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Busy bodies

Administrator — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 17:19:41 +0000

Build and they will come.
From merely nothing flying out of the Clark international airport after the cataclysmic eruptions of Mount Pinatubo in 1991, the succeeding secondary explosions that emitted fine volcanic ashes and the dreaded lahar flows—the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport has metamorphosed into one of the busiest airports in the Asian region. Back then, we only had migratory birds visiting the two 3.2-km parallel runways, a contrast when the US military might is felt by the presence of the F4 phantoms lined up in front of the DMIA tower.
One man dared to dream and brought in the first international flights in the desolate Clark airport—Clark International Airport Corp. (CIAC) President and CEO Victor Jose I. Luciano, then posted as EVP of the Clark Development Corp. Thus in October 2003, the first flight of Asiana arrived at the airport and the rest is history.
At the helm of CIAC, Luciano had been relentlessly pursuing important projects for DMIA that will make it the premier international gateway and a vibrant logistics and services hub. No wonder that for four days last week starting November 6, Luciano along with EVP/COO Alexander S. Cauguiran, VP for Finance Romeo Dyoco and VP for Operations and Business Development Bienvenido Manga had been busy attending to groundbreakings and inaugural flights.
On November 6, CIAC broke ground with SIA Engineering Company, in partnership with Cebu Pacific Air for the establishment of a $100-million Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility. Luciano, SIA Engineering Company headed by President and CEO William Tan and Cebu Pacific President and CEO Lance Gokongwei led the groundbreaking rites as well as the time capsule-laying for the multimillion-dollar facility, which was also attended by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
The MRO Facility at the Changi Airport in Singapore is already congested and thus the establishment of the MRO facility in Clark is expected to further improve services at DMIA and make it more viable as the next premier gateway of the Philippines. “The MRO fulfills the vision of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to make Clark a leading world-class service hub in the Asia Pacific-Region,” said Luciano.
“We have always been impressed with the Filipino people. We are excited about Clark,” said SIA Engineering’s Tan.
“A world-class MRO facility at Clark will further enhance aerospace into the Philippines. With SIA Engineering Company’s MRO proficiency, we will certainly develop the local talent pool of aerospace management and engineering personnel. In addition, a heavy maintenance facility in the Philippines will significantly enhance Cebu Pacific Air’s dispatch reliability and engineering quality,” said Gokongwei.
On November 7, another groundbreaking was held for the establishment of the P1-billion aircraft hangar facility of new kid on the block Spirit of Manila. The hangar is capable of handling the Boeing 747-800, Airbus A-320 and the Airbus 380. Spirit of Manila will mount flights to Taipei and Macau and had been also planning to fly to the Middle East to serve OFWs.
On November 8 and 9, Cebu Pacific Air launched its flights to Hong Kong, Bangkok, Singapore and Macau. Residents of Central and Northern Luzon have welcomed the flights, particularly the “Go Lite Fares” offered by Cebu Pacific, allowing families to visit their kin who are working in Asian countries more often.

The Return of GI Joe

Administrator — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 17:13:46 +0000

The sonic booms coming from the twin engines of F-18 Hornets and British-made Harrier jets suddenly reverberated from the azure skies where once GI Joe lorded it over for nearly a century. For the nth time, our Big White Brothers are back with their war machines under the auspices of the annual Visiting Forces Agreement.

The US Forces are all over Angeles City and Tarlac, where American servicemen identified as US Navy Lt. Christian Sutter, a physician with the US Marine Wing Support Squadron (MWSS) 171, and Senior Chief Christopher Visperas assisted in the delivery of a bouncing baby boy. Gloria Tomas and husband Sonny, proud parents from Sula, San Jose, Tarlac, even named the boy after Sutter.

In Angeles City, Mayor Francis “Blueboy” Nepomuceno has welcomed the US Marine Corps led by Brig. Gen. Ronald Bailey, whose group had been accorded with the “City of Friendship Key.”

The presence of American forces, although temporary, rekindled old memories of the US-run Clark Air Base or the US 13th Air Force Jungle Air Base, once the largest military installation outside of the US mainland. Young recruits in the US Marine Corps can be seen strolling at SM Clark where once the defunct California Bus Lines was located. This time, however, the US forces leisurely walk outside the Clark Freeport Zone, unlike in the ’80s when four US servicemen had been gunned down in broad daylight, which prompted the US government to move all of its servicemen inside Clark. I still remember the joint US-Philippine military patrols that tested bilateral relations and flared up dissent.

Up close, the imposing war birds—Harriers, F-18 Hornets, C-17 Starlifter and C-130s—lined up at the PAF’s Haribon are being geared for the joint military exercises that will further improve the capability of the US and the Philippines to respond to external threats, particularly in the global war against terrorism. Are the United States and the Philippines winning the war against terrorism? The battlefronts of Iraq, Afghanistan and Mindanao had been churning out casualties and we see no end to international terrorism.

Amid a pall of gloom, the former Clark Air Base was turned over to the Philippine government on November 1991. Then US Ambassador to the Philippines Frank Wisner said: “The United States’ role in securing the Pacific has not ended with the withdrawal of US forces at Clark because it recognizes a dangerous world in a new world order.”

Amid the sound of “Taps” the US’ Stars and Stripes had been lowered for the last time as tears welled down the cheeks of bargirls and long-time Clark residents. Wisner said the job of national security “has not ended.”

GI Joe is back and he’d brought in new war machines.

Crow Valley or Basa–not Sacobia

Administrator — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 16:26:57 +0000

The 600th Air Base Wing commander was visibly irked by reports that the Philippine Air Force contingent is ready to leave Clark for Sacobia Valley.

The state-run Clark Development Corp. had been planning to establish the much-vaunted “Next Frontier” in the Sacobia Valley and the reports that the 600th ABW will be transferred to the deeply contested area was misleading. 600th ABW Commander Col. Francisco Cruz could only scratch his head in disbelief as the PAF chief summoned him to explain.

I came across Col. Cruz during the simple cocktail party at the Mimosa Resorts recently accorded to him and former 600th ABW Commander Col. Alejandro Camagay. Cruz said the scribe got it all wrong because they are considering Basa Air Base in Floridablanca town or Crow Valley in Tarlac and not in the CDC’s “Next Frontier.”

“I’m hoping that this is not a send-off party,” Cruz told Clark International Airport Corp. president and CEO Victor Jose I. Luciano, EVP/COO Alexander S. Cauguiran, CDC president and CEO Benny Ricafort and CIAC officials. “I hope that we can nurture the partnership that we have forged,” said Camagay. “This is going to be a partnership. Our partnership is very much stronger in Clark.”

For his part, Luciano said CIAC and PAF have “an imaginary boundary and we are going in one direction.”

More Clark entitlements

The Philippine Air Panel who went to Finland for rounds of air talk scored another monumental success for the overall development of the Clark airport as the Philippines’ future premier gateway. Both Philippine and Finland air panels reviewed the existing Air Services Agreement (ASA), the bilateral framework that identifies frequency, capacity, route, type of aircraft and volume of cargo that can be conducted in pair-countries—and made some adjustments.

During the talks held in Helsinki last September 29 to 30, 2008, the RP Air Panel headed by Transportation and Communications Undersecretary Doroteo Reyes Jr. was able to secure new entitlements for the Philippines particularly the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport.

For the route Clark-Points in Finland, seven weekly frequencies had been allotted and vice-versa for a total of 14 flights per week. For the route Manila-Finland (Helsinki), four weekly frequencies had been allotted and vice-versa for a total of eight flights per week; and to the route between Points in the Philippines except Manila and Clark-Points in Finland, seven weekly frequencies had been allotted and vice-versa for a total of 14 flights per week. For cargo, 700 tons weekly capacity had been allotted for the route Clark/Subic-Finland V.V. and vice versa. Well, we need these entitlements for Clark—the more the better.