking very, very bright for Bantayan Island,” Garcia said during the MOA signing for the development of Bantayan Island’s community airport into a commercial one. The airport sits on a 29-hectare government property and can only accommodate aviation and propeller planes flights then.

Under the new MOA, the and chartered

MCIAA will continue to improve the airport including its P94-million expansion of the runway and improvement of its terminal. From a 900-meter runway, it is increased to 1.2 kilometers to accommodate bigger planes.

“From a community airport, we are looking forward to growing this into a commercial airport,” Garcia said. (Eleanor Valeros)