BORACAY TOURISTS FLOCKING TO PALAWAN
The local office of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) said Thursday the number of flights arriving at the Puerto Princesa City international airport has almost doubled since Boracay’s closure, from 20 to 32 flights daily. CAAP manager, Engr. Percy Malonesio, said they expect the trend to continue for six months to bring an estimated 6,400 passengers to Palawan daily. “[Kapag] puno ‘yung isang regular aircraft is 199. Pero kapag airbus naman, it’s almost 230 passengers. Yong iba siguro nag-reroute sila dito sa Puerto Princesa kasi close na nga ang Boracay. Regarding sa mga preparations, advance kami at lagi kaming pro-active,” he said. Malonesio said their preparations have been early for the smooth and systematic flow of passengers, their security and safety, and even the quantity of arriving planes at the Puerto Princesa City International Airport. He added that the PPCIA has no parking bay problem and can even hold six more aircraft at one time. “Walang problema sa parking bay natin, maayos, malawak. At one time with six aircraft puwede sila maka-park. In terms of our airport, walang problema sa facilities kasi malaki naman. Kung sa security, walang problema kasi na-re-regulate at implement naman ‘yong mga policies namin. Pinag-uusapan namin kung ano ang mga dapat gawin in terms of security. Maganda ‘yong pamamalakad namin,” he said. The number of daily arrivals can even go up with flights from Busan, Korea, this June to July. Bernabe Destura, airport security at the PPCIA, said their operation begins at 6am to 10pm, which is anticipated to last until midnight from June to October. “Noong nakaraan meron tayong madaling araw na biglaan na schedule lang din. Pero by next month hanggang October ata ay meron na naman ulit,” he said. Despite the airport’s busy schedule, no untoward incident has been recorded so far because of the tight security measures being implemented. Edgar Padon, airport security shift-in-charge at the arrival section, said they have been concientious of the security and safety issues related to any increase in arrivals. Due to the increase in arrivals, van shortages to convey passengers to their destinations, have also been noted. Tour drivers stationed outside the airport said there were times when transportation was not enough due to the high demand. “Simula noong April 26, dumami na. More foreigners, [at] karamihan El Nido talaga [ang punta],” said shuttle van driver Glenn Capuno.