Marker Unveiled for Airport Road Named after Former Governor Torralba

A marker was unveiled for the Governor Constancio Chatto Torralba Road on Nov. 29. 

The road leading to the Bohol-Panglao International Airport, stretching from Barangay Lourdes to Barangay Tawala in Panglao was named after Torralba through Republic Act 11847.

Cong. Edgar Chatto, who authored the law, together with the family of Torralba, Panglao officials led by Mayor Boy Arcay, Asst. District Engr. Ruben Delos Reyes of the Department of Public Works and Highways, the provincial government through Human Resource chief Anne Mariquit Oppus representing Gov. Aris Aumentado, former governor Rene Relampagos and BPIA manager Angelo Ybañez, led the unveiling of the marker. 

The naming of the road honors the former governor, a visionary leader, who saw the need for a bigger airport and secured funds for the UP PLANADES Panglao airport feasibility study while he was undersecretary of the Department of Transportation. 

The significant event coincided with the 95th anniversary of the birth of former Governor Torralba and 2 days after the 5th anniversary of the opening of the airport on November 27.

The naming of the road that leads to the airport after Torralba is fitting to show appreciation to the man who started the vision and planted the seed in establishing an international airport in the province, Chatto explained. “It is a game changer as Gov. Nonoy really planned it to be so,” Chatto said of the airport project which was approved after consultations with the UP Advisory Council, and later on funded and completed when he was then governor. 

Dr. Luz Torralba, daughter of the former governor, who delivered the response on behalf of the family, expressed gratitude to Chatto for the initiative of naming the road leading up to the airport after Torralba. “To have this airport opened almost 30 years in 2018 is a testament to his eye for innovation,” she said, citing the honor of the road being named after Torralba as befitting the occasion. She was joined by siblings Fleur de Liz, Constancio, Jr. , Eugenia and the rest of the family during the unveiling of the marker. 

Governor Torralba who passed away last December 24, 2019, was able to tour the airport with then Governor Chatto before its official inauguration in 2018. As governor, Torralba initiated the establishment of the Panglao Island Tourism Estate and was known  as the "Father of Sandugo".