TACLOBAN CITY – The city mayor has expressed disappointment over the decision of the national government to scale down the budget intended for the expansion and rehabilitation of the Daniel Z. Romualdez (DZR) Airport here.

Mayor Alfredo “Bejo” Romualdez said that with latest development, the lot donated by his relative for those who would be relocated “might be withdrawn.”

Mayor Romualdez told Leyte Samar Daily Express that with this move of the national government, the program would be delayed further. “This has been postponed for so many times already. And this latest development would mean another delay of the project (implementation),” he said.

Earlier, President Macapagal-Arroyo announced that with the failure of the government to come up with the needed counterpart funds for the projects financed by the Japan International Bank for Cooperation (JBIC), many projects would either be cancelled for their funds be scaled down.

The expansion and rehabilitation of the DZR Airport has project cost of P1.3 billion, with the national government supposed to provide a counterpart of P600 million.

The President, however, did not say as to how much would be pruned from the counterpart fund for the project that had been in the works since 1995.

Romualdez told Express that he was hoping that the multi-billion project would push through, saying it would serve as a big come on for both tourists investors to the city and other parts of the region.

He said that he is pushing for the completion of the city astrodome as this would “complement” a modern DZR Airport. The project was earlier projected to start December this year and to end by6 2009.

The city mayor said that he is still optimistic that despite this development, the expansion and rehabilitation of the DZR Airport would still proceed.

He even urged all the six governors and 12 Congress in the region to help him come up the needed P600 million. “It is not only in Tacloban City that will benefit from this project but the entire region.”

Meantime, Romualdez told Express that he received information that his relatives, who donated the four-hectare lot in Sitio Palaypay in San Jose district, for families who would be affected by this expansion and rehabilitation project, might withdraw their donation. He did not elaborate.

Close to 300 families living at Sitio Alimasag, San Jose district, were supposed to be relocated to Sitio Payapay, also in San Jose.