Negros Occidental and Bacolod City officials last night agreed to open the New Bacolod Silay Airport in Barangay Bagtic, Silay City, in November after the McKinley access road is completed, and to push for three other roads leading to it.

During a visit to the new airport Friday, the president said it could be opened already but there was some debate on when to do it coming from Bacolod, so she was leaving it to the local officials to decide among themselves when the opening should be.

She, however, aired her preference for a November opening.

Last night Rep. Jose Carlos Lacson (Neg. Occ., 3rd district), Rep. Monico Puentevella (Bacolod), Silay Mayor Jose Montelibano and Bacolod Mayor Evelio Leonardia met and agreed to the November opening.

Gov. Joseph Marañon said he did not join the meeting because he does not believe that a debate on the opening is necessary at this point, and he is backing the President's preference for a November opening.

Lacson described the meeting with Montelibano, Leonardia and Puentevella as very cordial and fruitful.

It was a good start and he expects more meetings among them in the future to thresh out joint concerns, Lacson said. Hopefully the McKinley access road will be finished in 60 days and we will also push for its lighting all the way to the airport, he said.

LIGHTING, ALTERNATE ROADS

Leonardia said they agreed on the need to light up the McKinley road that passes through sugarcane fields to ensure the security of passengers coming in on night flights.

And they discussed the need to push for other alternate roads to lessen passengers travel time from Bacolod and the south to the new airport, he said.

Montelibano said they agreed that aside from the McKinley Road they will push for three other roads leading to airport.

These are the Nacab, Talisay road leading to the airport; the extension of the Bacolod Circumferential Road to the Silay airport for the passengers from Bacolod and the south; and the Kansilayan Road in Murcia passing through Granada, First Farmers, Bagtic, Tanza, Barrio Nangka leading to Victorias Milling Co. for trucks hauling sugarcane to sugar mills and plane passengers from Murcia, Ma-ao in Bago, La Carlota and the south, Montelibano said.

It was also agreed that the 2,000-meter runway of the new Silay airport be extended by 500 meters as pushed by Puentevella, Montelibano said.

Puentevella said the extension will allow the landing of larger aircrafts for international flights at the Silay airport.

Work on the extension can be done after the last flights, Montelibano said.

SELL THE OLD AIRPORT

Meanwhile, Presidential Adviser for Western Visayas Rafael Cocolluela said the Department of Transportation and Communication is discussing a public transport system from the airport and franchise applications have been made.

He also said the President is firm on her position that the site of the current Bacolod airport be sold when the Silay airport begins operations.

It is not possible to continue operating the Bacolod airport after the new one in Silay opens because the Philippine government has to abide by an International Civil Aviation Organization rule that no two airports can be 50 kilometers from each other, he said.

The president wants the old Bacolod and Iloilo airports sold so the money earned can be used for the improvement of other airports and vital infrastructure, he said.

However, it will be easier for the Assets and Disposition Committee to sell the old Iloilo airport site since it is solely government owned, he said.

He said half of the 40 has. Bacolod airport is owned by Philippine Airlines so some coordination will have to be made on its sale. PAL owns the front portion of the land where the passenger terminal is located.

Meanwhile, the new international-standard airport in Silay lies west of the scenic Kanlaon Volcano, and is reminiscent of the Legazpi Airport that has the Mayon Volcano as its eastern backdrop.

The P4.37-billion airport is to handle all-weather and night-landing operations. It is equipped with crash, fire, and rescue vehicles and airport maintenance equipment.

Its 2,000-meter long and 45-meter wide runway, and 678-meter by 23-meter taxi ways can accommodate A-320 aircrafts with a maximum of 160 passengers, while the apron can hold five aircraft at any one time with two on "hard stand" mode.

The terminal building, on the other hand, is equipped with three state-of-the-art passenger boarding bridges, flight information display system, mechanized baggage handling system for inbound and outbound baggage, security X-rays, elevators and escalators*CPG

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