Barangay Bariis in Legazpi City was the first proposed relocation site for the Legazpi City Airport but plans did not pushed through with the attendant problems met in the process.

Villafuerte's motion to name the Alobo airport to Bicol International Airport was seconded by Albay Governor Fernando Gonzalez, Sorsogon Governor Raul Lee, and Catanduanes Governor Leandro Verceles, Jr.

Tourism Secretary Joseph Ace Durano, who was the special guest at the RDC full council meeting held at the NEDA Regional Office on September 26 announced that the Alobo airport project worth PhP3.4 billion, was allocated with PhP250 million for 2007 for land acquisition with the parcellary survey now being undertaken.

The feasibility study for the airport project was already completed while the detailed engineering is up for completion by middle of 2007.

Durano, who was designated as Development Champion for the Central Philippines super region, said the Bicol International Airport is just one of the big infrastructure project in the region now being fast track under the super region concept designed by the Macapagal-Arroyo administration.

Bicol Region is now under the Central Philippines cluster, composed of the three Visayan regions, which focuses on tourism development.

Secretary Durano bared that aside from the airport project other infrastructure projects in Bicol being fast track are the Pantao Port in Libon, Albay to serve as link to the Visayas. The project costing PhP95 million, now 60 percent complete, is up for completion by 2007.

Aside from Pantao Port, four other municipal seaports are on-going construction in the towns of Aroroy, Esperanza, Cawayan, and Burias Island, all in the province of Masbate costing a total of PhP354 million. In Catanduanes, the municipal port in San Andres is undergoing upgrading.

Additional road projects costing PhP140 million, aside from the regular road projects, are also on-going in the Bicol provinces.

Secretary Durano also bared that Bicol is to benefit from the South Luzon rail rehabilitation/development project costing PhP40 billion. The South rail project covers the original Bicol Express track from Metro Manila passing Southern Luzon provinces down to Legazpi City, to include the proposed extension to Sorsogon, a pt project of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

Governor Villafuerte added that during the RDC-Cabinet meeting held in Cebu more projects for the development of Bicol were approved and fund sourcing is now in the works.

Notable among the endorsed proposals were Biofuel Act of 2006, Bridge Construction/Replacement in Bicol, and the Regional Center for Apiculture.

Source: PIA News Service