AS A CHILD, I was still able to ride in the train from Pototan, Iloilo to Iloilo City. Panay Railways has a long and complicated history which will take pages to elaborate upon and will cause you to fall asleep. So let’s try to be brief.
It is now known formally as Panay Railways, Inc., and is a subsidiary of Phividec Railways, Inc. under the Philippine Veterans Investment Development Corporation (PHIVIDEC).
Early in the American period, an American syndicate (William Salomon and Company, International Banking Corporation, now Citibank, Heidelbach, Ickelheimer and Company, Cornelius Vanderbilt III, Charles M. Swift, H. R. Wilson, and J. G. White and Company) decided to construct a railway in Panay.
The syndicate formed the Philippine Railway Company Inc. which was incorporated in the state of Connecticut, USA on March 5, 1906.
Construction was commenced in 1907, beginning in both Iloilo City and Roxas City, and meeting in the middle.
Once completed also around 1907, operations began immediately. However, by 1937, Panay railways still had not yet earned profits, and was soon embroiled in corruption cases. Fast forward, by 1987 all operations had ceased.
Now exactly encouraging, isn’t it?
Even its recent history has been marked by multiple erratic inconstant plans, uncertain proposals, and oppositions. Again, if elaborated on, these will bore you to sleep.
Recent plans have delved on completing an Iloilo to Roxas, and even Aklan railway, or shorter derivations and segments of it. Again, boring. There is no specific project for any of them. One thing sure: finance is the big problem.
However, there does seem to be a reasonable way for the Panay Railway to profit in the short term. It is to connect the Iloilo International Airport in Cabatuan by building a new railroad to the old Sta. Barbara Municipality station, and then connect it to Iloilo City near the Port of Iloilo. No more running for taxis and vans and other public transport for commuters from Iloilo City to the Airport and vice versa. It will surely be a big hit for them, and for people and tourists going to and from the Pier to the Airport.
There is no need to complete a railway up to Capiz and Aklan. In this scenario the investing local government units (LGUs) should already earn profits. (In the farther future, extension of the railway up to Roxas, Kalibo, and Caticlan can be considered, if the initial project succeeds.)
The Iloilo, Aklan, and Capiz LGUs can improve upon this further, especially if they are aiming to increase tourism to Boracay, Iloilo, Capiz, and Guimaras. Like the American syndicate which started Panay Railways, they can cooperate to form an airline company, with daily flights from Iloilo International Airport to Caticlan Airport, and with stopovers in Roxas Airport, Capiz, and Kalibo International Airport, Aklan.
A small plane such as a one propeller Cessna 208 Caravan with a nine to 13 passenger capacity, or a two propeller de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter with up to a 20-passenger capacity will do. It’s almost a surety it’s going to get filled up by tourists, Akeanons, and Capicenos that wish to skip all the hassle of bus and van travel back and forth Aklan, Capiz, and Iloilo.
Of course, the passengers have to be warned that such small propeller planes do not possess lavatories, but hey, the flight won’t probably last more than an hour. (Note however, there are light jets that do have enclosed lavatories, the smallest of which is the top selling HondaJet, which can seat up to 10 passengers, although riding in such a jet will cost more for the passengers. Perhaps they can be promoted as boutique flights to tourists and the wealthy.) (To be continued)/PN
