Eastern Samar Philippines

 

Commentary: PGMA SONA commitment for Guiuan Airport dev’t being implemented in full blast

Tacloban City (May 18) — The Guiuan Airport Development Project, a SONA commitment of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, is now being implemented in full blast.

The airport is seen as the key to the coming of more tourists to the island paradise which is being promoted by no less than President Arroyo as a major destination in the Visayas.

Already, an airline company has agreed to make flights at the Guiuan Airport once it is completed.

The Regional Development Council Project Monitoring team reported that the estimated project cost is P142 Million and so far, the amount of P10.0 Million and P15 Million was allocated in 2006 and 2007. For 2008, the amount of P70 Million has been programmed.

The 2006 and 2007 allocation was used for the construction and concreting of Apron and Taxiway and for the rehabilitation of the Passenger Terminal Building.

The construction of Apron and Taxiway was completed in September of 2007 while the concreting of the Apron and Taxiway was completed in January of 2008. The rehabilitation of the Passenger Terminal Building is 80 percent completed.

Meanwhile, the P70 Million programmed for 2008 is for the construction of the perimeter fence, site acquisition and construction of access road, completion of apron and taxiway and asphalt overlay runway.

The RDC Monitoring Team reported that the construction of the perimeter fence is on-going already.

The Guiuan Airport Development Project is a priority project of President Arroyo in line with her super region concept of development where Region 8 is part of the Central Philippines Super Region envisioned to be the tourism center of the country.

In Region 8, the Calicoan Islands in Guiuan is being developed as an important tourist destination. A sanctuary of privacy and indulgence highlighted by tropical landscape and surrounded by the relaxing sound of the ocean – this is how Calicoan, will win the hearts of local and international tourists.

Calicoan Island boasts of miles of white sand beaches. With powerful swells rolling in from the Pacific over the 10,000 meters Philippine Deep, Calicoan is a surfer’s paradise.

The rich diversity of the area is evident when one sees the exotic species being sold. The surrounding waters support several marine based industries such as fish, seaweed, and pearl farming.

In the middle of the island are six lagoons ringed by forest, the largest being 30 hectares in size. At the cliffside margin of Calicoan’s forests are dozens of caves. On the northern tip of Calicoan are wetlands like the Everglades, teeming with fish, shrimp, and crabs.

 (source PIA