Airport expansion plan puts locals ‘in distress’

Members of a homeowners’ association affected by the planned expansion of the Kalibo International Airport (KIA) are urged to hoist orange banners to show that they are “in distress.”

Orange is a universal color of emergency.

For two years now the Nalook Pook Caano Homeowners’ Association (Napocacia) has been complaining about the “unjust” and “non-uniform” rates offered by the Department of Transportation.

The planned airport expansion is expected to breach farmlands owned by the Napocacia members.

“Around 800 tenants will be affected,” said Napocacia president German Baltazar. “The expansion may cover some 326 hectares, mostly farmlands.”

“The raising of orange banners is a sign of our collective protest and sentiment,” he added.

According to Baltazar, Malacañang has already heard their lament.

“We have representatives who attended a forum of the Presidential Commission for the Urban Poor in Iloilo,” he said. “They said representatives from the National Economic and Development Authority and the Department of Agrarian Reform will come over for a dialogue with the affected farmers.”

Still, Napocacia members were told to prepare for any possible harassment before the planned dialogue.

Four tenants already received documents pertaining to expropriation cases lodged against them at a regional trial court here.

“We are not against the government or the expansion of the Kalibo International Airport,” said Baltazar. “We only want a transparent lot negotiation and unified prices among the affected tenants.”