Mayor Evelio Leonardia said the city must come up with a good study on the existing airport in Bacolod City in order to convince authorities to reconsider their stand.

During his recent meeting with President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in Malacañang, Leonardia said the President told him that she believes the existing airport should be sold.

Leonardia had tasked Secretary to the Mayor Roger Balo months ago to come up with recommendations on the alternative uses of the existing airport and Balo said one of them is for the retention of the Bacolod airport for short flights or as an alternative airport.

Leonardia said he hopes the findings of Balo will include a situation where the two airports can both be operational. This is because authorities in urban planning have informed them that there are cases worldwide where airports are near each other and the trend is not to close airports but to open more, he said. "If that happens here in Bacolod, we can be a trendsetter in the whole country," he added.

Leonardia said he hopes to come up with a very good study to present to authorities, and even to Lucio Tan, who owns a portion of the Bacolod airport property, and to the President. If the owner is open to the idea of retaining the airport, he said, one option that can be considered is using the area for a training school for pilots.

Leonardia said he is very open to any possibility and if it calls for the local government to operate the airport here, he would prefer that it continues to operate. If the city has to invest, he is inclined to do that, he said.

Leonardia recalled that he had spearheaded before the move of having mayors and congressmen sign a petition to retain the Bacolod airport for a number of reasons. "If you are also talking of serving Negros Island, you have to consider that the southern side has a bigger population than the northern part," he added.

Meanwhile, former Bacolod Rep. John Orola said "I believe losing the Bacolod airport will have an adverse impact on businessmen since they will opt for a place where they can readily do business."

Orola said the facilities in the Silay airport, including its surroundings, are not yet ready and the transfer of the airport should not be hastened because many will be dislocated.

He said there should be consultations made and the mayor should come up with his economic advisers or consultants.

Orola said the original plan was to expand the existing Bacolod airport runway to the sea which would only cost about P400 million, as against the P4.3 billion construction of the airport in Silay. But there was a big group that pushed for the airport in Silay, he said.

If ever the airport in Silay is operational, how prepared is the area, and how are we in Bacolod prepared to lose all these opportunities, considering that most tourism establishments like hotels and restaurants are located in Bacolod City? Orola asked.

If the city decides to continue the airport, he said he also suggests that it be converted into an economic zone.*CGS

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