Farmers stage silent protest amid Kalibo airport expansion

AKLAN, Philippines – Members of the Nalook-Pook-Caano Estancia Small Farmers and Homeowners Association (Napocacia) have been staging a silent protest amid a runway expansion project at Kalibo International Airport (KIA) for two weeks now.

The group said the airport expansion affects 500 hectares across several barangays in Kalibo and nearby New Washington town, impacting around 800 families.

German Baltazar, Napocacia president, told Rappler on Wednesday, June 19, that farmers set up an encampment on the runway on June 5, blocking workers who were asphalting it.

He said protesters have been calling for a face-to-face meeting with officials of the Department of Transportation (DoTR) regarding their compensation.

The expansion and rehabilitation of the airport began in 2018 with an initial budget of at least P130 million. The first phase of the project included an airport tower, a 200-meter runway expansion, and a new terminal building.

Protesters said more and more farmers were being displaced due to the airport expansion project without receiving compensation.

“We are fed up with the promises made by mere DoTR employees. Since Napocacia was organized in 2015, we have yet to hear from a DoTR official about their relocation plans for us,” Baltazar said.

He said his group was not opposed to the airport expansion, and all they wanted was “transparency” about the compensation from the government.

“Some landowners received partial payments and are worried they will not receive the full amount. We need transparency and assurance,” Baltazar said.

In 2021, the DoTR announced the completion of the P48-million airport terminal expansion. By August last year, DoTR Secretary Jaime Bautista visited Kalibo to inaugurate the groundbreaking for a resettlement project for affected landowners, which includes 130 housing units.

Kalibo Mayor Juris Bautista-Sucro signed an executive order creating a local housing committee to identify beneficiaries. The final list has yet to be submitted to the DoTR. – Rappler.com