MANILA, Philippines – No major damage was detected at the Mactan-Cebu International Airport following a magnitude 7.2 earthquake that hit Central Visayas on Tuesday.
The Mactan-Cebu International Airport Authority (MCIAA) denied reports, which spread through text messages, that the runway was badly damaged in the quake.
The agency said the runway was deemed safe after the Runway Inspection Team conducted an immediate technical inspection of the runway and taxiway integrity.
“Having been found to be safe, the runway was reopened for flight operations,” MCIAA said in a statement released Friday.
Airport authorities also assessed the structural integrity of the passenger terminal building (PTB), which was evacuated and closed for around three-and-a-half hours after the quake.
“No major damages were detected, as minor damages such as cracks were non-structural in nature. Passenger and cargo processing were returned to the PTB from separate buildings by around noon of the same day,” the MCIAA said.
The MCIAA said operations at the airport resumed at its full capacity on Wednesday, October 16, but appealed "for calm and sobriety" from passenger as aftershocks occur.
Meanwhile, the board of directors of MCIAA approved the release of P2 million to the victims of the earthquake in Cebu and Bohol out of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) budget.
Transportation and Communications Secretary Jun Abaya commended MCIAA for the act, saying he hopes it “inspires others to help out as well.”
“I personally visited our kababayans in these areas over the past two days and saw the difficulties they are going through. It is good for them to be reassured that government is here to help them,” he said.
source: www.abs-cbnnews.com
