ALAMINOS CITY?The Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) has released P50 million as initial funding for the survey and acquisition of the site of the Alaminos Airport Development Project.

The amount, representing the first tranche of the P135.7-million funding for the site acquisition, has been remitted to the Alaminos City government through the Land Bank of the Philippines, according to a letter to Mayor Hernani Braganza by Domingo Reyes, DOTC assistant secretary for finance and comptrollership service.

Eduardo Garcia, city project development officer, said survey and negotiations with land owners are ongoing and would be completed by the end of February.

?We have not encountered major problems in the land acquisition as land owners are willing to sell their lands, which are partly hilly and partly ? agricultural areas,? Garcia said.

The project would sit on 158 hectares of land that have been identified by the DOTC.

As the city government negotiates payment with the land owners, it may already give the DOTC a permit to enter so the department can start earth-moving activities, he said.

Braganza said the first phase of the airport development project is expected to be completed in 2012 when it will function as a domestic airport. In 2017, upgrading will start so it can serve as international airport.

He said the domestic airport project will cost P2.2 billion but total investments will reach P3.9 billion when it is upgraded.

The international airport will be complemented by a seaport, which will be established in nearby Sual town, Braganza said. Yolanda Sotelo, Inquirer Central Luzon