Drilon: Get out of Naia and develop new airport

Get out of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) and develop a new one.

This, according to Senate Minority Franklin Drilon, is the “correct policy” amid various proposals for the construction of new airports in the countryside.

During Thursday’s hearing of the Senate committee on finance on the proposed budget of the Department Tourism, Senator Sonny Angara asked about the possibility of expanding the Naia by converting the nearby Nayong Pilipino property into another runway.

“And that only brings to mind again the question of policy. Are we going to transfer out of Naia and therefore refrain from investing in another runway?” Drilon asked.

“Assuming that Nayong Pilipino is available, are we going to stay in Naia with all its difficulties?”

“That’s precisely my reason for asking what’s the policy direction. We should just have one policy…and I think the correct policy is [getting] out of Naia and therefore develop another one as soon as we can,” Drilon said.

Before this, the Minority Leader asked Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat about the seeming “divergence of opinion” between Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III and Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade over the proposed locations of new airports.

Drilon specifically cited Dominguez’s stated preference to develop the New Clark City over the proposed New Manila International Airport in Bulacan.

READ: Bulacan airport construction to create 1M new jobs–SMC

“Exactly where do we stand today?” he asked DOT officials.

But Puyat said she has yet to discuss the issue with Dominguez and Tugade.

Drilon went on, “Is there a review of the policy of where the airport should be or the policy is to have two airports—one in Bulacan and one in Clark?”

“I may not be able to answer that now,” the DOT chief said.  /muf