TACLOBAN CITY – Leyte Governor Jericho “Icot” Petilla said that before asking for the national government to fund various projects in the region, fund should be backed up with a study and proposal on the viability of the projects.
This reaction of Governor Petilla is in relation to the question on the funding for the rehabilitation and upgrading of the Daniel Z Romualdez Airport located in Tacloban City during the press conference held at the National Economic Development Authority building for the Regional Development Council meeting which was attended by Budget Secretary Florencio “Butch” Abad.
“I had told the members of the Regional Development Council that before we should ask for the national government to fund the identified projects for the region, we should justify first what we have,” said Petilla who is also the current RDC Chairman of Eastern Visayas.
At present, the RDC’s main thrust is to look for reason why the national government should provide a P5 billion fund for the rehabilitation and upgrading of facilities of the DZR airport.
“We need to explain to them that we need this facility in order to sell our tourism sites, support our agriculture products and we need this airport to help more investors for our region.But in the end it will be up for the national government to decide whether they will provide the P5 billion budget for airport,” Petilla explained.
He added that once the airport rehabilitation and upgrading project push through, this could increase the number of employed individuals in the region that will lead to the reduction of poverty incidence.
Sec. Abad revealed that presently, the national government is focusing on funding the construction of the four new airports distributed in various parts of the country known to be major destination of local and foreign tourists.
Areas to be constructed with new airports are Panglao in Bohol, Daraga in Albay, Puerto Princesa in Palawan and in Misamis Oriental.
As far as the DZR Airport is concerned, Sec. Abad agreed with Petilla that when one is asking for the national government to invest in a facility such as an airport, it should be justifiable with the study that will support staple production and tourism promotion of the area.
“If this will provide solution to those concerns, I think the government will not hesitate to include it in the next batch of the Public Private Partnership program sometime in 2012,” Sec. Abad added.
In earlier interview with An Waray party-list Representative Neil Benedict Montejo, who is a members of the committee on transportation at the House of Representatives, he admitted that the government cannot easily provide the lump sum amount of P5 billion for the rehabilitation of the DZR Airport but on a staggered scheme of releasing of fund.
He added that aside from the staggered release of fund, the Public Private Partnership that President Aquino is promoting may also be viable for the DZR airport project. (Roel Amazona)
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