Retain the Bacolod airport

I find it unfair for some broadcasters to castigate Gov. Joseph Marañon on his statement asking President Arroyo to review the comprehensive agrarian reform program and his calling for investigation of the department of agrarian reform funds, allegedly given to Task Force Mapalad. What is he Governor for if Marañon cannot comment on the problems of his people? Or on the funds being used by DAR for a private group?

Marañon is not against TFM. And TFM is just taking up the fight of Nasser Pangandaman that bolsters the suspicion of his bias in favor of TFM.

Marañon must not just ask for the funds given to TFM. He should ask for the whole operation of DAR which has received many billions of pesos but has failed to improve the life of agrarian reform beneficiaries.

The ARBs are not paying their land taxes and are still there, not better than before they were given lands. That is why CARP must be reviewed.

If there are people who don't want DAR operations audited, is it because, if audited, they will be discovered to have misused some funds? There's a move asking for the abolition of PCGG. There might soon follow a call for the abolition of DAR.

Three were already killed as a result of this conflict in La Castellana. Nasser Pangandaman should go there to personally supervise the takeover. Marañon wants these killings stopped.

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There is a snowballing move in the city with a group led by Rodolfo "Babes" Alvarez, to retain the present Bacolod airport as an alternative.

There were two plans before for the new airport, one was to put up an airport in Silay, the other was to extend the runway to the sea. The airport of Osaka I saw is on reclaimed area.

The Silay officials won in lobbying for the airport, although extending the runway would cost less at P400 million while the Silay airport would cost P4 billion. Now it is P4.3 billion.

We knew the Silay airport would have many problems with the many stubborn landowners and the roads going there. But now that it is there, let us have it. But we must retain the old airport.

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Even if inaugurated by the President on Friday, it cannot be operational until all the facilities are in place. This takes time.

We once went there and from City Hall it took us nearly 45 minutes. A faster driving perhaps would take less time.

Consider the following: The street from the Silay highway to the Lasting Peace Memorial Park has two lanes.

It is a rough road of approximately 2.6 kilometers from the memorial park to the airport, except for 600 meters of newly cemented section.

Widening of McKinley road to four lanes will entail additional cost besides the problem with landowners and of expropriation. Some traffic caused by quite a number of tricycles poses problems.

And the heavy traffic of cane trucks during milling season.

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The highway from Bacolod to Silay will be a problem, especially traffic congestion at the narrow portions of the highway in the town proper of Talisay and Silay, especially during market days.

And traffic, too, between Bacolod and Talisay, especially in front of Robinson. How much more with the airport.

And when milling season comes the traffic between Bata and Silay with the cane trucks. These are problems, real problems.

If the Silay airport will be operational without addressing these problems you will have air passengers and motorists cursing our officials.

And most of these passengers are from Bacolod. I don't think these problems can be solved without the diversion road which will take not less than five years. For the good of Bacolod, both Mayor Bing Leonardia and Congressman Newks Puentevella should set aside partisan politics and join hands in addressing the problem.

If a resolution is signed by our Congressional and City officials as well as all the barangay leaders, civic clubs and business groups, I don't believe President Arroyo will say no.*

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