Traders worried over planned closure of Cotabato airport

COTABATO CITY — Local businessmen are worrried over the planned closure of the airport here reportedly due to the extremely dangerous condition of the 2,000-meter runway.

Cotabato City Mayor Muslimin Sema, in a dialogue with representatives from the business community and the media, said he cannot understand why until now the central office of the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) is reluctant to release the P22 million allocated for the repair of the runway.

Leon Masalta, manager of the Air Transportation Office (ATO) here, said the funds were frozen for reasons he himself cannot comprehend.

The Philippine Airlines (PAL), which serves the Cotabato-Manila route, sent experts here over the weekend to inspect and assess the real condition of the runway.

Captain Reuben Sternberg, vice president of PAL’s safety and environment department, said pebbles used as aggregates in the concrete runway have been coming out due to the thinning of its asphalt overlay.

"Once a single pebble is sucked by any of the jet engines of an aircraft, the consequence would be too catastrophic. We cannot put the risk of our passengers at risk," Sternberg said.

Sema, Masalta and Sternberg agreed to have the 2,000-meter runway swept manually everyday, while efforts to secure much-needed funds for the rehabilitation of the airport are still underway. — John Unson