By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

Bacolod City Lone District Rep. Greg Gasataya recently expressed his approval of the P20 billion budget intended to further develop Bacolod-Silay Airport.
“It will definitely address the concerns of our local travelers,” he stated. “The terminal needs to be rehabilitated, the runway needs to be extended to accommodate bigger planes, and additional services need to be installed.”
He also noted, with the previous plan utilizing a public private partnership (PPP) being scrapped, the congressman called this a “more favorable approach,” saying the former would have increased terminal fees.
Gasataya added, with congressional budget hearings scheduled for next week, he plans to speak with Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) officials to conduct assessments and evaluations of the airport, particularly for the viability to offer international flights.
Earlier this week, National Economic Development Authority-Region 6 (NEDA-6) Director Ro-Ann Bacal said Bacolod-Silay Airport will soon begin providing international flights; while airports in Kabankalan City, San Carlos City, along with community airports in Antique, are being developed./WDJ