ILOILO – Gov. Arthur Defensor Sr. asked the Department of Transportation (DOTr) to open a direct flight from Iloilo to Guam, USA and vice versa.
Defensor, in a letter endorsed to Transportation secretary Arthur Tugade, stated that the request made by the American Association of Western Visayas (AAWW).
“Their proposal will help boost the tourism industry of the region and develop more economic opportunities for the people. I hope you will look into this proposal and consider it in your development plans,” Defensor wrote Tugade.
AAWV president Captain Nelson Ynion has been pushing for the Iloilo-Guam flight saying a lot of Ilonggos have relatives in the US territory.
He had lobbied with Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific Airlines to consider the proposal.
Meanwhile, the Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Guimaras passed a resolution expressing support to the request, claiming that the flight “will increase economic activities in the region” especially that Guimaras has already forged a sisterhood agreement with numerous municipalities in Guam.
Another resolution from the Sangguniang Bayan of Buenavista, Guimaras stated that the opening of the direct flight from Iloilo to Guam “will bring convenience to the kababayans visiting famous spots both in Iloilo and Guimaras.”
The United States Census Bureau in 2010 said that Filipinos comprise 26.3 percent of the total population of Guam. Of the 159,358 total population in 2010, at least 41,944 are Filipinos.
Filipinos are the second biggest ethnic origin in Guam, second to native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders. (LHC, Capitol News/PN)
