While Tacloban City is still stuck with who shall finish the international airport where the only changes that are happening are in its slippage that continues to grow with its delays, Borongan City is now expected to receive a hefty sum as budget for airport upgrades.
House Minority Leader and 4Ps party-list Rep. Marcelino Libanan confirmed that Borongan Airport will receive P200 million in fresh capital outlay for the upgrade of its aviation infrastructure.
“The amount of P200 million has been earmarked in the 2024 General Appropriations law to build up the infrastructure of Borongan Airport,” Libanan said.
The airport which currently serves Eastern Samar and its nearby provinces, is as locals call it "a-better-alternative-than-driving-all-the-way-to-Tacloban". With Samar Island destinations gaining more traction and popularity, it is expected that the airport will become more buzzing this year, 2024.
At present, the airport is undergoing a 200-meter extension of its 1.3-kilometer runway as they prepare to put Borongan on the maps as the surfing capital of Visayas. Just recently, over 150 competitors from across the Philippines recently participated in the Surf City Borongan Masters from November 24 to December 1, 2023, followed by the Second National Surf Summit from December 2 to 4.
In addition to this, the Philippine Airlines (PAL) had started operating twice a week via the Cebu-Borongan-Cebu flights. This helps provide visitors a faster and more convenient way to travel and enjoy the island.
“Our goal is to increase the airport’s capacity to accommodate more commercial flights. The airport’s improvement will facilitate the transfer of people and goods, and help bring in more tourists,” Libanan said.
Once finished, the upgrade is expected to aid in the boost of the local economy. And with Samar's tourism campaigns consistently being a success, Samar's former image of insurgency will hopefully be replaced with the natural beauty that the island offers as the new face of its communities.
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Borongan Airport in Eastern Samar welcomed the resumption of commercial flights last December 2022 due to the restrictions brought by the pandemic. (Photo courtesy of AvGeek Philippines)
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