Bacolod Mayor Evelio Leonardia is appealing to President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo for approval of the retention of the existing Bacolod City airport even after the new Bacolod-Silay Airport becomes operational.

In his letter to Arroyo dated Jan. 4, 2008 , Leonardia said the move to retain the existing Bacolod Airport has been positively and overwhelming supported and endorsed by majority of the different sectors, both public and private, of Bacolod City and the entire province of Negros Occidental .

He cited Gov. Joseph Marañon and Vice Gov. Isidro Zayco, the Mayor's League of Negros Occidental, the Sangguniang Panlungsod of Bacolod and those of different cities and municipalities in the province who have also expressed their support, as well as, the different business chambers led by the Negros Occidental Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry.

In his letter to the President, Leonardia said “During the Visayas area convention of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry held in Bacolod City , our proposal for the airport's retention was openly endorsed by its current president, Sammy Lim. This endorsement was congruent with their convention theme on tourism and in support of your vision to develop Central Philippines as the country's tourism belt,” he added.

Leonardia said Bacolod City underwent a dramatic economic transformation in 2007, and in the few years before that. He said the call center industry, which has taken root in the city, now employs about 3,000. Convergy's, reputed to be one of the biggest call center companies worldwide, is opening its branch in Bacolod City by the first quarter this year, he added.

The giant mall of Shoe Mart, which opened in the city last year, generated about 5,000 new jobs, Leonardia said. New hotels and malls are also due for opening this 2008, he said.

Leonardia said a concrete indicator of the robust economy of the city is the fact that in 2008 Bacolod is joining the ‘Billionaires Club' of local government units. The SP has approved his proposed P1 billion budget, making Bacolod the ‘only Billionaire City ' in Western Visayas today, he said.

This city's budget increase between 2007 and 2008 is a record growth of P245 million or 32 percent, which they believe is one of the highest in the country, Leonardia said.

“For the first time ever, we breached our dominant dependence on the Internal Revenue Allotment,” he said, and this came about because of healthy economic conditions and a more efficient and effective local tax collection effort.

On top of all these, the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry last October 2007, proclaimed Bacolod as the “ Most Business Friendly City in the Philippines ”, Leonardia informed the President in his letter.

“As people who fly airplanes would say…we have ‘revved up' a good start for our local economy and are now poised for take-off. In a manner of speaking, we would not want to lose a wing of our airplane just when we are about to fly.” he said.

They want to sustain this economic momentum and they believe that one of the most critical factors to maintaining the city's economic gains is the retention of the existing Bacolod Airport , he added.

Leonardia said as shown by their survey, almost 90 percent of the people in Bacolod are in favor of retaining the existing airport and that a signature campaign for this advocacy was initiated by a group of concerned citizens which had convened themselves into the “Retain Bacolod Airport Movement.”

He, however, also said their strong position for the retention of the Bacolod Airport should not be interpreted as an opposition to the opening of the new Bacolod-Silay Airport . “We only propose that our existing airport continue to operate,” he added.

Leonardia said Philippine Airlines president Lucio Tan has been very supportive of this proposal. Out of the 37.5 hectares comprising the present Bacolod airport complex, 20 hectares belong to PAL while the remaining 17.5 hectares are owned by the national government, he said.

“Tan has committed that PAL's 20 hectare-portion of the Bacolod airport complex will continue to be used as an airport should you approve this request to retain such a facility much-needed by our city,” Leonardia added.

Leonardia said they have also committed the city's financial support, if need be, to help defray the cost of maintaining the Bacolod airport, which maintenance costs they know, will not be much, considering that it can be scaled down to the status of a secondary airport.*CGS

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