Navigational equipment from the Bacolod City Airport will be transferred to Kabankalan City where a new airport will be constructed, Mayor Pedro Zayco of Kabankalan said yesterday.

He said they originally requested from the Office of the President for the equipment from the closed down Mandurriao Airport in Iloilo to be turned over to Kabankalan but the request was channeled to the Department of Transportation and Communication.

As advised by the DOTC technical personnel, more appropriate for the proposed airport in Kabankalan are the facilities from the Bacolod Airport , Zayco said.

Regardless of where the equipment will come from, he said they will be grateful to have them since the funds available for the airport project will only be sufficient for the site preparation and structure construction.

Zayco said works in Sitio Cabangahan, Brgy. Hilamonan where the airport will be located, are now focused on earth moving and flattening of the hilly portion of the site.

He said the Air Transportation Office has identified the location of the airstrip and instructions were given to the workers to level off the area.

Zayco added that land acquisition of the airport site is 95 percent complete with payments for the landowners who sold their land processed by the city government.

The construction of the airport in Kabankalan is expected to boost the tourism industry in the south and will provide an alternate landing site for aircrafts bound for the Oriental side of the Negros island, he said.

Kabankalan's strategic location makes it an ideal site for a feeder airport that will make air travel more convenient for tourists who will visit the popular destinations in southern Negros , Zayco said.*NAB

back to top