Congress To Allot 3B For Clark Second Runway

5 September 2018

The House of Representatives will allot 3 Billion Pesos for the Construction of Clark International Airport parallel runway 02R/20L for inclusion in the 2019 General Appropriations (GAA) budget, a lawmaker said Wednesday.

Surigao del Sur 1st District Representative Prospero Pichay said during a House committee hearing on the NAIA Shutfown due to XIamen Air runway excursion, that the real problem of Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) is the runway which Clark International Airport (CIA) can provide.

Pichay asked Clark International Airport Corporation (CIAC) President and CEO Alexander Cauguiran if they made provisions for the new runway and how much it costs.

CIAC replied in the negative saying they don't have the money to build the runway. It is incumbent upon Congress to provide funds for them to make it happen.

Pichay said committee should make a representation to re-align the funds to make a second runway in Clark International Airport so that incidents like this will not happen.

"We are now in the process of hearing the budget and if it takes only P1 billion or P2 billion perhaps we can insert," he said.

Meanwhile, CAAP Director General Captain Jim Sydiongco disclosed that the new clark runway also requires almost 1 billion worth of navigational equipments to work at night time and during bad weather and its also expensive.

A bi-directioal Instrument Landing System(ILS) already cost around US$10 million (540 million pesos).

This will be cheaper compared to building a new airport in Bulacan, Pichay added.