M’lang Airport Update M’LANG AIRPORT EXPANSION CONTINUES; REBELS BURN CONTRACTOR’S DUMPTRUCK

By Manny Pinol

Suspected communist rebels believed to be extorting money from the company working on the expansion of the M’lang Airport or Central Mindanao Airport recently seized and burned the construction firm’s dumptruck.

M’lang Mayor Lito Pinol said he received a report that one of the dumptrucks of Vicente T. Lao Construction Company which won the contract for the P154-M airport extension and expansion was commandeered by motorcycle-riding armed men as it was travelling from Datu Paglas to M’lang.

Datu Paglas, known for its quality sand, is the quarry site of the construction company which uses the sand for the concrete mix used to expand and extend the airport runway.

The truck was later found burned in Luz Village, M’lang.

In spite of the incident, the construction work continues in the project site.

Yesterday, project analyst Cdee Pagdato sent more work progress photos showing the extension of the runway to accommodate an Airbus-type aircraft.

Mayor Pinol said the fencing of the airport site, however, is delayed because until today the provincial government Task Group on the airport construction has not finalized the identification of the boundary of the 62-hectare property.

The M’lang Airport is programmed to be operational before the end of the term of President Benigno S. Aquino III in 2016.