PRESIDENT Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. on Thursday said a military runway project on Balabac Island, one of the four new sites under the Philippine-US Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) is almost complete.
The project is 89% finished, he said in a speech in Palawan province, where he distributed aid.
The President said the project would boost Philippine security and tourism in Palawan, which is facing the South China Sea.
Construction of the three-kilometer Balabac Military Runway started as early as 2019, based on state media reports. It became a state priority after Balabac, Palawan’s southernmost municipality, was listed last year as among the four new sites under the 2014 EDCA.
Three other sites are in the northern provinces of Isabela and Cagayan, which is about 600 kilometers away from Taiwan.
The project, which is funded by a partnership between the Department of Public Works and Highways and Department of National Defense, will serve both military and civilian aircraft. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza
