Aeronautics school to open in Medellin

CEBU, Philippines - The Philippine State College of Aeronautics (PHILSCA) has established its flying school campus in Medellin town in northern Cebu.

A deed of donation was signed Thursday between the municipality of Medellin, PHILSCA and the office of fourth district Representative Benhur Salimbangon for the turnover of the lot and two-storey building of Kapitan Martin Salimbangon Skills Training Center in Barangay Curva.

The signatories were Medellin Mayor Ricardo Ramirez, PHILSCA president Dr. Bernard Ramirez and Representative Salimbangon represented by Elly Sinangote.

“Finally it’s done. We now have two state institutions of higher learning in Medellin. Cebu Normal University and Philippine State College of Aeronautics offering varied courses at very low rates. This is my legacy that I will leave behind long after I am not mayor anymore. I’m sure that this is more than enough after serving nine years as chief executive,” Ramirez said.

PHILSCA also opened an exhibit inside the building during the turnover ceremony.

Ramirez hopes the presence of PHILSCA will result to the town’s economic boost to further help the residents.

PHILSCA is set to open different flying courses in its Medellin campus by June next year.

Salimbangon said the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) is also set to develop the airstrip in Barangay Curva for the training of the flying school students and as a domestic airport.

PHILSCA officials visited Medellin last July purposely to look for a relocation site to give way to the expansion project of the Mactan Cebu International Airport Authority (MCIAA).

The PHILSCA building in Mactan belongs to the Philippine Air Force while the lot is owned by MCIAA.

Medellin has a vast area of flat land capable of accommodating the requirements of an airport, most especially the runway, which Ramirez said they have been offering to interested flying schools.

Salimbangon has filed House Bill 1943 seeking for the construction of an alternate airport to MCIA in Medellin, which is now pending before the House Committee on Transportation.

Salimbangon said Medellin is suited geographically as a site for an alternative airport, considering that it is situated near tourist destinations like Bantayan Island and Malapascua Island.—Gregg M. Rubio/ATO (FREEMAN)