GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews/27 April) – The City Council wants the airport in Tambler officially named as General Santos City International Airport, as a symbol of the city’s continuing development and progress.
The council started deliberations for a proposed ordinance that seeks the designation of the airport in Tambler into General Santos City International Airport, replacing its current codename “Tambler/General Santos Airport.”
Councilor Shandee Theresa Llido-Pestaño, chair of the council’s Committee on Tourism, and proponent of the resolution, said the city airport should be properly named or identified along with the city.
“The airport not only reflects the city’s dreams but also the culture, heritage and landscape of the area,” she said.
Pestaño said the airport should be called General Santos City International Airport to establish a distinct name and instill a sense of ownership, common pride and enduring identity for the people of the city.
She added that the Local Government Code of 1991 provides that the city council, in consultation with the National Historical Commission, has the authority to name or change the names of its barangays as well as its local facilities such as public places, streets and structures.
The city airport, which is located in barangays Fatima and Tambler, is an alternate facility that mainly serves the greater area of Region 12 (Southwestern Mindanao).
Region 12, also known as the Soccksargen Region, comprises the provinces of South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani, North Cotabato and the cities of General Santos, Koronadal, Tacurong, Kidapawan and Cotabato.
The facility is the largest in Mindanao in terms of runway area and is officially classified as an international airport by the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines.
The airport serves 21 regular flights every week or thrice daily from this city to Manila through leading domestic airlines Cebu Pacific and Philippine Airlines.
Cebu Pacific also uses the facility for its four regular weekly flights to and from this city and Iloilo and three weekly night flights to Manila.
Pestaño described the city airport as among the best in the island being passenger-friendly and designed to host some of the largest aircraft and world-class technologies.
“It has helped improve the quality of life in the area by broadening people’s leisure and cultural experiences,” she said.
The official said the city airport is also regarded as an “important element to infrastructure; promotes passenger growth as well as the region’s wider economic development strategy; provides access to international business opportunities; contributes to sustainable development through tourism and trade facilitation; generates economic growth; and, provides jobs.” (MindaNews)
