The Infrastructure Development Committee (IDC) of the Regional Development Council (RDC-6) has approved a resolution requesting President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. to remove and replace the officer-in-charge (OIC) of the Iloilo International Airport and the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP-6).
Citing a “leadership crisis,” IDC said a “new, responsive, and more active management is needed to address the prevailing concerns.”
The committee lamented that the airport in the town of Cabatuan “is not in good condition and cannot accommodate the increasing passenger and cargo traffic.”
Several facilities and equipment at the airport, particulary escalators and chillers, “need repair and improvement,” according to IDC-6.
“The main escalator of the airport is inoperable, awaiting replacement of parts, and this results in discomfort and reduced mobility for the public, particularly people with disabilities, children, pregnant women and senior citizens,” the resoution stated.
“Only two chillers are fully operational while the remaining two chillers are 50 percent operation,” it further stated.
IDC-6 stressed that the development of Iloilo airport — the fifth busiest in the country last year — “is vital in the ongoing efforts of the Western Visayas region, particularly to the recent feat of Iloilo City as the UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) Creative City of Gastronomy.”
The resolution was signed by IDC co-chairpersons Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas and Iloilo Business Club (IBC) vice president Ma. Luisa Segovia did not indicate the names of the officials during the committee’s fourth quarter meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 8.
Iloilo Airport manager Manuela Luisa Palma and the acting area manager of CAAP-6, Eusebio Monserate Jr. did not attend the meeting “despite the calls of the IDC-6 chairperson and stakeholders for updates on the uploading/development of the airport.”IMT
