The new airport of international standards in Barangay Bagtic, Silay City, Negros Occidental, is expected to be inaugurated next month and to operate sometime in October, but an alternative access road has yet to be built raising fear of traffic bottlenecks along McKinley road that passes through two cemeteries.

Gov. Joseph Marañon yesterday said President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo may attend the inauguration of the new airport of international standards next month.

"No date has been set but we are hoping and expecting that the President will come to inaugurate the Silay airport," he said.

Eduardo Mangalili, project director of the Selected Airports Development Project of the Department of Transportation and Communication, said the about P4.3 billion airport with a 2,000 meter runway is expected to be completed by the middle of July.

After completion, flight tests will conducted for about two months before the airport becomes fully operational, to comply with requirements of the International Civil Aviation Organization based in Canada and the Philippines' Air Transportation Office, he said.

The airport is of international standards but will cater to domestic needs, he said. Mangalili said work on the expansion and improvement of the 4.7 kilometers McKinley road from Silay proper to the new airport has started.

However, work on the Guinhalaran access road cannot be started yet. Funding for the alternate road needs the approval of the National Economic and Development Authority after which it will be subject to approval by the Japan Bank for International Cooperation, Mangalili said.

Marañon said he will push for the construction of the alternative road to the new airport through Guinhalaran because traffic along McKinley road will be congested, especially when there are funerals.

He said the provincial government allocated a P2 million counterpart to Silay City funds to acquire the right of way for the Guinhalaran road.

Mayor Carlo Gamban said the Silay City government put up a counterpart fund of a little more than P2 million for the alternative road and has acquired the bulk of what is needed already.

It is just a matter of one or two more landowners signing, he said.

Incoming Mayor Silay Mayor Jose Montelibano said he will look into the airport road concern.*CPG

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