ACT-CIS Party-list Rep. Erwin Tulfo (left), Camarines Sur 2nd district Rep. LRay Villafuerte (Facebook)

PILI, Camarines Sur--ACT-CIS Party-list Rep. Erwin Tulfo is supporting Camarines Sur 2nd district Rep. Lray Villafuerte's call for a deferment of the planned transfer of all commercial turboprop plane operations from the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in Pasay City to the Clark International Airport (CIA) in Pampanga.

Tulfo was in town here Friday, March 7 for a campaign sortie of the administration-backed Alyansa para sa Bagong Pilipinas senatorial slate.

The Alyansa bets held a press conference at the Camsur Watersports Complex (CWC), which is a cable park designed for wakeboarding and wakeskating. It is among the main tourist destinations of the capital municipality.

Tulfo, the House deputy majority leader for communications, echoed Villafuerte's concerns that the turboprop transfer would hurt local tourism.

"Kung pupwede i-hold muna yang plano na yan. Kasi congested na talaga NAIA, pero there must be a way, there's something. Kung dadlahin mo lahat ng turboprop sa Clark, tatamarin ng yung mga tao na pumunta sa ganito lugar," he said, pointing to the CWC.

(Maybe that plan could be put on hold. NAIA is really congested now, but there must be a way, there's something. Because if you'll transfer all turboprops to Clark, the people will find it a chore to go to places like this.)

Like Villafuerte, Tulfo sought the intervention of newly-installed Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Vince Dizon on the matter.

Tulfo explained that tourists could bypass Camarines Sur altogether in favor of neighboring Albay if they would be forced to go to Clark just to ride the turboprop planes that services visitors to the former. 

"Ang problem kasi, aalisin ang turboprop, ililipat sa Clark para ma-decongest ang NAIA. Pero yung effect naman noon dun sa mga destination. Kung ikaw ba, taga-Metro Manila, pupunta ka pa ng Clark para makarating ka ng Naga o marating ka ng Pili, di ba hindi?" Tulfo asked.

(The problem is, all turboprop will be removed and transferred to Clark in a bid to decongest NAIA. But it will have an effect on the tourist destinations. If you're coming from Metro Manila, would you bother going to Clark just to go to Naga or Pili, probably not right?)

"Sasakay ka na syempre papuntang Legazpi [sa Albay]. Mamaya pag nandun na siya sa Legazpi, hindi na siya bababa rito (Pili), hindi na siya makakarating sa Naga kasi nandun na yung Mayon Volcano, etc," he said.

(Of course you'll go straight to Legazpi in Albay. And once you're in Legazpi, you'll no longer go here or Naga because Mayon Volcano, etc .are already there.)

"So kailangan muna rito siya pumasok (So the point of entry must be here), and that is what Congressman Lray is saying," Tulfo further said.