Friday, April 25, 2008

Aklan Solon Calls For Fast-Tracking of Kalibo Airport Development

Rep. Florencio T. Miraflores of the lone district of Aklan has called for the fast-tracking of the development of Kalibo airport into a modem international airport.
Miraflores issued the call during the Kapihan sa Aklan, a media forum under the auspices of the Aklan Press Club, Inc. (APCI) and the Publishers Association of the Philippines, Inc (PAPI), in partnership with the Aklan Media Forum (AMF), held at the Kusina Restaurant yesterday in Kalibo.
The weekly forum, intended to discuss and analyze socio-economic, cultural and political issues, took up government plans to develop the airport in Kalibo, given the surging traffic of tourists en route to the world-famous Boracay resort island.
Among those who joined the discussion were Atty. Allen Salas Quimpo, a former Aklan Congressman, president of the Northwestern Visayan Colleges; Benny A. Palma, president of the Aklan State University; Atty. Ronquillo C. Tolentino, former Aklan vice-governor and former APCI president; and APCI president Dr. Ambrosio R. Villorente.
Attended by concerned citizens from various sectors and covered by Aklan’s tri-media journalists, the forum was handled by media men Odon Bandiola and Allen Alcedo as hosts with Boy Ryan Zabal, president of the Aklan Police and Defense Press Corps and Billy R. Arguelles of AMF as coordinators.
In his remarks, Miraflores underscored the urgent need to fast-track the development of the Kalibo airport into what he called a “visionary and futuristic air transport hub of the country.”
The Aklan lawmaker cited Kalibo’s strategic location not just in Panay island, but throughout central Philippines, making it imperative for the national government to give it priority attention.
Miraflores said he believed that the Kalibo airport’s facilities must be modernized in keeping with the current trends in airport development worldwide.
Kalibo Mayor Raymar A. Rebaldo also sought the speedy upgrading of the local airport into an international facility to cash in on the booming air travel and tourism industry.
“With the sustained traffic of travelers and tourists, it’s not only imperative but also urgent that the national government takes immediate concrete steps to improve our airport in Kalibo,” he said.
He favored tapping multilateral financial institutions such as the Asian Development Bank and the Japan Inter-national Cooperation Agency to help bankroll the full development of the Kalibo airport. /MP

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