Hope springs eternal for Iloilo Airport repair

“There’s something magic about airports it’s like standing in a room with a thousand doors.”

― Atticus Poetry, The Truth About Magic

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

THE proposed expansion and rehabilitation of the Iloilo International Airport or Iloilo Airport is an infrastructure project the administration of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. should prioritize and expedite.

The airport, located in Cabatuan, Iloilo, is a vital cog economically and politically.

The sooner it will be expanded and rehabilitated through the public-private partnership (PPP) scheme, according to Department of Transportation (DOTr), the better for both the Ilonggos and the image of the Marcos administration. 

We are glad proponents of the expensive project decided to vigorously push for it even after the Iloilo Airport had been left out of the 2024 budget for DOTr’s infrastructure development based on the list released earlier this year by Makati City Rep. Luis Campos Jr., vice chairperson of the House committee on appropriations.

The DOTr now sounds optimistic about the airport’s proposed expansion and rehabilitation. Hope, indeed, springs eternal. 

In 2028, when Mr. Marcos relinquishes the presidency due to constitutional limitation, he won’t find it hard to seek the help of the Ilonggos for the next president he wishes to support and endorse.

The Ilonggos, ever-a grateful people, would not forget that the 16-year-old Iloilo Airport underwent a major repair and improvement under the Marcos administration.

 

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All the Marcos administration needed was a joint resolution from the Regional Development Council’s Infrastructure Development Committee (IDC) and Economic Development Committee (EDC) urging DOTr and the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) to expedite the review of the unsolicited proposals (USP).

The Villar-led Prime Asset Ventures, Inc. (PAVI) has submitted a USPs in the amount of P6.89 billion and Aboitiz InfraCapital, Inc. (AIC) in the amount of P9.95 billion for the mammoth project.

They will now be up for evaluation by the Investment Coordination Committee of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA).

 

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IF WE'RE LOW ON SILVER POLISH, LET'S USE TOOTHPASTE: Plain, non-gel toothpaste (without additives like whiteners) can rid small silver pieces of light tarnish without damaging the surface. Moisten the silver piece; apply a bit of toothpaste to our finger. Rub gently and rinse, then buff with a soft cloth. (Source: Goodhousekeeping)

NO DISHWASHING LIQUID? Let's grab the laundry detergent. A teaspoonful of liquid laundry detergent in a basin of hot water will cut grease on dirty dishes equally well (though we may want to wear gloves, as detergent can be drying to hands).

SEXOMNIA is the term US scientists use for people who perform sexual activities unconsciously during sleep. The spectrum ranges from masturbation to sexual intercourse - in the event that that the sexsomnia patient comes across a partner. (Source: Journal of Clinical Forensic Medicine).

NOT GUILTY. That's the verdict on fertility drugs and the possibility that they increase woman's chances of developing ovarian cancer. Doctors had long worried that there might be such a link. But now Danish researchers have analyzed records of 54,362 women and found, over an average 16-year follow up, that those who took fertility drugs faced no greater risk of cancer.

 

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U.S. PASSPORT PROCESSING times have returned to pre-pandemic norm. As of December 18, 2023, passport applications will be processed within 6-8 weeks for routine service and 2-3 weeks for expedited service, which costs an additional $60. 

“With this update, we have fulfilled our commitment to return to benchmarks from March 2020,” reported the U.S. Department of State. “This reflects the work of dedicated employees working for the American people.”

In 1990, only five percent of Americans had a passport. Today, that number is 48 percent. More Americans can travel abroad now than at any time in our history. 

There are now over 160 million valid U.S. passports in circulation (nearly double the amount from 2007).

This past year, the Department experienced unprecedented demand for passports. 

Between October 2022 and September 2023 (the federal fiscal year), the Department of State issued over 24 million passport books and cards – the highest amount ever in our nation’s history.

“We have worked hard to modernize and improve the service we provide to the American people. We will continue to do so in 2024,” the US Department of State announced further.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two daily newspapers in Iloilo.—Ed)

 

Iloilo airport upgrade ‘snub’: Marcos Jr.’s way of showing who’s the boss?

“I reward loyalty with loyalty. I reward disloyalty with distance.”

—Anonymous

 

By Alex P. Vidal 

 

IF President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. “intentionally” missed out Iloilo Airport for upgrade in the 2024 budget for infrastructure development of the Department of Transportation (DOTr), he could be sending a curt message to Ilonggos, who preferred former Vice President Leni Robredo over him during the May 9, 2022 presidential election.

It must still be difficult for Mr. Marcos Jr. to move on and forgive the Ilonggos who gave Robredo 1,940,183 votes or 47.90 percent against Marcos Jr.’s 1,516,464 votes or 37.44 percent in Western Visayas.

Other than this election humiliation, we don’t see any other reason or reasons why the Marcos Jr. administration would continue to give the Ilonggos a cold shoulder treatment.

Other than politics, we don’t remember people in Iloilo, or Western Visayas for that matter, having offended Mr. Marcos Jr. that would make him “retaliate” via the non-sharing of a piece of major infrastructure pie to the Ilonggos. 

While other lesser-known airports in the country stand to benefit from the Marcos Jr. administration’s repair and upgrade largesse in 2024, Iloilo Airport, the fifth busiest airport in the Philippines in 2022, will get zero.  

President Marcos Jr. mentioned the Panay-Guimaras-Negros Island (PGN) Bridges Project in his recent State of the Nation Address (SONA) to be included in his administration’s P8.3 trillion “Build Better More” Program, but the bridges project had been conceptualized a long time ago—starting in the three previous administrations.

But the Iloilo Airport is already in existence and only needs upgrading as an international standard.

 

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To add insult, it was only in March 2023, as reported by the Daily Guardian, that Iloilo City Mayor Geronimo “Jerry” Treñas raised to the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) the exclusion of the Iloilo airport from the list of key projects of the current administration.

Treñas reportedly asked NEDA to include the Iloilo airport in the list of priority projects because of its growing flight and passenger numbers.

According to the Daily Guardian, Treñas stressed the need to continue pushing for the upgrading and development of the airport, which is classified by the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) as an international facility.

“We need to continue pushing for the development of our international airport since it is now overcrowded. If it is expanded, we can accommodate more flights and more visitors,” the city mayor was quoted as saying.

The Daily Guardian reported further: “Apart from the P2.8 billion in fresh funding for the upgrading of Ninoy Aquino International Airport’s (NAIA) aviation infrastructure, the following airports were included in the DOTr’s proposed budget for the construction of various airports and navigational facilities: Kalibo International Airport (P581 million); Laoag International Airport (P500 million); Tacloban Airport (P500 million); New Dumaguete Airport (P500 million); Busuanga Airport (P405 million); New Zamboanga International Airport (P300 million); New Manila International Airport (P200 million); Bukidnon Airport (P120 million); ands New Bohol Airport (P97 million).”

Did Treñas’ appeal fell on deaf ears—again, because of politics?

 

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AS we feared earlier, the death toll from the Maui wildfires has climbed to 93, as authorities work to identify victims of the deadliest US wildfire in more than 100 years. Hawaii has a robust emergency siren warning system, but it sat silent as people fled for their lives, CNN has reported.

How did the fires start? It’s still unclear exactly what triggered the wildfires across the islands, but the spread of flammable nonnative grasses combined with hurricane-stoked winds could have been factors.

Fires were burning across multiple Hawaiian islands. The town of Lahaina on the island of Maui has suffered widespread damage, and historic landmarks across the island are in danger. 

Thousands of residents and visitors have been forced to evacuate. Many organizations were accepting donations to help those affected by the wildfires, while airlines have started offering fares as low as $19 to get people off the island.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two daily newspapers in Iloilo.—Ed)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We worry a lot for nothing

“If you look into your own heart, and you find nothing wrong there, what is there to worry about? What is there to fear?”

—Confucius

 By Alex P. Vidal

PEOPLE panic because news about the Wuhan coronavirus or 2019 n-COV was sometimes being exaggerated and blown out of proportions like there was an imminent invasion of the extraterrestrial.  

Fear of the unknown makes people think the world will turn upside down.

The mad rush to secure clinical masks to be worn in public wouldn’t have occurred if some incompetent health authorities did not scare the public that the coronavirus had quickly spread in the Philippines.

The truth is the Department of Health (DoH) has already assured the public it was “on top of the evolving situation” in as far as the novel coronavirus is concerned because of its surveillance system and close coordination with the World Health Organization (WHO) and other national agencies.

The more we panic the more we think we have been infected by the virus. 

It’s when we worry a lot that we inflect harm on our own health. 

We get sick not because of the coronavirus, but because of stress and psychosomatic, or a mental factor that causes internal conflict.

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What to do amid the global coronavirus scare is actually to maintain a good hygiene by always washing our hands and taking a regular bath.

Pushing ourselves in a mad scramble to get the masks, I believe, will only be necessary of the DOH has declared that the virus has spread in certain areas.

Even Iloilo first district Rep. Janet Garin, a former DOH secretary, does not believe that wearing a mask can protect a person from being infected by the virus. 

It can help if we also avoid crowded places especially those suspected to be the entry points of tourists from countries with known cases of the dreaded virus.  

Much remains to be understood about 2019-nCoV. 

The source of the outbreak and the extent to which it has spread in China are not yet known, according to the WHO. 

While the current understanding of the disease remains limited, most cases reported to date have been milder, with around 20% of those infected reportedly experiencing severe illness. 

Both WHO and China noted that the number of cases being reported, including those outside China, is deeply concerning. 

Better understanding of the transmissibility and severity of the virus is urgently required to guide other countries on appropriate response measures, according to WHO.

WHO said it is continually monitoring developments and the Director-General can reconvene the International Health Regulations (2005) Emergency Committee on very short notice as needed. Committee members are on stand-by and are informed regularly of developments.

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EVEN if we suspend international flight arrivals in the Iloilo Airport, nothing can stop the virus from transferring from human to human if there were already warm bodies in Iloilo who have been infected prior to the global scare.

We’re referring to the tourists from China, Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan,  who have already arrived in the country weeks before the spread of the coronavirus reverberated all over the world.

Tourists who had spent their Christmas and New Year holidays in our beaches in Boracay, Palawan, Bohol, Zamboanga, among other tourist destinations in the country.  

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local dailies in Iloilo)

Proposed airport needs a godfather

"I approach each project with a new insecurity, almost like the first project I ever did, and I get the sweats, I go in and start working, I'm not sure where I'm going."
--Frank Gehry

By Alex P. Vidal

UNLESS Iloilo leaders will step on the gas and aggressively support and endorse the proposal of Passi City Mayor Stephen Palmares to build an airport in Iloilo's component city, it will remain a proposal and will just be a voice in the wilderness.
An infra project of such magnitude needs a political godfather, someone with a Stentorian voice and an earthshaking impact and influence in the national leadership.
Colossal projects are dream projects of every Tom, Dick, and Harry in public office, but the bottom line is always funds, the moolahs, where to get and how to mobilize them once their sources have been identified.
We are aware of the pesky bureaucratic red tape and maze the project will be going through once it will be taken seriously by the stakeholders and the implementing agencies.
We are also aware of the changing political climate which can serve as a game-changer and can ruin its implementation.

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We heard the mayor is mulling a private-public partnership so that a feasibility study can romp off. Nice idea and it should be pursued to the hilt.
Palmares has already reportedly forwarded the proposal to the Regional Development Council (RDC) headed by Iloilo Governor Arthur "Toto" Defensor Jr., but we have yet to hear more Ilonggo leaders getting head over heels on the proposed domestic airport for it to hit the ground running.
Filipino politicians are known to be jealous and don't want to be left behind when it comes to grabbing a credit and getting a publicity over certain grandiose projects and undertakings.
Let's hope Ilonggo leaders are not among them. Let's hope they will rally behind the proposed project and ensure that it will be given due attention by the national government after the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) has done its sight inspection in Santo Thomas village, site of the proposed airport.

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ILONGGOS should rally behind Senator Franklin Drilon now that he has become a "pain in the ass", so to speak, among the minions of the Duterte administration embroiled in scandals and anomalies.
For sure, Drilon, the legislative body's lone ranger in the war against corruption and incompetence in the executive branch, is now in the radar of the dirty department owing to his high profile sparring sessions with neophyte senators Francis Tolentino, Bong Go, and Emmanuel Pacquiao.
It was fun to watch how the Iloilo senator made a mincemeat of these characters, who are among the staunch allies of President Rodrigo R. Duterte, in the floor debates seen "live" by millions of people.
Drilon may have angered the demigods in the darkness furthermore when he recently blasted the administration's ambitious "build, build, build" program for its "failure" and delays.
And the latest to taste Drilon's fusillade was House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano, his incredible P55 million SEA Games "kaldero" and all the fiasco related to the country's hosting of the biennial regional multi-sport event.
For the scoundrels and the mediocre, Drilon has become an obstacle and a thorn.
(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local dailies in Iloilo)

Gloria giving Ilonggos false hopes on airport ‘expansion’

“Everything is possible, from angels to demons to economists and politicians.”
--Paulo Coelho

By Alex P. Vidal

WHEN politicians like Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo talk, we should always remember not believe everything hook, line, and sinker.
Look what they did to the proposed Iloilo-Guimars-Negros bridge.
They allowed politicians to announce it in public and created a stir by “confirming” that the bridge’s construction would start in 2018.
We are now in the second quarter of 2019 and the last time we heard about the multi-billion project was “its feasibility study is ongoing.”
Going back to the proposed Iloilo Airport expansion as announced two weeks ago by Speaker Arroyo, who was in Iloilo for the blessing and inauguration of a new hotel.
If you listen to the former president, the Iloilo Airport expansion project, which would cost about P700 million, will start soon.
What and when is soon?
2019? 2020?
Or after the expiration of President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s term in 2022?

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Politicians, in order to score pogi points, always conveniently hide in the comfort of the word “soon” in order to be safe just in case there will be delays, or whatever circumstance that might befall the projects they were trying to advertise ahead.
Mrs. Arroyo said the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) has already secured a signature from the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) to proceed with the needed expansion of the Iloilo International Airport, which opened its doors to commercial traffic on June 14, 2007 after a decade of planning and construction.
“With the signing of the CAAP Board Resolution granting the Original Proponent Status to the unsolicited proponent for the expansion of the Iloilo airport, the CAAP may now proceed subject the proposal to a Swiss Challenge,” she declared in an interview with Iloilo reporters.
“It is one step closer to bringing comfort, safety and convenience to one of the busiest airports in the country. Again my congratulations to CAAP.”

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Okay. Securing a signature from the DILG could be a “crucial step” for the proposal to be forwarded to the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), but if the project is not yet in NEDA’s radar and does not have funds as certified by the Department of Budget, and no concurrence from the Department of Transportation, it can never commence “soon.”
It will be another hope against hopes until delayed and eventually forgotten.
Mrs. Arroyo added: “The Iloilo Airport was built during my time as President in 2007 with a capacity of 1.2 million passengers a year. Now it is operating for 2.4 million passengers. Indeed an expansion is much needed.”
Arroyo made sure her name wouldn’t be forgotten when she disclosed she had conducted an oversight hearing at the Lower House on the Iloilo airport to determine the status of its expansion projects.
Her efforts reportedly “paved the way for the fast-tracking of the signing of the board resolution to start the process of approving its expansion.”
Pave the way, the magic sentence.
Nice, Madame Speaker.
(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local dailies in Iloilo)