Manila, July 5 -- The Guiuan Airport in Eastern Samar must be included in the Department of Transportation's Aviation Transport Infrastructure Program, which secures funding for the modernization and upgrading of airports nationwide.

Eastern Samar Lone District Rep. Christopher Sheen Gonzales said he would push for the inclusion of the airport as an additional gateway to Eastern Visayas, saying it would strengthen connectivity, spur economic growth, and create more jobs across the region, according to a news release Sunday.

The annual program finances the construction, rehabilitation and improvement of airport infrastructure, including runways, taxiways, passenger terminals, air traffic control towers, perimeter fences, and navigational...