UPDATE: Direct flights to Hongkong, Korea from Iloilo to start soon

ILOILO City – “Darating na ang international flights to Iloilo,” announced Secretary Leandro Mendoza of the Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC).

Cebu-Pacific will soon launch its Iloilo-Hongkong flights, and the Korean Airlines will also mount its South Korea-Iloilo flights, Mendoza said during the ground-breaking ceremony of the P124-million secondary access road in Brgy. Tabucan, Cabatuan leading to the Iloilo Airport on Friday.

Text and photos courtesy of PANAY NEWS

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has ordered to establish an international desk at the Iloilo Airport. It will be administered by the Customs Immigration and Quarantine.

“The Iloilo Airport is now complete,” declared Mendoza as he emphasized that the airport has already been declared an “international destination.”

He expressed confidence that with the international flights, investors will come in to spur economic development in Region 6.

This could be achieved because of the potential of the area near the airport to become an industrial zone, “eventually becoming an economic zone,” Mendoza explained.

It was the Regional Development Council (RDC), the highest policy-making body of Western Visayas, that lobbied to make the Iloilo Airport service international flights.

Though of international standards, the Iloilo Airport presently accommodates local flights. Two Western Visayas airports already accommodate international flights – the Godofredo P. Ramos Airport in Caticlan, Malay, Aklan and the Kalibo International Airport in Kalibo, Aklan.

If the Iloilo Airport is made to service international flights, it could generate an average daily income of P280,000 from terminal fee collections, a study of RDC’s Regional Project Monitoring Committee showed.

The airport currently serves 16 outgoing flights daily, with an average volume of 90 passengers per flight.

Straddling Sta. Barbara and Cabatuan towns 19 kilometers northwest of Iloilo City, the Iloilo Airport opened its doors to commercial traffic on June 14, 2007 after a decade of planning and construction, replacing Mandurriao airport in the city which had been in service for over 70 years.

The airport is officially designated as a Class 1 principal (major domestic) airport by the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, the body responsible for the operations of all airports in the country.

The airport sits on a 188-hectare site. It consists of a single runway, various administrative and maintenance buildings, waste sorting and water treatment facilities, a power generating station, a cargo terminal and a main passenger terminal.

Unlike the runway in Mandurriao, the longer runway at the new Iloilo Airport can support aircraft as large as the Airbus A330. Runway lights and an Instrument Landing System were installed, making it capable of supporting low-visibility and night landings.

Its location on the Tomas Confesor Highway, a major highway traversing Panay Island, makes the airport accessible from all parts of Iloilo and Panay by road, while its proximity to the currently defunct Panay Railways network could potentially link the airport to the rest of Panay by rail..... READ MORE

UPDATE 11/09/09

Buddy Britanico of the Banat Party-list is running for reelection.Because of his sterling performance in the House of Representatives, the Ilonggos will certainly support him again. Buddy, one of the country’s most outstanding parliamentarians, is responsible for the opening of the Iloilo Airport to international flights, which will start this December.

He is also responsible for the modular generator sets that the National Power Corporation will provide Iloilo City to solve the perennial problem of terrible brownouts that drive away businessmen and investors.It should be remembered that it is also Britanico, former Minister of the Department of Education, who brought the University of the Philippines to Miag-ao.Britanico’s presence in the House of Representatives gives prestige to the Ilonggos long deprived of good congressional representation.Kudos to Buddy!

Mama's Kitchen and Sinamay House in Arevalo

A stones throw away from the plaza of La Villa de Arevalo is an ancestral house where one can find not only good pasalubong items but also a look into the past of the district. Known as the Sinamay House , this well preserved ancestral house is an attraction not only in the outside but also what it houses inside. A collection of what the past like is housed in the two storey edifice which also acts like a museum of sorts. Sinamay is simply known as abaca by most and, here, a variety of products made from this fiber can be found. I remember watching a feature on tv wherein the owner proudly showed a framed letter signed by the late Princess of Wales, Diana, showing her appreciation of the handkerchief she was given as a gift coming from this very shop. But the attraction I am most familiar with are the chewies and crunchies made by Mama's Kitchen. Attractively packed in boxes showing their current flavours and variety, this is among the better...

An Ilonggo favorite - Valenciana

Found in almost all occasions like fiesta, birthdays, reunions and others, Ilonggos really love valenciana because most if not all have grown accustomed of having it in special gatherings at home. A complete " go, grow and glow " dish because it has the carbohydrates, protein and vitamins and minerals in just one spoonful, Valenciana is really an " occasional dish ". Here's the recipe for Valenciana

Ultimate Ilonggo Favorite: KBL Kadyos, Baboy, Langka

K.B.L. or Kadyos, Baboy, Langka is the ultimate favorite dish of most Ilonggos. It is also one of the most missed native dishes as kadyos and the souring ingredient, batwan , are hard to find when outside of the Ilonggo region. Basically, it is boiled/stewed pork dish owing its "deliciousness" to the combination of the soft and tender pork, the tamed sourness of batwan and the malinamnam na sabaw . One of the "secrets" of the malinamnamn na sabaw , is the fact that the pork, whether just the plain meat or pata (hocks) are first grilled or broiled. This gives the broth a rather smoky taste that makes it more appetizing.. Learn how to make the Ilonggo dish KBL (Kadyos, Baboy, at Langka) with the recipe below. Ingredients 1 kilo Pata (pork hocks) or pork cubes, GRILLED and sliced into bite size pieces 1 unripe Jack fruit, cubed 2 cups pigeon pea (kadyos) 6-8 pieces batwan fruit (or tamarind powder) 1 piece por...

Easy Century Tuna Recipes

If you're looking for simple, easy and delicious Century Tuna recipes online, congratulations, you've found it right here! How about spicy tuna sisig or tuna sinigang ? Maybe stir fried tuna with pickles or just yang chow fried rice . I love Century Tuna from its flakes in oil variety, the spicier the better, but when I discovered the versatility of its solid variant, it became an obsession. At first I was just into the usual tested recipes; pasta and sandwich filling, but then it got simpler – I just eat it straight from the can! Usually with a piece of bread or an apple. I just add a few drops of vinegar to spice it up a bit. Then came the experiments. Yup I got tired of that habit that one day, I decided to test my skills in the kitchen. Serendipity, you might call it yet most of them turned into good recipes that I have shared now and then. Satisfying my Palabok cravings had me experiment on this recipe on the spot. With Century Tuna in lieu of the us...

Takway

The gabi (taro) is just one of those plants which is edible from "roots to tops". The most popular of which is the tuber part which is used in a variety of dishes and mostly in combination with coconut milk. Its leaves, of course, is the main ingredient of a Bicol specialty, laing . It is dried then chopped and sauteed with other ingredients including, again, coconut milk. Then there is takway . The local term for its tendrils/runner, that part which is torn between being a stem or a root for it neither grows upwards nor downwards - it grows sideways . Scraped off of its outer skin, takway is often a key ingredient in vegetable dishes like laswa and the gabi tuber with coconut milk and local snails know as bago-ngon . It is also popular when cooked adobo style with guinamos , the local bago-ong . It is very popular in the region that even big supermarkets sell takway in style - cleaned and plastic wrapped in styro with some additions to make it easier to prepare. ...

FLAVOURS OF ILOILO

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