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By CONG B. CORRALES
Associate Editor

LUMBIA airport has been shortlisted to be spruced up but not necessarily for the Americans, the city’s local economic and investment promotions officer said yesterday.

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In a press briefing, Eileen San Juan said the Department of National Defense (DND) has listed Lumbia airport as one of the airports in the country the national government would develop albeit for the country’s Air Force.

San Juan said she met with officials of the Department of Transportation and Communication, Civil Aviation Authority, DND, National Housing Authority, among others, in Jan. 11 to present  the city’s Planned City Extension (PCE) in Manila.

“There was no mention of Edca (Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement) with regard to Lumbia airport,” said San Juan.

The facility hogged headlines lately when Mayor Oscar Moreno said he was open to allowing the Americans to use the airport based on the Edca. Ruled as constitutional by the Supreme Court, Edca would allow the US military to set up storage facilities, and station its personnel in places like the Lumbia airport.

“Yes it (Lumbia airport) is being considered by the DND not for Edca but for our own Air Force,” said San Juan.

Lumbia airport is presently being maintained by the DOTC through the Civil Aviation Authority, and the Air Transportation Office. It is now being used by the Air Force’s Tactical Operations Group 10.

San Juan said she has been meeting with national agencies for the fruition of the city’s PCE. The plan for extension is based on the Achieving Sustainable Urban Development (Asud) program made with the help of the UN Habitat.

“The PCE is very strategic for the city. It will connect us to Bukidnon and other provinces,” San Juan said.

The task force overseeing the PCE chose Lumbia because under the Comprehensive Land Use Plan (Clup) the village has been identified for economic zone development.

“It (PCE) will also address the city’s long-standing issues on transport and traffic, drainage and flood-safety, the rising demand for safe and affordable housing, and service and opportunities for the city’s upland barangays,” San Juan said.

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Before joining the Gold Star Daily, Cong worked as the deputy director of the multimedia desk of the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ), and before that he served as a writing fellow of Vera Files. Under the pen name "Cong," Leonardo Vicente B. Corrales has worked as a journalist since 2008.Corrales has published news, in-depth, investigative and feature articles on agrarian reform, peace and dialogue initiatives, climate justice, and socio-economics in local and international news organizations, which which includes among others: Philippine Daily Inquirer, Business World, MindaNews, Interaksyon.com, Agence France-Presse, Xinhua News Wires, Thomson-Reuters News Wires, UCANews.com, and Pecojon-PH.He is currently the Editor in Chief of this paper.