LINGAYEN-Governor Amado Espino Jr. appears bent on pushing for the conversion of the old airfield here at the provincial capital into a domestic airport.

In an interview with newsmen in San Fabian town, Espino said provincial funds have been released for the repair of the Lingayen airfield’s perimeter fence.

The fence repair and improvement   is   being undertaken with help from the Air Transportation Office (ATO).

Espino said this is the initial step in refurbishing the airfield as he is now lobbying with the ATO for the funding of the planned additional 100 meters for the airfield’s runway to make it suitable for light passenger airplanes.

ATO officials, according the governor, have certified the airfield as suitable for commercial operations, especially once the longer runway is completed.

The airfield strip is currently being used daily for training by 12 training planes.

“The students and flight instructors have no complaints and say they are able to land and take off without difficulty,” he said.

Espino added that the airfield used to serve presidential Fokker planes.

Di ba si Osmeña  (Sergio Osmeña III) dito tumakas papuntang Hong Kong,” Espino pointed out.

Osmeña and Eugenio Lopez, Jr., who were arrested and jailed during the Martial Law period, escaped in 1977 to Hong Kong via the Lingayen airfield.

Meanwhile, Mariano Trinidad, officer-in-charge of the Lingayen airfield, told The PUNCH that Global Positioning System (GPS) instruments were installed by the ATO here in December last year.

“Nilalagay ‘yung GPS para alam ng mga piloto na may airport,” he said.

Trinidad said the airfield has become busy these days as several aviation schools are using it as one of the landing and take-off points for student pilots from the Binalonan airfield, which was recently inaugurated by President Gloria Arroyo.—CSR

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