Bacolod airport revives free sleepover for stranded travelers

By Glazyl M. Jopson

BACOLOD CITY — Stranded passengers at Bacolod-Silay Airport in Silay City, Negros Occidental, can again use free overnight accommodations while waiting for their scheduled flights following the revival of the “Sleepover sa Paliparan Project.”

Police Maj. Deejay Domingo, chief of the Philippine National Police Aviation Security Group’s Bacolod-Silay Airport Police Station, said the project was relaunched and accommodated its first beneficiary in June.

The first beneficiaries were a mother and her child, according to a June 3 report from K5 News FM Bacolod.

The project resumed after Dr. Ramel Uy donated a nipa hut exclusively for stranded passengers.

Uy is president and chief executive officer of K5 News FM Philippines and vice chairman of the Advisory Council on PNP Patrol Plan 2030.

Domingo said the airport police station’s two existing nipa huts had been used to accommodate additional personnel following the reactivation of the Negros Island Region, forcing the sleepover project to suspend operations temporarily.

Republic Act No. 12000 established the Negros Island Region in 2024, grouping Negros Occidental, including Bacolod City, with Negros Oriental and Siquijor.

The sleepover project was initially scheduled to begin in 2019 but was delayed by funding constraints and the COVID-19 pandemic.

It was officially launched in 2021 with support from various stakeholders and previously provided free accommodations to stranded passengers.

The initiative prioritizes passengers with disabilities, pregnant women, children, and older people who need a safe and comfortable place to stay.

Domingo welcomed the project’s revival, saying it would allow airport police personnel to assist travelers again.

The Bacolod-Silay Airport Police Station reaffirmed its commitment to providing responsive, compassionate, and people-centered service while protecting the safety, comfort, and well-being of passengers in need.

Bacolod-Silay Airport is among the airports managed under the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines’ Area Center 6.