Governor Constancio Chatto Torralba:
a visionary leader ahead of his time
by Ludwig Bon Quirog
Long before the Island of Panglao became the tourist haven that it is today
decades before the rise of the luxurious resorts that dot the eponymous
fishing town’s white sandy coasts – a visionary leader took a good gander
at it and, as if through a premonition, saw our humble province’s gateway
to the world. This person was then Governor Constancio “Nonoy” Chatto
Torralba.
Somewhere within his governorship from 1988 to 1992, Gov. Torralba saw
the need for a new and bigger airport for the province as during the time
the airport in Tagbilaran City was but a converted airstrip with a tiny runway
and apron that could only serve one aircraft at a time. To add to its list of
limitations, nothing bigger than an Airbus 320 could ever be allowed to land
on it, thereby keeping Bohol’s prospects for growth in the arena of aviation
reception sorely limited. His eyes were set on Panglao Island as it was
close enough to the province’s capital to cater to the city’s residents, distant
enough to not disrupt the city’s daily on-goings, and located in a place with
a great potential to become an end destination of its own.
Some three decades later, the dream of Gov. Nonoy finally came true. It
was not without a fair amount of struggle and hurdles that this gargantuan
aspiration was achieved. It took the work of four more governors for this
new aviary to finally take hard form. After Gov. Torralba came Gov. David
Tirol, Gov. Rene Relampagos, Gov. Erico Aumentado, and, finally, Gov.
Edgar Chatto. Within these five administrations, each governor shared in
turning the dream into a reality – from the conduct of feasibility studies,
including on engineering perspectives as well as environmental impacts,
the acquisition of land, coordination with government entities both on the
national and local levels, particularly with the Department of Transportation
(DoTr) and the Local Government Units of Panglao and Dauis, care for
social impact and affected communities, as well as the gaining of
commitments for aid from both the private sector and international
cooperation agencies.
It was to the good fortune of our people, too, that during the years the
project was in its various stages of development, we had the support of
every single president at the nation’s helm. This was a crucial blessing as
an undertaking as colossal as this would not have been able to move
forward without the aid of our republic’s chief executive. It was President
Cory Aquino who sat at the top when the idea was born. She was then
followed by Pres. Fidel V. Ramos, Pres. Joseph E. Estrada, and Pres.
Gloria M. Arroyo, who all supported the project through and through. It was
during the time of Pres. Benigno S. Aquino III when the funding for the
undertaking was secured and construction began, crossing over into
another national administration. When Pres. Rodrigo R. Duterte took office
in 2016, like his predecessors, he also gave nothing less than his full
support and it was during his stint that the airport took its present form. It
was thus fitting for him to have the honor of heading the ritual
ribbon-cutting ceremony and welcoming the world into this new place.
The new international airport was inaugurated on November 27, 2018.
However, Gov. Torralba was given the pioneer’s privilege. On October 21,
2018, a month before the place opened its gates to the world, he was given
a special tour of the still unsullied complex, from terminal to tower to
tarmac, as though presenting to a grandsire his newest and most precious
great grandchild. Seeing Gov. Nonoy set foot on Bohol’s newest aviation
portal, one could only speculate on the amount of joy that must have
rushed through his heart. What was once simply an idea – a notion, if you
will-had now become a formidable edifice that would serve Bohol and its
visitors for decades upon decades and scores upon scores to come.
Little known is that the event was a full circle moment for the office that
Gov. Nonoy once held as it was during the time of his nephew Edgar that
his dream from many, many years ago had finally taken its earthly form.
Sadly, just over a year after the realization of his decades-long dream, Gov.
Torralba passed away. On December 24, 2019, Christmas Eve to those of
us who celebrate, Gov. Nonoy succumbed at the age of 91 to an illness he
had long been battling. However, the man lived a full and happy life and,
needless to say, even his biggest dreams were achieved during his lifetime.
Today, when we set foot at Bohol Panglao International Airport, whether as
passengers or passing visitors, let us be reminded that this beautiful piece
of infrastructure is art that has come together through dreams that have
been kept alive over nearly half a lifetime. It is the product of the hard work
and mind prowess of several experts in engineering, natural sciences,
social sciences, and developmental and environmental research, among
others. It all began with the idea of Gov. Nonoy Torralba, which is why on
November 29, 2023, on the occasion of his 95th birth anniversary, around
the 5 th anniversary of the inauguration of the airport itself, together with the
Department of Transportation (DOTr) and the Department of Public Works
and Highways (DPWH), we honor the late governor by naming the beautiful
airport road after him. Henceforth, it shall be known as the Gov. Constancio
Chatto Torralba road.
No amount of “thank yous” could rise parallel to the contributions of a
genuine and sincere servant leader, especially if he has made personal
sacrifices that took away from his own personal happiness in favor of the
people’s. Certainly, there is no claim that to name a street after a person
we wish to thank would ever suffice as tribute to his greatness. However, in
doing so, his name is immortalized and his legacy is solidified. For many,
many years to come, his name shall be uttered by all who come to visit
Bohol by air. People looking at maps and navigating the island shall say his
name as they turn towards the paved road and look unto the sky in
anticipation of the limitless potential that the airport of Gov. Nonoy’s
dreams serves to all who come through it.
