Bislig City Legal Officer Atty. Neil Jao and Information Officer Napoleon Velez flew to Borongan on Friday carrying an important mission that would play a crucial role in their city’s course of development: They were set to meet with Borongan City Mayor Jose Ivan Dayan Agda on behalf of Bislig City Mayor Florencio Garay, aiming to gain ideas from the former’s successful flight operations with the country’s flag carrier, Philippine Airlines.
In a letter addressed to Mayor Agda, Bislig CIO Velez said that their visit to Borongan is part of their efforts to improve their city’s accessibility and connectivity, seeking insights from Borongan’s regular PAL flights going in and out of the city. Mayor Agda eagerly welcomed their presence, thrilled with the opportunity to help his fellow civil servants achieve the same results in their community.
The value of taking risks and establishing trust in his team’s capabilities became highlight of Mayor Agda’s advice for the esteemed visitors. Agda said that getting the right kind of people to do the job is the primary ingredient to mounting competent local flight operations, coupled with the drive to secure smart options that are viable for and beneficial to the city.
For Mayor Agda, the principal aim was to gain increased mobility, putting Borongan on the map of national and global trade. The flights would open opportunities for tourism development, facilitating the influx of tourists and investors in the city. Sports tourism, Agda said, is the city’s foremost selling point.
Flight Operations Chair Rupert Ambil echoed the local chief executive, citing the difficulties Borongan faced in the infancy of its flight ops that were eventually hurdled with careful planning and coordination. For Ambil, drawing a tangible partnership that is based on a formal agreement is indispensable in ensuring the stability of LGU-led flights. He also said that empowering the local government unit’s workforce was a critical step towards the sustenance of Borongan flights.
Atty. Jao and CIO Velez are set to relay the information they gathered from the meeting to Mayor Garay, preparing for a likely replication of the Borongan model for Bislig flights. Moreover, the Bislig LGU executives expressed a desire to return to Borongan, while also extending an invitation for Agda and Ambil to visit Bislig and the community of Boronganon Warays in the city.
Philippine Airlines first started flying Borongan in December 2022. Now in its third year of operations, PAL has answered to the market demand for an additional Wednesday flight on top of the default Monday and Friday schedule. Borongan Airport also accepts cargo shipments via the same airline on the same days.
Borongan City has a unique flight operations model, sustained by a small ticketing office that had zero experience with the dealings of airlines prior to its opening. The city is also the only LGU in the country to build its departure terminal out of its own funds. After finishing the entire planning and construction process in roughly three months, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) moved to replicate Borongan Airport’s modular construction design for other airports across the country.
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