ANOTHER MEGA PROJECT

P700 million worth,to be built in 3 years

ALAMINOS City is it.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, in her State of the Nation Address Monday, announced that an airport will be constructed in this city, home to the Hundred Islands National Park.

Alaminos Mayor Hernani Braganza, overjoyed by the pronouncement, said in a press conference that this has long been a dream of their community.

“This has been the dream of the city of Alaminos and the First District of Pangasinan, and Pangasinan as well. We’re happy that this dream will soon be a reality,” Braganza said.

While Braganza is optimistic that the President will deliver on her promise, he is not certain whether the funding for the airport is already included in the P1.2 trillion budget for 2008 signed by President Arroyo for Congress approval.

The airport, which will be part of the “mega” projects lined up for the development of the North Luzon Agri-business Quadrangle, is estimated to cost P700 million and is envisioned to      be completed by 2010, the end of President Arroyo’s term.

The Alaminos International Airport will be a commercial airport that can accommodate flights to-and-fro the Asian region, Braganza said.

The airport is expected to be situated in some 100 to 200 hectares of land situated between Alaminos and the adjacent towns, particularly Sual and Mabini.

“NOT A TURF WAR”

At least five other towns in Pangasinan have been eyeing an airport, including Lingayen, Alaminos, Sta. Barbara, Mapandan and Rosales.

There are already existing designated airstrips in Rosales and Lingayen towns but these facilities have technical defects and no other improvements have been undertaken in the past decades.

The plan for the commercial airport prepared during the time of President Fidel Ramos was for Alaminos, when Braganza who was then a congressman.

Braganza stressed that Alaminos is best suited for an airport given the existence of support infrastructure not found in other towns

These include the 1,200 megawatt Sual Coal-Fired Power Plant, the Sual Seaport and the officially declared economic zone in Pangasinan of which Alaminos, Sual, Mabini, Bani and Villasis are included.

Alaminos City is also the home of the Hundred Islands, number one tourist destination in Pangasinan.

He added, “We should not reduce this airport (project) into a turf war.”

“Hindi tayo nang-aagaw ng pangarap ng ibang kababayan natin (We are not snatching the dream of our provincemates),” he said.

“This will not just be an airport for tourism purposes but it will also be an airport that will make Pangasinan accessible to businessmen, and enable Pangasinenses to export their agricultural products to other countries,” Braganza said.

The initial P700 million to be allocated for the project will be used to develop a 1.2 kilometer runway.  More funds would be needed if the runway has to be extended to 1.9 kilometers to accommodate cargo planes.–LM/EVA

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