Republic of the Philippines  
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS 
Third Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. ______ 
______________________________________________________________________________ 
Introduced by Representative FRANZ E. ALVAREZ 
______________________________________________________________________________ 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
Calauit Safari Park, shipwrecks, the Twin Lagoon and Kayangan Lake, and Culion 
Sanitarium are relatively inaccessible without the only gateway by air to northern Palawan’s 
internationally known tourist destinations — Busuanga Airport. 
For a time, only a few hardcore rubbernecks dare travel to Calamianes, the collective name 
for these island jewels home to the Municipalities of Busuanga and Coron in Busuanga Island, and 
Linapacan and Culion, in separate islands. 
Before the pandemic struck, no less than five flights land and depart daily from Busuanga 
Airport. But that’s when the weather’s all bright and sunny. There are days however when, after a 
flight has departed from NAIA following a verified clear skies to the hour-long destination, clouds 
and crosswind would converge over and around the airport forcing a “go-around” or, worse for the 
stoked first-timer to Calamianes, a “turn-back” to the aerodrome of origin. 
This is because the runway was built over the then existing local airstrip used for private 
missions before there were commercial flights. The runway was never re-oriented in anticipation 
of additional traffic. Neither was it prepared for extension to accommodate big bodies, instrument 
flight rules or IFR, nor night or low visibility landing. 
The present runway with its limitation somewhat stifles the growth of the tourism industry 
in Calamianes considering that, at any given time, the maximum number of visitors who can book 
a night or two in any of the Calamianes destinations is directly proportional to the capacity of the 
aircrafts that are able to land. Save for SkyJet’s BAE 146, only turboprops are able to land in the 
Airport such as PAL’s Dash 8-400 and Cebu Pacific’s ATR. 
The National Government through the GAA and a possible PPP undertaking approved by 
the NEDA has already decided to re-orient the runway, extend its length, and equip it for IFR and 
night or low visibility operations. The missing element is the space needed to ensure that the airport 
facility will be future-proof — that is, ready for international arrivals and departures. 
The positive impact of more tourists is best captured by the Department of Tourism in one 
of its ad campaigns: “in tourism, no one is left behind”. This Bill will give Busuanga Airport the 
space it needs for its expansion now and in the future leading to increased arrivals, establishment 
of more accommodations, tourism businesses, jobs and related enterprises, and of course, the 
consequent growth in the local and national domestic product. 
In view of the foregoing, approval of this Bill is earnestly requested. 
FRANZ E. ALVAREZ 
FRANZ E. ALVAREZ
DATE 29.09.2021
16:33:00 +08’00”
September 29, 2021
6:04 pm
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Republic of the Philippines  
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS 
Third Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. ______ 
______________________________________________________________________________ 
Introduced by Representative FRANZ E. ALVAREZ 
______________________________________________________________________________ 
AN ACT 
SEGREGATING A PARCEL OF LAND CONTAINING AN AREA OF NOT LESS 
THAN THREE HUNDRED (300) HECTARES LOCATED IN THE MUNICIPALITIES 
OF BUSUANGA AND CORON, PROVINCE OF PALAWAN FROM BUSUANGA 
PASTURE RESERVE FOR THE EXPANSION OF BUSUANGA AIRPORT, 
CLASSIFYING SAID PARCEL AS AGRICULTURAL LAND, TRANSFERRING ITS 
ADMINISTRATION AND MANAGEMENT TO THE CIVIL AVIATION AUTHORITY 
OF THE PHILIPPINES, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES 
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress 
assembled: 
SECTION 1. A parcel of land within Busuanga Pasture Reserve located in the Municipalities of 
Busuanga and Coron, Province of Palawan containing an area of not less than three hundred (300) 
hectares to include the present site of Busuanga Airport (Francisco B. Reyes Airport) and presently 
under the administration of the Forest Management Bureau of the Department of Environment and 
Natural Resources pursuant to Presidential Proclamation No. 1387 (13 February 1975), as 
amended by Presidential Proclamation No. 663 (14 October 2013), is hereby segregated from 
Busuanga Pasture Reserve and withdrawn from the coverage of Presidential Proclamation No. 
1387 (13 February 1975), as amended. 
SEC. 2. Said parcel of land including the present site of Busuanga Airport is hereby classified as 
agricultural land and its use shall be devoted exclusively to the expansion of the Airport and 
development of airport, tourism, trade, police, military and other government facilities and 
infrastructure and shall be known as the “Calamianes Aerodrome Complex”. 
SEC. 3. Calamianes Aerodrome Complex shall be registered under the name Republic of the 
Philippines pursuant to the provisions of Presidential Decree No. 1529 or the Property Registration 
Decree, Provided that, no portion thereof shall be subject to sale, settlement or any form of 
disposition, exploration or exploitation. 
SEC. 4. The administration and management of Calamianes Aerodrome Complex shall be under 
the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines. 
SEC. 4. Repealing Clause. - All laws, decrees, executive orders and rules and regulations or parts 
thereof which are inconsistent with this Act are hereby repealed or modified accordingly. 
SEC. 5. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its complete publication in 
at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation. 
Approved, 
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