NEW SAN VICENTE AIRPORT. (From left) 1st Palawan House Rep. Franz "Chicoy" Alvarez, Governor Jose Alvarez, Department of Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade, Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines Director General Capt. Jim Sydiongco, and San Vicente Vice Mayor Antonio Gonzales during the unveiling of the marker of the new San Vicente Airport on Thursday morning (May 10, 2018). (Photo by Celeste Anna R. Formoso)
SAN VICENTE, Palawan -- The inauguration of the new PHP62.7 million regional airport in the rising tourism hub of San Vicente town on Thursday is expected to further boost development not only in the area but also other parts of northern Palawan.
Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Arthur Tugade said in order for the tourism industry to grow in any place like the municipality of San Vicente, “connectivity and interoperability” must be placed.
“President Rodrigo Duterte is committed to ensuring tourism growth in the Philippines. In less than two years, we opened the international airport in Puerto Princesa and we opened San Vicente – we are also assessing other areas for the possibility of constructing additional airports,” he said in a media conference following the inauguration.
He added that the support the DOTr received from the provincial government, the municipal government, and other stakeholders were key to the fast-moving completion of the San Vicente Airport (SVA).
“Working together to open this airport is going to be the key to further develop the economy here in San Vicente and other areas in northern Palawan,” Tugade added.
Located west of the former Inandeng Airstrip, the SVA serves the country’s first “Flagship Tourism Enterprise Zone” along a 14-kilometer long beach facing the Imuruan Bay of the South China Sea.
In June 2017, it had its soft opening to cater to smaller and private planes or those with wingspans between 15 meters and 24 meters like Air Juan’s.
However, in June this year, San Vicente municipal administrator James Paul Inawasan said flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) will already start flying in a propeller aircraft that can bring 80 passengers.
“What was mentioned to us by PAL last March while they were here to conduct a risk assessment and final inspection, their timeline is May to June. They will start their operations in San Vicente,” he said.
Cebu Pacific will also conduct a test flight as it is eyeing San Vicente as its next destination, he added.
In 2017, tourist arrival of 26,000 was recorded by their municipal tourism office, he said. However, this year during the first quarter only, San Vicente has already recorded an arrival of 13,000.
“Our forecast, after we had our tourism readiness workshop last month because of Boracay and El Nido crackdowns, is that this year, scenario one would be that we’ll have 41,000 tourist arrivals, scenario two 76,000 arrivals, and scenario three would be 100,000 visitors,” Inawasan said.
He added that these were the result of assessing the volumes of airlines that come in and their passengers, percentage of stay in the province, and the ratio of tourist arrivals that fly in through Puerto Princesa but go to San Vicente.
In previous years, he said the town’s tourism market share was consistently two percent, but in 2018, it has started to build up, especially with the SVA that is ready to accept commercial flights in the following months.
The airport features a passenger terminal that can accommodate 100 passengers at any given time, a fire station building, and an elevated 2,500-US-gallon (9,500 L) water tank facility.
Its concrete runway measures 1,612 meters (5,288 feet) long and 45 meters (148 feet) wide. The runway orientation is 04/22.
On the other hand, Governor Jose Alvarez, said the SVA is not only the infrastructure project that would fuel tourism development in northern Palawan, but also the 600-kilometer six-lane highway that would connect to the southern area.
“We are also doing the six-lane highway designed for 120 kilometers per hour speed, and we are proposing one more international airport in Taytay to service it, El Nido, Linapacan, Dumaran and Araceli towns,” he said.
Governor Alvarez said the proposed airport is longer than the SVA that will cater to trips of Airbus 8330s that can carry over 290 passengers each from Europe directly to Palawan.
He said the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) has initially evaluated and approved the site in Taytay for the proposed Abongan-Taytay International Airport.
“Tourists do not like to travel where they need to get down an aircraft, and then board another to travel. What they like is 10-20 minutes or a maximum of half an hour they are already in the beaches or resorts relaxing,” he said.
He said the proposed airport will ensure the radical transformation of the spatial economy of the region as it sets out a roadmap to better the lives of the locals and to help Palawan as a future hub of investment and tourism. (PNA)
