Eastern Samar Mayor asks national gov't to repair, operate airport

GUIUAN, E. SAMAR, Philippines — Mayor Christopher Sheen Gonzales of this town has appealed to the national government to repair and put into commercial operation the historical airport here.

Gonzales said the opening and operation of the Guiuan Airport will be a big boost to the economic recovery of his town, which was devastated by typhoon Yolanda on November 8, last year.

During the relief operations after the Yolanda devastation, Interior Secretary Mar Roxas opened the Guiuan Airport as one of the distribution bases for relief goods to Samar, along with the Ormoc Airport for Leyte. Roxas said, at the time, that the Guiuan Airport was usable with C130s flying to and from the town. Eventually, this facility was no longer opened for any flights to this day.

Mayor Gonzales, in pushing for the rehabilitation and reopening of the airport, said that passengers from Eastern Samar will no longer have to go to Tacloban City for flights to and from Manila and other destinations.

"With the airport here in operation, it will be a great help to the people of this province and will be a big help for the economic recovery of Guiuan which has been heavily devastated by Yolanda," said Gonzales, adding that the facility will help the tourism industry here, as it will then be easier for tourists to visit Guiuan.

Gonzales told local reporters that many local and foreign tourists have been visiting Guiuan, which hosts the premiere tourism site, the Calico-an Surf Camp, as well as the town's white beaches facing the Pacific Ocean.

Local and foreign surfers have been visiting the town, the whole year round, said Gonzales, as he also mentioned the town's village of Sulangan, which has been a pilgrim destination in Eastern Samar.

Gonzales said the town's airport has its historical value. It was constructed by the American military during the last World War II when the 7th Fleet of the American forces was stationed here.

The mayor told The Freeman the airport-which has been serving flights for military planes, private planes and chartered flights to and from Guiuan-was upgraded in 2010. Two years after, it served the flights of the Cebu-based airline Mid-Sea Express to and from Cebu, using a 19-seater Jetstream 32 aircraft. However, this was discontinued since up to the present.

The runway of the Guiuan Airport spans 1.8 kilometers and has a width of 60 meters, which is even bigger than that of the airport in Tacloban City.  

Guiuan town is a fishing community with a total population of 38,694, making it the second most populous town in Eastern Samar. (FREEMAN)