Representative-elect Julio Ledesma IV (Neg. Occ., 1st District) said he will prioritize the construction of an airport in San Carlos City and push for a comprehensive land use plan for the Negros Island Region.
The Provincial Board of Canvassers proclaimed Ledesma the winning congressman of the 1st District of Negros Occidental at the Provincial Capitol in Bacolod City on Wednesday, May 14.
Ledesma said he started the push for an airport in San Carlos in 1998 and will see to its construction with his return to Congress.
His family has already donated almost 50 hectares to the San Carlos City government for the airport and its access roads, Ledesma said.
The site is located next to the solar plant in the San Carlos economic zone, he said.
“This is being done within a master development plan that was made in Singapore”, he said.
Ledesma said he has already started talks with the Department of Transportation and aims to get the funding for the airport included in the 2027 national budget.
“The president told me you want your airport, you run,” he said.
San Carlos Mayor Renato Gustilo said the airport will be an advantage for his city as it would draw in more investors.
He pointed out that the city already has a port that was started when Ledesma was a neophyte congressman of the 1st District.
Ledesma represented the 1st district of Negros Occidental at the House of Representatives from June 30, 1995, to June 30, 2004, and from June 30, 2007, to June 30, 2016.
He also wants to take part in the deliberations on the planned amendments to the Electric Power Industry Reform Act, which he was the principal author of in 2001, Ledesma said.
Rep. Alfredo Marañon III (Neg. Occ., 2nd District), who was also proclaimed winner on Wednesday, said he has seen to the construction roads that link the mountain barangays of the second district.
The roads enable residents to easily transport their products, he said.
He aims to continue to push for more infrastructure and programs to boost the economy of the 2nd District.*