At Large A dilemma in Boracay
BY RINA JIMENEZ-DAVID, Philippine Daily Inquirer
President Benigno Aquino III has already chosen the new chief of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP), reportedly a retired Air Force general. The CAAP, formerly the Air Transportation Office, oversees the technical and safety aspects of air travel, including the air-worthiness of planes and the quality of our airports.
The appointment of an experienced aviator is construed as a step in the right direction, given the many problems bedeviling Filipino planes and airports, not least of which is the downgrading of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) by a US safety organization, the blacklisting of Philippine planes by the European Union, and the re-routing of several flights from the NAIA due to faulty navigation systems. But there is one sticking point to P-Noy’s grand plan. A “midnight appointee” to the CAAP of President Arroyo, appointed on the day before the ban on midnight appointments took effect, had “agreed” to submit a courtesy resignation, Transportation and Communications Secretary Jose “Ping” de Jesus announced last week. But after a few days, Alfonso Cusi, who used to be general manager of the airport authority and who was already planning to run for Congress before accepting his appointment, changed his mind and said he was staying put at the CAAP.
In fairness, Cusi’s new office has a four-year term, although one must point out the amazing chutzpah of an outgoing President appointing her choice to the CAAP when she was about to vacate the office. (Not so amazing, though, given previous experience with Arroyo.) Not to mention the cheek of the appointee assuming an office when he knew the choice should have been left to the incoming administration, and especially since he was and is aware that he is unqualified for the position, not having been a pilot or aviator. After all, managing an airport calls for a whole different set of skills from ensuring the safety of planes and of airports.
* * *
HERE’S a story which may or may not be related to Cusi’s determination to hold on to the CAAP post.
I was recently in Boracay, flying to that famous island via SEAir which transports the most number of passengers to Boracay through the Godofredo Ramos Airport in Caticlan, Aklan.
Last year, after a series of mishaps involving larger planes, Caticlan Airport was closed for repairs, and after it was re-opened, only SEAir, which uses smaller aircraft, was allowed continued access to Caticlan. Just recently, the CAAP once more opened Caticlan’s runway to bigger planes, even if, as someone observed, “nothing has changed.” There were indeed plans to expand the runway, and even possibly razing or “contouring” the hill at one end of the runway, to accommodate bigger planes of PAL, Cebu Pacific and Zest Airways. But because of protests raised by environmentalists and tourism businessfolk from Boracay, none of these plans have even broken ground. So why were bigger aircraft allowed to land and take off from Caticlan?
Paradoxically, SEAir, which has an enviable safety record despite fielding the most flights to Boracay (up to 32 flights daily during peak season last year) was penalized, with the new CAAP authority recently grounding the airline’s LET410’s, requiring the installation of two additional exit doors on each aircraft.
* * *
BECAUSE of the popularity of Boracay as a destination for both local and foreign tourists, Caticlan and Kalibo airports have become among the busiest airports in the country.
Kalibo can service big aircraft, but it also has its limitations. One is the distance from Caticlan which requires passengers to take a bus ride more than an hour away and then negotiate their way through the congested Caticlan port. Certainly, tourists would prefer flying directly to Caticlan and taking the short boat ride to the Boracay jetty.
A group of businessmen has supposedly embarked on a P2.5 billion upgrade of Caticlan, which includes developing a nearby site, supposedly to include a hotel, mall and even theme park.
The problem is what to do with the hill, which is the reason Caticlan’s runway cannot be lengthened significantly. When the development group said it planned to “tear down” the hill, environmentalists and members of the Boracay Foundation raised an alarm.Geologists have warned that razing the hill could have untold consequences, as it could change the direction and power of the wind and tides and affect the volume and/or consistency the unique powder-fine sand on Boracay’s famous White Beach. Long-time observers point to the erosion of a portion of the long beach after an outcrop of rocks on the Station 3 end of the beach was washed away in a typhoon. The construction of a resort on the other end of the beach, on Station 1, presumably altered the course of the tides and washed away the sand on that spot, causing another resort to “lose” its beach.
* * *
OBVIOUSLY, given the many unknown factors in Boracay’s and Caticlan’s fragile environment, the best step at this stage is to do nothing. Or at least, to wait until all scientific, geological and environmental studies have been conducted by unbiased professional organizations and have definitively established the safety of any measure being suggested to improve Caticlan’s status.
Otherwise, government, businessmen and the citizens of Aklan and Boracay risk killing the “golden goose” of the tourism trade: the island itself.
Meantime, government and the private sector can join hands to do something for Caticlan. This is to improve the facilities of the tiny, cramped terminal which is now an international airport but is woefully inadequate. Just making tourists more comfortable as they enter and leave would go a long way towards improving Boracay’s prospects.
The appointment of an experienced aviator is construed as a step in the right direction, given the many problems bedeviling Filipino planes and airports, not least of which is the downgrading of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) by a US safety organization, the blacklisting of Philippine planes by the European Union, and the re-routing of several flights from the NAIA due to faulty navigation systems. But there is one sticking point to P-Noy’s grand plan. A “midnight appointee” to the CAAP of President Arroyo, appointed on the day before the ban on midnight appointments took effect, had “agreed” to submit a courtesy resignation, Transportation and Communications Secretary Jose “Ping” de Jesus announced last week. But after a few days, Alfonso Cusi, who used to be general manager of the airport authority and who was already planning to run for Congress before accepting his appointment, changed his mind and said he was staying put at the CAAP.
In fairness, Cusi’s new office has a four-year term, although one must point out the amazing chutzpah of an outgoing President appointing her choice to the CAAP when she was about to vacate the office. (Not so amazing, though, given previous experience with Arroyo.) Not to mention the cheek of the appointee assuming an office when he knew the choice should have been left to the incoming administration, and especially since he was and is aware that he is unqualified for the position, not having been a pilot or aviator. After all, managing an airport calls for a whole different set of skills from ensuring the safety of planes and of airports.
* * *
HERE’S a story which may or may not be related to Cusi’s determination to hold on to the CAAP post.
I was recently in Boracay, flying to that famous island via SEAir which transports the most number of passengers to Boracay through the Godofredo Ramos Airport in Caticlan, Aklan.
Last year, after a series of mishaps involving larger planes, Caticlan Airport was closed for repairs, and after it was re-opened, only SEAir, which uses smaller aircraft, was allowed continued access to Caticlan. Just recently, the CAAP once more opened Caticlan’s runway to bigger planes, even if, as someone observed, “nothing has changed.” There were indeed plans to expand the runway, and even possibly razing or “contouring” the hill at one end of the runway, to accommodate bigger planes of PAL, Cebu Pacific and Zest Airways. But because of protests raised by environmentalists and tourism businessfolk from Boracay, none of these plans have even broken ground. So why were bigger aircraft allowed to land and take off from Caticlan?
Paradoxically, SEAir, which has an enviable safety record despite fielding the most flights to Boracay (up to 32 flights daily during peak season last year) was penalized, with the new CAAP authority recently grounding the airline’s LET410’s, requiring the installation of two additional exit doors on each aircraft.
* * *
BECAUSE of the popularity of Boracay as a destination for both local and foreign tourists, Caticlan and Kalibo airports have become among the busiest airports in the country.
Kalibo can service big aircraft, but it also has its limitations. One is the distance from Caticlan which requires passengers to take a bus ride more than an hour away and then negotiate their way through the congested Caticlan port. Certainly, tourists would prefer flying directly to Caticlan and taking the short boat ride to the Boracay jetty.
A group of businessmen has supposedly embarked on a P2.5 billion upgrade of Caticlan, which includes developing a nearby site, supposedly to include a hotel, mall and even theme park.
The problem is what to do with the hill, which is the reason Caticlan’s runway cannot be lengthened significantly. When the development group said it planned to “tear down” the hill, environmentalists and members of the Boracay Foundation raised an alarm.Geologists have warned that razing the hill could have untold consequences, as it could change the direction and power of the wind and tides and affect the volume and/or consistency the unique powder-fine sand on Boracay’s famous White Beach. Long-time observers point to the erosion of a portion of the long beach after an outcrop of rocks on the Station 3 end of the beach was washed away in a typhoon. The construction of a resort on the other end of the beach, on Station 1, presumably altered the course of the tides and washed away the sand on that spot, causing another resort to “lose” its beach.
* * *
OBVIOUSLY, given the many unknown factors in Boracay’s and Caticlan’s fragile environment, the best step at this stage is to do nothing. Or at least, to wait until all scientific, geological and environmental studies have been conducted by unbiased professional organizations and have definitively established the safety of any measure being suggested to improve Caticlan’s status.
Otherwise, government, businessmen and the citizens of Aklan and Boracay risk killing the “golden goose” of the tourism trade: the island itself.
Meantime, government and the private sector can join hands to do something for Caticlan. This is to improve the facilities of the tiny, cramped terminal which is now an international airport but is woefully inadequate. Just making tourists more comfortable as they enter and leave would go a long way towards improving Boracay’s prospects.
It all points out to one thing, GREED!
ReplyDeleteAMEN to that Fr. Gary V.
ReplyDelete