BY GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Direct flights from Northern Territory of Australia and Negros Occidental are now being explored by both governments, following the recent visit of a provincial delegation led by Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson to Darwin, Australia.
Provincial Administrator Atty. Rayfrando Diaz, who accompanied Lacson and several Capitol executives in their visit last week to Darwin, Australia, said that they have already a draft, which will be submitted for approval to the ministers of Darwin.
Once their draft is also available, we will also submit it for approval to the Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Negros Occidental, Diaz said.
Hopefully, with the help of Bacolod City Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez, we can have a direct flight to Darwin, perhaps Manila to Darwin, or Negros to Guam, which could be serviced by Philippine-based airline companies.
Lacson also recently led a Negros delegation in a visit to Guam
Diaz disclosed that Negros Occidental has “lot of opportunities and potentials” with provincial government leaders led by Gov. Lacson and Vice Gov. Jeffrey Ferrer, and the highly urbanized Bacolod City, under the leadership of Mayor Benitez, working as one.
“Their trust rating is high, and investors are coming in,” he stressed.
In a dialog with government officials of Northern Territory, Australia, Diaz said “they are taking a lot of interest in our big ticket projects like solar power, bulk water and food security.”
“Not only that are helping us, but they might also learn from whatever experiences that we are having right now,” Diaz said.*
