Binay urges speed on Panglao airport construction

UBAY, Bohol—Vice President Jejomar Binay wants to fast-track the completion of the international airport in Bohol to further spur the influx of tourists to the province.

He pointed out that he was in Bohol during the 2010 elections when he ran for vice president and heard about the new airport on Panglao Island.

“Hanggang ngayon, naririnig ko pa. Iyon pa rin ang problema (Until now, I hear about it. That is the problem [because it has not been implemented]),” he said.

The new Bohol Airport in Panglao town is 10 times bigger than the current Tagbilaran Airport, the 11th busiest airport in the country.

According to Department of Transportation and Communications, it has a floor area of around 8,800 square meters, boosting the annual passenger capacity to 1.7 million passengers.

DOTC said it expected to complete the construction of the P7-billion world-class ecofriendly airport in 2017 or early 2018.

Binay visited the public markets in the towns of Bien Unido, Ubay, Pilar and Carmen on Saturday as part of his two-day visit to Bohol province that started on Friday.

In Mauy, Binay distributed T-shirts and rosaries and bared his future plans should he be elected president.

No local official accompanied the Vice President in Bohol, a bailiwick of Liberal Party standard-bearer Mar Roxas.

Binay said he would focus on massive job-generating sectors such as tourism, manufacturing, and agriculture.

He also planned to improve tourism in Bohol, which is among the most popular tourism destinations in the country.

He also said he would review and immediately implement infrastructure programs such as roads, bridges and seaports in the province.

Aside from this, he stressed the need to fix road connectivity so Bohol would be linked to other provinces in the country to boost tourism and improve the delivery of products.

Binay also advocated for the removal of irrigation service fees imposed on farmers.

Farmers in Bohol recently raised a howl over the fees they had to pay to the National Irrigation Administration.

The province has four major dams which serve as national facilities: Malinao in Pilar; Bayongan in San Miguel; Capayas in Ubay; and Talibon.

Bohol has 47,375 hectares of rice area wherein 23,041 hectares are irrigated and 24,336 are rainfed.

In 2014, Bohol’s rice production reached 255,053 metric tons, contributing 75.48 percent of rice produce in Central Visayas, 41 percent of which came from its third district.

“Irrigation is free in China, India, Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam. As an agricultural country, we should be providing support to our farmers, not burdening them,” Binay said.