High-key personalities take low profile for Pope visit

The highly successful visit of Pope Francis has only made the people clamor for another visit from the Pontiff next year, in time for the 51st Eucharistic Congress that Cebu will host. The whole machinery of government went into high gear with various agencies that include the DSWD, NDRRMC, DOH, DOTC, MMDA and others coordinating with the PSG, the AFP and the PNP to make sure that the historic visit would be as seamless as possible.

Thousands of troops were deployed to monitor the progress of the Pope as he went from one activity to another. Surprisingly, we were informed by our reliable PNP source on the ground that DILG Secretary Mar Roxas played a major and significant role in making the security arrangements for the visit, spending sleepless nights before and during the entire visit, up to the time that the Pope was safely onboard the PAL plane taking him back to Rome. Mar was directly reporting to the President and giving updates regarding security preparations, double checking to spot potential gaps and loopholes.

We’re very impressed that Mar did not use the Pope’s visit for extra political capital considering that he is the presumed Liberal Party standard bearer for next year’s presidential elections. Instead of making “epal,” Mar Roxas chose to keep a low profile, purposely staying behind the scenes. After all, he is really expected to be the one on top being the DILG chief and PNP boss.

Like we always say, we have to give credit where credit is due, and while we have already congratulated the people for showing remarkable discipline during the entirety of the papal visit, Mar also deserves to be congratulated for a job well done. The same goes for some private entities that also gave their full cooperation, such as the group of Manny Pangilinan who, as NDRRMC executive director Alex Pama noted, put the MVP Group air and hospital assets on standby in case they were needed. In fact, Manny readily agreed to have the signal of Smart jammed when the National Telecommunications Commission requested it, even if it meant incurring the ire of subscribers. In the end, no one really complained.

Strong clamor to develop Clark terminal

Passengers are looking forward to the P7.2-billion low-cost carrier passenger terminal at the Clark International Airport, with recently-appointed Clark International Airport Corp. president and CEO Emigdio Tanjuatco III lobbying for its immediate construction now that the DOTC has earmarked P1.2 billion for the initial phase. The facility will not only benefit northern Luzon travelers but the public in general especially on the heels of the Cebu Pacific “holiday disaster” that saw thousands of passengers getting displaced and stranded at the NAIA Terminal 3.

The “operational lapses” prompted the Civil Aeronautics Board to slap the carrier with a P52-million fine, the largest in Philippine aviation history. Passengers and the general public saw the hefty sanction as a strong signal from CAB, headed by executive director Carmelo “Teying” Arcilla and board member Chichos Lucian,o that they mean serious business. Hopefully, CAB’s renewed political would further sustain the reforms they seem to be finally advocating for the benefit of the traveling public and the aviation sector.

What happened last December strengthens the argument for the country to join the global open sky community and allow free trade and healthy competition to flourish. Aviation industry observers say we have to be part of an environment where other international airlines are welcome, as mandated by President Aquino’s open sky policy to further strengthen our economy via an unclogged flow of trade and tourism. Besides, healthy competition among airlines always makes for better service and choices. 

Some of our friends in the airline industry who have invested heavily as locators in Clark are also suggesting that the airport name be changed to Manila Clark International Airport. This slight tweak may better position and market the Clark International airport brand globally, as it is nowhere near the international radar screen and is mostly unheard of by the traveling community.

Attaching “Manila” to Clark airport would also make prospective tourists and investors aware that Clark is in close proximity to Manila. This will also instantly educate internet-savvy travelers that we have alternative routes flying both north, south and the surrounding areas of Manila – very much in keeping with what London Gatwick and London Heathrow is to London.

Standard ‘re-org’

The column of Vic Agustin last Friday confirmed what the media industry has been talking about for weeks now. Several employees of the Manila Standard Today had been retrenched, with Vic correctly pointing out that the paper had been heavily subsidized for decades by its owners.

The Standard’s new CEO Arnold Liong, however, clarified that the decision to retrench was a “necessary evil” that had to be done instead of closing down the paper considering that the old Kamahalan Publishing company was almost bankrupt – the real reason why the new management company MST Management Inc. was created with Liong as president and CEO. Management decided to make it easier for the employees who have been with the Standard for a long time by giving them a fairly generous retirement package as part of the amicable settlement, Liong added.

Apparently, MST chairman Philip Romualdez has given Arnold Liong full authority to reorganize the entire paper, which will be re-launched as “The New Standard” sporting a different format and utilizing technology to make the publication more interactive through its online portal, The Social Standard. “A lot of work still needs to be done, which is why we are working doubly hard to be in full gear by the end of February when we move to our new offices in Makati,” Arnold Liong disclosed.

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