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[av_heading heading=’Airport expansion pesters farmers in Kalibo ‘ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”]
BY JUN AGUIRRE
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Thursday, August 17, 2017
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KALIBO, Aklan – There seems to be a problem in the expansion of the Kalibo International Airport, and it’s not the budget.
The Department of Transportation (DOTr) allotted P6 billion for the airport’s improvement and expansion.
It will be used for the construction of new terminals, apron, and taxiway, among others.
However, farmers who own the land surrounding the airport refuse to sell the area for the price set by the provincial government.
“We have to fast-track the land acquisition so that construction can start,” said Gov. Florencio Miraflores.
The provincial government offered P600 per square meter to the farmers but the latter insisted on raising the price to P5,000.
“I wonder why the farmers are asking as high as P5,000,” said Miraflores.
German Baltazar, one of the farmers, said they do not oppose the airport development but said, “If ever we accept such an amount, how can we survive? It’s not only the land they’re taking, they’re also taking our livelihood.”
Despite this, DOTr said 90 percent of the land area was already sold.
A complaint was filed at the Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas in Iloilo City against the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines-Kalibo (CAAP-Kalibo) for its failure to craft a resettlement plan for the affected farmers.
Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas officer-in-charge Evangeline Nuñal ordered CAAP-Kalibo chief Efren Nagrama to answer the allegation in a document.
Panay News reached to Nagrama but he refuses to comment on the issue./PN
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