ANGELES CITY – “Consuelo de bobo (consolation for idiots, in direct translation).”
That’s how the Pinoy Gumising Ka Movement (PGKM) described the reported expansion of the Clark International Airport (CIA) which is set to start this month.
PGKM Chair Ruperto Cruz said the expansion of the CIA’s passenger terminal capacity from its current 2.5 million yearly to 4 million yearly is only meant to appease the critics of the Aquino administration and help boost its candidates’ chances in the upcoming May polls.
Cruz noted that the expansion is not even double the current passenger capacity which is only 1.5 million.
“It is a contradiction to the earlier pronouncement of (Clark International Airport Corp.) CIAC president and CEO Victor Jose Luciano that Clark will be taking in the wide-bodied, bigger airlines or long haul flights,” Cruz said.
“With this expansion, only Emirates airlines is being considered while the other airlines have no more room,” Cruz added. “They said where Emirates goes, the other airlines follow.” But with a “restricted and limited” expansion, this could not be possible, he said further.
Reports said the Aquino administration is spending P360 million to expand the CIA’s existing passenger terminal to accommodate about four million passengers from its current capacity of 2.5 million.
Luciano said the CIA expansion is being rushed to a September deadline in time for the maiden flight of Emirates Airlines beginning October 1.
“Because of the Emirates lalaki na yung pag pasok mo, separate na yung check-in counters na malalake, 36 counters (because of the Emirates, the entrance will be bigger, separate check-in counters will be bigger, 36 counters),” Luciano said.
“Maganda na ang entrance natin, lalaparan. Pag pasok mo sa airport compound magiging four lanes na siya.
Sa loob may tube. Because of Emirates lalaki yung departure. Yung tube natin na maliliit, as well the air-conditioned tents will be removed and replaced with permanent structures like triple seven and A380 two-finger glass tubes (The entrance will be enhanced, widened. The entrance to the airport compound will be four lanes. There will be tubes. Because of Emirates the departure lounge will be bigger. The small tubes and air-conditioned tents will be removed and replaced),” said Luciano.
But Cruz said the 1.5 million additional passenger capacity is not capable of servicing four regions (Regions 1,2,3 and the Cordillera Administrative Region) especially with the influx of passengers and tourists from long-haul flights.
“Maybe they will only expand the airport’s parking lot and put up additional toilets to make it appear that they have expanded the airport,” Cruz said.
He said the CIA should be developed to its full potential now since it is not only presently servicing four regions but also acts as an alternate airport to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.
Cruz said the other provincial airports set for expansion are only catering to the area where they are located making their operations “seasonal”.
The Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) earlier released the executive summary of the feasibility study for the proposed Cebu airport expansion which showed that phase 1 of the expansion would cost P5.85 billion, while Phase 2 will cost P2 billion.
The DOTC also said a P698 million fund is set aside for a five-year development plan that will enable the New Iloilo Airport to operate international flights.
The DOTC also announced the proposed expansion of the Bacolod-Silay airport in Negros Occidental amounting to P219 million.
Records showed that the CIA was the country’s fastest-growing international airport last year, with the number of passengers using the terminal rising by 71 percent to 1.3 million.
The CIA is used by eight budget airlines as a cheaper and less congested alternative to Manila’s NAIA.
Last month, Emirates Airlines announced it would start direct flights between Dubai and Clark in October. It will be the first long-haul flight out of Clark airport.
Strangely, Cuz said, studies made by government agencies showed that with the expansion commitments of the airlines using Clark, the number of passengers using this facility should reach five million this year, when only four million passenger terminal capacity is set to begin construction.
