Cotabato Airport still reduced traffic

Cotabato Airport in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) should have gotten some improvements.

A PHP 55.6 million project should have brought the widening of the taxiway and construction of a perimeter fence at Cotabato Airport. The project started in December 2013 and was supposed to be completed by February 27, 2014. At this very moment three compactors, one backhoe and  one payloader are still slowly working.

Since December 2013, commercial flight operations at Cotabato Airport have been reduced from four flights daily (2 Cotabato-bound, 2 Manila-bound) to a flight schedule of Fridays to Mondays only, due to repair and rehabilitation work on the airport. Tuesdays to Thursdays, the airport is closed supposedly for construction work.

Because of limited flights and limited days of airport operation,  passengers and cargo for air shipment  have to go through the airports either in Davao City or General Santos City. General Santos City is three hours away from Cotabato City while Davao City is five hours away.

A resolution passed by the ARMM Regional Legislative Assembly on March 6, called for the resumption of daily commercial flights at Cotabato airport , citing its “important role in governance and socio-economic development” as  it is the gateway to the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) as well as some parts of neighboring Region 12 (Southwestern Mindanao).

This seems to be another P-Noy style project: Should – Could -Would. But when it comes to Done – Accomplished – Operational, one finds only shaking heads.

[GARD]

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