Departure lounge in Laguindingan Airport in the municipality of Laguindingan, Misamis Oriental. (File photo by Nef Luczon)
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – City councilors here are urging legislative bodies of other local government units (LGUs) in the Northern Mindanao region to support its call for the improvement of Laguindingan Airport in Misamis Oriental.
During a media briefing on Wednesday, 2nd District Councilor Edgar Cabanlas said the city council has passed a resolution for the airport's modernization and urged the provincial board of Misamis Oriental to file a similar call for action.
Cabanlas also urged other municipal and city councils, and provincial legislature in Iligan, Gingoog, and Camiguin to file their own resolutions.
He further urged the provincial board of Misamis Occidental and its LGU councils to issue a resolution, even though the province already has an existing domestic airport in Ozamiz City.
"We are inviting them to support us, one in desire, (for) our airport (to) expand and make a real Laguindingan international airport," Cabanlas said.
The Laguindingan airport also serves travelers to and from this city daily.
Data from the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines noted that the airport, situated in Laguindingan town of Misamis Oriental, recorded an average of 1.6 million passengers serviced in 2022, with aircraft movements of 13,344.
He said the development of the Laguindingan airport began in the early 1990s but was only completed in 2013.
Misamis Oriental 2nd District Rep. Yevgeny Emano's flagship infrastructure project is the improvement of Laguindingan Airport.
Emano also authored House Bill 3754 calling for the upgrade of the Laguindingan Airport into an international airport, as part of his legislative agenda to boost the tourism industry of Misamis Oriental and this city. (PNA)
