MANILA, Philppines - The Mactan-Cebu International Airport Authority has donated P2 million from its Corporate Social Responsibility budget to the victims of the earthquake in the provinces of Cebu and Bohol, the Department of Transportation and Communications said on Friday.
The DOTC said that the MCIAA Board of Directors on Thursday approved the release of P1 million each to the Provincial Governments of Cebu and Bohol as financial assistance for use in their relief operations.
"I personally visited our kababayans in these areas over the past two days and saw the difficulties they are going through. It is good for them to be reassured that government is here to help them," DOTC Secretary Joseph Emilio Aguinaldo Abaya said.
The MCIAA also reported to the DOTC that the Cebu airport has resumed normal operations a day after the earthquake hit.
The MCIAA also dispelled text messages claiming that the runway was badly damaged and that the airport was closed.
The MCIAA said the runway was closed for only 20 minutes right after the earthquake hit to allow the Runway Inspection Team to conduct an immediate technical inspection of the runway and taxiway integrity.
Having been found to be safe, the runway was reopened for flight operations, airport authorities added.
Meanwhile, the passenger terminal building was evacuated and closed for around three-and-a-half hours last Oct. 15 as structural integrity was assessed.
No major damages were detected, as minor damages such as cracks were non-structural in nature.
Passenger and cargo processing were returned to the PTB from separate buildings by around noon of the same day.