By BLESS MALLARIStar Western Pangasinan Correspondent

“HUWAG na natin pulitikahin. Our municipality is qualified!”

Thus did Alaminos City mayor Hernani Braganza appeal to oppositors to temper their negative reactions to his city’s being tagged by President Arroyo as site of the soon to rise 1.9 km commercial airport in Pangasinan.

Some reports questioned the qualification of the city for the airport project, pointing out that it should be built in the central area of the province like in Sta. Barbara, Lingayen, Rosales and Mapandan whose leaders were also bidding for an airport project before the President ’s announcement in her State of the Nation Address July 23.

Speaking during last Wednesday’s press conference here in Alaminos City, Braganza said the airport project was conceptualized 12 years ago during the Ramos administration and implied it has nothing to do with present-day politics.

He also asserted that it is in Alaminos where basic infrastructures that will support the project are located. This includes, he said, the 1,200-megawatt Sual Coal-Fired Power Plant, the Sual seaport and the officially declared economic zone in Pangasinan that is comprised of Alaminos, Sual, Mabini, Bani and Villasis.

In terms of agriculture, he said “of the 371.81sq. km of idle lands (in Pangasinan), 287 sq. km or 77% are in the first district of the province”

He added that when people speak of tourism in the province, reference is almost always to the western part because of the numerous tourist destinations and of course the famous Hundred Islands.

According to him, their proposal was technically studied by the Air Transportation Office before and was later endorsed by the Resources Development Council.

Braganza said the project will create job opportunities not just for the first district but also for the whole province.

“What’s more important — where to locate the airport o ang ma-develop ang province of Pangasinan? Hindi tayo nang-aagaw ng pangarap, this is 12 years in the making. Magtulungan (na lang) po tayo” he asked Pangasinense in general thru the media.

This project he assured will make the province more accessible to potential investors and tourists overseas especially those coming from Asian regions.

As mentioned by President GMA in her SONA, the P1billion airport project is expected to be established in two years.