More room for economic growth, trade expansion and vibrant tourism await Samar province as the Department of Transportation (DOTr), together with the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) continues to improve air mobility in the region with the modernization and improvement of the Calbayog Airport.
DOTr Secretary Arthur P. Tugade and CAAP Director General Jim Sydiongco led the inauguration of the development projects in Calbayog Airport today, 05 May 2021. They were joined by other transport officials, local government leaders, and airline stakeholders to witness the momentous event.
Focus of the officials’ messages during the inauguration was the benefits of the completed development projects at the Calbayog Airport which is known as the "alternative gateway" to Eastern Visayas.
The development project involves the construction of a new Passenger Terminal Building (PTB). With the completion of the project, the Calbayog Airport terminal has been transformed into a modern and improved facility, which can now accommodate 450 passengers, increasing its previous 76-passenger capacity.
Aside from the new PTB, the completed development projects in Calbayog Airport also include the widened runway, expanded apron, construction of runway end safety area (RESA), a vehicular parking area (VPA), and security fence, and drainage system.
In his speech, DOTr Secretary Tugade stressed the need to develop transport infrastructure projects, such as airports, amid the pandemic, so that every region in the country will be equipped with the necessary instrument crucial for recovery and continuous growth.
“Dapat lang na balansehin natin ‘yung tinatawag na pangangailangan ng health protocols sa pangangailangan ng paglago ng ekonomiya,” Secretary Tugade stressed.
“Ginagawa natin ang paliparan na ito, upang pagdating ng tinatawag na ‘new normal’, andiyan na ang pasilidad upang sa ganoon, ang negosyo, ang pagbiyahe ng ating mga kababayan, at ang pag-unlad ng negosyo ay nakakasa na,” Tugade added.
Meanwhile, CAAP DG Sydiongco echoes the same message, saying: “With the continued commitment of DOTr, CAAP, and the LGU, progress in the Eastern Visayas Region’s transport sector will continue to take off.”
The improvements and development of the Calbayog Airport are expected to help further boost economic activities in the entire Region VIII and promote growth not only in Samar but also in its adjacent provinces.
“I’m sure that with the much-improved Calbayog Airport, it will offer nothing short but comfort and efficiency to the traveling public. And surely, this will bring in more tourists and boost the economy of Calbayog City and the rest of the Samar,” Presidential Assistant for the Visayas Secretary Michael Lloyd Dino expressed.
For his part, Samar 1st District Representative Edgar Sarmiento also commended and thanked Secretary Tugade, the entire DOTr, and CAAP for giving importance and attention to the needs of Samarnons.
“They did everything, from the very start of the construction until finally to its completion, to make sure that the Samarnons will be given this very beautiful airport,” Congressman Sarmiento said.
Apart from the development projects that have been carried out in the Calbayog Airport, the DOTr also has numerous infrastructure projects in Region VIII since the Duterte administration took over in 2016.
In the Aviation Sector, 23 airport projects have been completed, including development projects in the Biliran Airport, Borongan Airport, Catarman Airport, Maasin Airport, Ormoc Airport, and Tacloban Airport. Meanwhile, 14 more airport projects are ongoing.
In the Maritime Sector, 76 commercial and social tourism port projects were completed, including the San Isidro Municipal Port, San Jose Port, San Roque Municipal Port, Allen Municipal Wharf, Albuera Port, and Villaba Municipal Port. Meanwhile, 11 more port projects are ongoing to add to the 76 port projects already completed by the DOTr and Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) from 2016 to the present.
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