Marcos inaugurates Cebu runway

MANILA, Philippines —   The tourism and trade industry of Cebu is expected to get a boost after President Marcos inaugurated yesterday a P2.55-billion runway at the Mactan-Cebu International Airport, the country’s first parallel runway.

In a speech delivered during the event, Marcos said the runway symbolizes Cebu’s unrelenting drive to connect, grow and lead.

“Today, we celebrate a new victory in Cebu’s remarkable story and ongoing story – one that shows why this province continues to inspire hope and progress for other provinces and the entire nation,” Marcos said.

He said the runway reflects the essence of Cebu: it is dynamic, promising and always ready to take on challenges.

The President said the Mactan-Cebu International Airport has been instrumental in the development of Cebu and the entire Central Visayas region as well as other provinces that the facility serves.

The gateway recorded 8.5 million domestic passengers, 2.8 million international passengers, 67 million kilos of cargo and nearly 99,100 flights last year.

“As the first and only parallel runway in the Philippines, this runway is a bold leap forward. It will help in your competitiveness, in your connectivity and in your capacity to take in visitors,” Marcos told the people and officials of Cebu.

He gave assurance that his administration is committed to modernizing and expanding the country’s airport infrastructure.

Marcos said that under the Aviation Infrastructure Program, the government allocated P7.7 billion this year for the upgrade of 15 airports nationwide.

The program enables the government to construct, rehabilitate and enhance runways, taxiways, ramps, control towers and passenger terminals while acquiring state-of-the-art navigational equipment.

Meanwhile, in another event in the vote-rich province, Marcos urged public servants not to allow disagreements to distract them from work, to ensure that economic gains would benefit ordinary Filipinos.

Marcos made the statement during a lunch meeting with Visayas governors and One Cebu officials at the Cebu provincial capitol.

He said that people could not afford to wait for the benefits of economic growth to trickle down and be translated into improved services, modern infrastructure and better livelihood.

Local government officials and public servants must take the initiative to distribute wealth equally, he said.

“It cannot be discounted that disagreements and contradicting views are inevitable, but let us be reminded that our shared commitment is to the greater good, and that must be our unifying force,” he said.

“We must not waste precious time to deliver the reforms that people need. Let’s not be distracted by issues that would only deter our work and affect the people who are counting on us,” he added.