House Minority Leader Marcelino Libanan has welcomed the decision of Philippine Airlines (PAL) to operate an additional weekly Cebu-Borongan-Cebu flight every Wednesday, starting September 18, 2024.

“We are delighted that the flag carrier is increasing the frequency of its Cebu-Borongan-Cebu flights to thrice weekly, as this will give a boost to Eastern Samar as a tourism gateway,” Libanan said in a statement.

Borongan City is the capital of Eastern Samar, a rapidly growing tourist destination, particularly among foreign and local surfing enthusiasts and nature lovers.

“The additional PAL flights will surely push up inbound tourist traffic and help drive Eastern Samar’s economic growth,” according to the solon.

The Borongan Airport is undergoing infrastructure upgrades to accommodate more flights.

Under the 2024 General Appropriations Act, Congress has allocated P200 million in capital outlay for these improvements.

Based on the flag carrier’s updated schedule, it will now operate three Cebu-Borongan-Cebu flights every week, or one flight every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

The flag carrier is currently the only airline that offers a convenient one-stop connection to Borongan from Manila, as PAL flights from Manila to Cebu enable travelers to hop on to the Cebu-Borongan service for their onward journey.

All Cebu-Borongan flights are scheduled to depart at 11:05 a.m. and arrive at 12:00 p.m., while all Borongan-Cebu flights are scheduled to depart at 12:30 p.m. and arrive at 1:20 p.m.

PAL first launched its twice weekly Cebu-Borongan-Cebu flights in December 2022.