P1.2B for 3 WV airports in proposed 2018 budget
Clark gets biggest allocation to help decongest NAIA
MANILA – Three airports in Western Visayas were getting some P1.2 billion in infrastructure development funding under the proposed P 3.767- trillion General Appropriations Act (GAA) for 2018.
A total of P10.1 billion was allocated for the modernization of airport facilities and operations under the Aviation Infrastructure Program.
Kalibo International Airport in Aklan province will get P920 million.
Roxas City Airport in Capiz province and Evelio B. Javier Airport in San Jose, Antique were set to get P169 million and P110.00 million, respectively.
Curiously absent were Iloilo Airport and Bacolod- Silay Airport. But these two were included in the Duterte administration’s “Build, Build, Build” program, with “modernization and expansion” budgets of P30.4 billion and P20.26 billion, respectively.
In the Aviation Infrastructure Program under the proposed 2018 GAA, Clark International Airport in Pampanga province got the biggest slice of the capital outlay, said Rep. Luis z, Campos Jr. (Makati City), deputy House minority leader.
“Clark is getting P2.74 billion to enable it to cope with more flights, especially at night,” said Campos, an ex-officio member of the House appropriations committee.
Th e Department o f Transportation had been building up the gateway at the former United States Air Force base to lure more international and domestic flights away from the congested Ninoy Aquino International Airport, he said.
“The target i s to have Clark’s t wo 3,200- meter runways operating at night and eventually extend both runways, possibly to 5,000 meters, to accommodate bigger aircrafts,” said Campos.
Between January and July this year, Clark International Airport ac c ommodated 20 international flights and 12 domestic flights daily on average, according to the state- run Clark International Airport Corp.
Other airports set to receive infrastructure development funds were Bicol International Airport ( P899.68 million);