PAL starts flying to Borongan City
FLAG carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) said on Monday it started its Cebu-borongan operation, which could “boost business and tourist travel to the popular surfing spot that is winning the attention of adventurous travelers.”
“We are delighted to link Borongan City with Cebu for the first time, opening direct access for more travelers to discover the beauty and special attractions that eastern Samar has to offer,” said PAL Vice President for Sales Bud Britanico.
PAL operates the twice-weekly Cebu-borongan flights using its De Havilland Dash 8 Series 400 Next Generation aircraft.
“As we continue to expand our network hub in Cebu, we view our new Cebu-borongan routes as a huge opportunity for eastern Samar to generate more good business and tourism revenues to uplift the local economy,” Britanico said.
He added: “Philippine Airlines will do its part to promote travel to Borongan, not just from Cebu but also from Manila and other cities in PAL’S domestic and regional network.” PAL also offers a convenient one-stop connection to Borongan from Manila, as PAL flights from Manila to Cebu enable travelers to hop on to the new Cebu-borongan service for their onward journey.
Without the flights, travelers to and from Borongan had to depart or arrive at the tacloban Airport, from which they had to travel by land for as much as six hours.
Borongan City is positioning itself as “the next major tourism hub of eastern Visayas,” as well as a “regional sports tourism hub.”
“We have made significant investments in improving the quality of our beach area. We’ve trained our local surfers to be certified surf instructors so they are ready to teach tourists interested in surfing. We’ve also invested in training our local surfers and exposing them to national competitions,” Borongan City Mayor Mayor Jose Ivan Agda said.