The Philippine government is declaring the New Bacolod-Silay and Iloilo airports alternate international airports open to flights from neighboring countries, Transportation and Communications Secretary Leandro Mendoza announced yesterday.

We are declaring both airports international gateways because they conform to international standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organization, he said.

The declaration will be made through a bulletin to be posted worldwide before the end of this month, allowing international flights from the ASEAN region to land in Silay City , he said.

The P5.6 billion New Bacolod-Silay Airport in Barangay Bagtic, Silay, begins domestic flight operations at 5:40 a.m. today and inauguration rites at 3:30 p.m. will be attended by Vice President Noli de Castro.

The terminal fee for passengers using the New Bacolod-Silay Airport will be P30 but the amount will be increased after a public hearing, Mendoza said. The Davao airport terminal fee is already P200, he said.

The Bacolod airport that began operations in 1936 closed down after the last flight yesterday.

Declaring the New Bacolod-Silay Airport an international gateway will bring progress to Negros Occidental, Mendoza said, noting that the vicinity around the Cebu international airport has become an industrial zone.

The reason why we are opening a lot of international airports is because the Philippines will be the host of the ASEAN transportation ministers meeting for 2008 and in December we are going to sign a multilateral agreement to declare a single sky for the ASEAN countries, he said.

“The more international destinations we have the better for the country because we are going to be competitive,” he said.

The old Bacolod airport could not be upgraded to international standards because it does not have the space and it cannot be compliant to ICAO standards, he said.

So the new airport in Silay City should be very welcome for Negros Occidental, practically all big provinces want new airports, he said.

Mendoza also pointed out that the Kalibo airport that has been declared an international gateway now has daily flights from Korea and flights also come in from China .

PRIVATE AIRPORT ONLY

Bacolod Mayor Evelio Leonardia is lobbying for the retention of the Bacolod airport even after the new one in Silay City opens.

The Bacolod airport closed yesterday and the likelihood of its reopening can only be as a private airport with no commercial operations, Mendoza said.

The Bacolod airport cannot continue commercial operations simultaneously with the Silay airport for safety reasons, he said.

The ICAO requires that the distance between two airports should not be less than 24 miles or about 40 kilometers, and the distance between the Bacolod and Silay airports is only about 18 kilometers so there might be safety problems, he said.

And even if the Bacolod airport is allowed to operate as a private airport no ATO personnel will be posted there, but it will still have to be regulated to prevent air accidents with the proximity of the Silay airport, he said.

INCLUDE MAYOR

Meanwhile, Mendoza said he has directed his people to include Leonardia as part of the inauguration rites program of the new airport in Silay City this afternoon.

“The gateway to Silay is Bacolod , we cannot do away with the mayor,” he said.

“Mayor Leonardia is going to be my guest, we are officially inviting him,” Mendoza said.

Mendoza was reacting to the new airport inauguration program released by the DOTC that does not include the name of the mayor.

PUBLIC TRANSPORT

Meanwhile, he said he was informed by the Land Transportation Franchising Regulatory Board that there have been numerous applications for franchises to operate public transportation to and from the New Bacolod-Silay Airport .

The LTFRB has so far approved a substantial number of franchises for taxis and buses, he said.

Meanwhile, Mendoza said DOTC is supportive of the airport of Kabankalan City that is locally initiated, and will also back the opening of the Sipalay airport for tourism if needed.

DOTC officials were in Negros Occidental yesterday for their periodic meeting to assess the activities of the department and discuss the integration of the country's various modes of transportation, Mendoza said.*CPG

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