PORO POINT FREEPORT ZONE—President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo leads today’s (March 16, 2009 – Monday) inauguration  rites of the newly upgraded San Fernando Airport in  La Union  that is seen to boost tourism and investment opportunities in the region.
    The President is expected to land at  the  San Fernando Airport in the afternoon and will be accompanied by members of her official family to inaugurate the upgraded San Fernando Airport Phase I Project.
     On hand to welcome Mrs. Arroyo are Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA)  President and CEO Narciso Abaya,  La Union Gov. Manuel Ortega,  Rep. Victor Ortega, San Fernando Mayor Pablo Ortega, and  the BCDA  and Poro Point Management Corporation (PPMC) Board of Directors.
    The San Fernando Airport is part of the Poro Point Freeport Zone being managed by the Poro Point Management Corporation (PPMC), a subsidiary of the BCDA.  The BCDA funded the  half billion peso airport upgrade project .
    Underscoring the significance of a fully developed Poro Point Special Freeport Zone, BCDA President and CEO Narciso Abaya said the resumption of operations of the San Fernando Airport will further strengthen Poro Point in attracting more investments  and tourists leading to more jobs generated for the people of La Union. “Increased investments and tourist spending will augur well for the economy of La Union,” Abaya said. 
    PPMC President Felix Racadio said the half billion peso airport upgrade project  includes the  hill removal and leveling,  runway widening, overlay of taxiway,  fencing, construction of a new control tower, renovation of fire station,  provision of aeronautical ground lighting system, automated weather observation system, and air traffic control console equipment.
    “The upgrade meets the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards and will now accommodate larger planes like the Boeing 737 and  Airbus 320,” Racadio said.
     PPMC Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Anthony C. Manguiat said  with the resumption of  operations,  passenger as well as cargo traffic is expected to further increase and boost  the economy of La Union and its neighboring provinces.
    “The San Fernando Airport will complement the already existing international seaport, thus making Poro Point an ideal site for commerce and tourism,” Manguiat said.
    PPMC Vice President for Airport Operations Catherine Bada said  that at present all flights to San Fernando are chartered fights. She noted that PPMC is now negotiating with commercial airlines for regular domestic flights from Manila-San Fernando. A Manila-San Fernando flight  averages  some 50 minutes.
    She added that there are now 15  flying schools that are using the airport for their cross-country training flights.
    For her part, Thunderbird Resorts Director for Marketing Cheryl Arnold said the resumption of flights will bode well for the tourism industry in La Union, Baguio,  Pangasinan and Ilocos.   Of the P565 million allocated by the BCDA for the upgrade of the San Fernando Airport,  Thunderbird contributed P55 million.
It would be recalled that last May 2008,  President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo led the inauguration of Thunderbird Resorts–Poro Point’s   luxury hotel and a world-class nine-hole golf course  meant to put  La Union at the world map of major tourist and recreation destinations. Prior to the completion of the hotel and golf course in Poro Point, Thunderbird has already completed and operates a 75-seat fine dining restaurant and entertainment complex.  Thunderbird  has leased some 65.5 hectares of real estate in the Poro Point Freeport Zone that it is developing into a leisure resort, sports, entertainment  and tourism complex.
     The San Fernando Airport upgrading project is in line with  President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s agenda to transform Northern Luzon into a super region. The San Fernando Airport is expected to serve as the country’s gateway to the North  together with the Poro Point Seaport and is seen to   create wider opportunities for investment, trade and employment.