Wait for a hearing first.

That was the reaction of Bacolod Rep. Monico Puentevella to the announcement of Bacolod-Silay Airport manager Antonio Alfonso that they are pushing for the a proposed 300 percent increase on all the air service fees of the airport in Silay City to increase its revenues and avoid further deficit in its overall operational expenses.

Puentevella said he will ask the Transportation and Communications Secretary to impose a moratorium on the proposed increase on all the air services fees of the Bacolod-Silay airport until a hearing is conducted on the matter.

He said the Air Transportation Office has to first justify the increase, and he will ask Transportation and Communications Secretary Leandro Mendoza to stop the proposed increase on all the air service fees of the airport until then. 

Alfonso had said the proposed increase will cover all the operations of the airport like the terminal fee, landing and parking fees of all airplanes, boarding bridge fees, including the cost of the lots within the airport premises.

He said they are proposing to increase the terminal fee from P30 to P150 per passenger, which is already being implemented in the Iloilo Airport.

Since they started operation in January 18 this year, they have always had a deficit which he attributed to the increase in the cost of fuel, Alfonso said.

The last public hearing was conducted Friday at the airport building on the proposed increase on revenues and the airport’s financial operations and deficit.

Alfonso said the proposed increase will go through the process before it is implemented.

Puentevella said he is not against the increase on all the air service fees of the airport since it is part of the JICA contract. However, he said a 300 percent increase is too much and, aside from the hearing, he also wants an investigation on the actual operations cost of the airport, its revenues and deficit.

Meanwhile, Puentevella said his request for the reassignment or promotion of Bacolod Schools Division Superintendent Milagros Gonzales is not politically motivated.

His request to the DepEd dated March 3, 2008, included the designation of Luisito Escalona, Assistant Schools Superintendent of Negros Occidental, as officer-in-charge pending the selection of a permanent division head. He said it’s about time that Gonzales, who celebrated her 61st birthday during the weekend, be given a promotion, and his request for her “promotion” came one day late.

The position of Provincial Schools Division Superintendent is now being occupied by Rizalino Tortosa.

Meanwhile, the Bacolod Sangguniang Panlungsod passed a uninamous resolution last week strongly expressing support for the retention of Gonzales.*CGS

back to top