Flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) will start flying between Cebu and Borongan on December 19, restarting the commercial operations of the Borongan City Airport after being virtually closed due to the pandemic.
Stanley K. Ng, PAL President and COO, said PAL will be mounting twice weekly flights between Cebu and Borongan, a route that he said will “promote travel between Borongan and the rest of the Philippines.”b “We look forward to welcoming more business and leisure travelers from around the Philippines and the world on board our flights to Borongan, so that they may discover a spectacular surfing haven and the home of vast natural treasures, from forests to caves and waterfalls,” he said.
PAL will mount the flight in virtue of a memorandum of agreement (MOA) it signed by with the City of Government of Borongan on Tuesday.
“We are very happy with the partnership. With these direct flights, it will be more convenient for Boronganons to travel to and from our beloved city. Many travelers have long lamented how inconvenient it is to travel to our city. Hopefully, these flights will create more business and tourism opportunities for Borongan,” Borongan City Mayor Jose Ivan Dayan Agda said.
Without the flights, travelers to and from Borongan had to depart or arrive at the Tacloban Airport, from which they had to travel by land for as much as six hours.
Borongan City is positioning itself as “the next major tourism hub of Eastern Visayas,” as well as a “regional sports tourism hub.”
“We have made significant investments in improving the quality of our beach area. We’ve trained our local surfers to be certified surf instructors so they are ready to teach tourists interested in surfing. We’ve also invested in training our local surfers and exposing them to national competitions,” Agda said.
