EDITORIAL - Unnecessary for now

According to a report in this newspaper, Cebu 5th District Rep. Vincent Franco “Duke” Frasco renewed his proposal for the construction of a secondary airport in Cebu, preferably in Sogod town, saying the recent earthquake exposed the province’s vulnerability and need for an alternative gateway aside from the Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA).

Frasco said a second airport in northern Cebu wouldn’t only serve as a crucial backup to MCIA during emergencies but also spark growth and investment in northern Cebu.

“Hopefully, once it materializes, it will not only mitigate risks if something happens to our existing airport but also open up the economy in northern Cebu, providing new opportunities for our people in Sogod and even in the 4th District,” he said.

Cebu Governor Pamela Baricuatro has called the idea ridiculous.

“Naa pa gani wa nabayran diha sa airport sa Camotes, unya maghimo nasad siya sa Sogod. Ridiculous,” she said, referring to the unresolved payment issues involving the Camotes Airport project.

We wouldn’t go as far as the governor to call the idea of a second airport ridiculous, rather we would label it as unnecessary, at least for now.

A second airport would be a good idea, but only if foot and air traffic at the MCIA has reached the point where the airport can no longer handle it.

In Metro Manila the need for more than one airport came after air traffic became congested. Planes that just landed at the airport sometimes had to wait up to 30 minutes on the tarmac or even longer before a gate could be assigned to them. The need for more airports also came after the number of passengers could no longer be handled in one airport, or because the facilities of an airport kept breaking down. We don’t see any of these happening at MCIA right now.

Building a second airport just because places like New York, London, and Tokyo have them isn’t really enough of a reason. These are world-class tourism and business hubs, after all. While Cebu can boast of being a business hub and favored tourist destination in its own right, we really aren’t up to their level just yet.

Perhaps the day might come when Cebu will need a second airport, but that day hasn’t yet come.