The government will prioritize the construction of an airport on Pag-asa Island in Kalayaan town, located in the West Philippine Sea, due to its critical importance for national defense.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. disclosed this during his visit to Puerto Princesa City on Thursday, where he distributed financial assistance to farmers, fishermen, and their families affected by El Niño.
He said that the construction of an airport on Pag-asa, along with the development of the Puerto Princesa Airport Project, is aimed at enhancing transportation and boosting tourism in Palawan.
“Kasama [rin] siyempre sa ating prayoridad ang pagpapalago ng turismo sa inyong lalawigan at pagpapabuti pa [ng] daloy ng transportasyon dito,” Pres. Marcos said.
“Ito’y gagawin natin sa pamamagitan ng Puerto Princesa Airport Development Project at Pag-asa Island Airport Development Project,” he added.
Pag-asa, in the town of Kalayaan, is where Rancudo Airport, a small military airstrip, is located.
It is operated by the Philippine military and serves as an important facility for maintaining the country’s presence and asserting its territorial claims in the area.
The airport’s runway is relatively short and primarily used for military and supply flights, although there have been discussions about upgrading the facility to support civilian use and improve access to the island for tourism and other activities.
The island barangay in the Kalayaan chain is located approximately 285 nautical miles off the coast of mainland Palawan.
As the largest island in the Philippine-occupied portion of the WPS, Pag-asa serves as the administrative center of the municipality of Kalayaan.
Despite escalating tensions between the Philippines and China over territorial claims, the municipal tourism office of Kalayaan launched expedition tours to invigorate its tourism industry.
The tourism cooperative in the town hosted “The Great Kalayaan Expedition,” initially bringing 32 individuals to the islands of Lawak, Patag, Likas, and Pag-asa.
Marcos also announced that the military airbase runway project in Barangay Catagupan, Balabac, southern Palawan, is nearing completion.
“Nasa huling bahagi na ang paggawa natin ng Balabac military runway, lalo na’t malaki ang papel na gagampanan ng Palawan sa pambansang seguridad,” Marcos said about the southern provincial town that will host one of the four additional Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) sites in the Philippines.
