CONSTRUCTION OF BULACAN INT'L AIRPORT AN ECONOMIC GAME CHANGER - GORDON

Senator Richard J. Gordon expressed support for the development of Bulacan International Airport and said it will create a bigger economic footprint for the Philippines as it will bring in more investment opportunities for the country.

"This is the first airport that we are doing for a long time. Certainly, when you have an airport like this, it will be an economic game changer. A lot of entrepreneurship is going to happen, not to mention the duty-free shops and restaurants that will be established," he said.

Gordon added that the project will help decongest Metro Manila, which is one of the objectives of the Regional Investment and Infrastructure Coordinating Hub (RICH) of Central Luzon, a bill that he authors.

"If you accompany it to the RICH bill, which I am going to sponsor next week, I think this will be great. This will put the Philippines as one of the centers in Asia. It will make a statement in the whole world that we mean business. It can be a lightning rod to create business that will thrive not only in Metro Manila but also in Bulacan, Pampanga, Nueva Ecija and certainly all the way up to the North," he said.

Moreover, Gordon said that the construction of the airport will not only make traveling easier but could become a significant alternate airport for travelers.

"This airport will be a great alternate airport. Meaning to say, if you are landing in an airport and you have engine trouble, you can have any choices from Subic-Clark to Manila and Bulacan. So, it is very important that these alternate runways will always allow an enormous amount of safety for the passengers," he said.

"I strongly support this airport. I see no short end here. I think we are getting the long end and I'd like to be able to see it and land on it," he added.

The proposed Bulacan International Airport, which will be built in the coastal town of Bulakan, will have a capacity of 100 million passengers per year, which is about three times larger than the current capacity of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).

The budget allocated for its development is P735.6 billion.