Last impressions last

INCHEON, South Korea – Why reinvent the wheel when all you have to do is copy a success story.

As the Duterte administration attempts to start up its “Build – Build – Build” program the planners  may want to look into how officials in Incheon, South Korea used what was locally available to build up their train and subway system. According to our  host, the planners of Incheon’s mass transit system did not rely on foreign investments or PPP or BOT schemes some 50 years ago. What they did was design an entire system so many square kilometers wide that included the development of commercial and business space/complex beneath the train system or subways. If you’re over 50 years old and grew up in “Manila” in the ’60s and ’70s chances are you went through or shopped with your parents at the Quiapo underpass.That was a micro-microscopic version of what they did here in Incheon.

The same strategy could likewise be incorporated when government builds buildings and future Mass Transit systems. Instead of dedicating multiple basements just for parking, they should include several floors of commercial space and raffle off the rights for 50 to 99 years. The money they raise could substantially pay off some of the building cost.

While developing and designing the system, the government sold spaces (“rights”) to investors and business owners. Selling 50 to 99 year rights gives predictability to business that is politics proof every time a new President or Mayor is elected. Because the area was so wide, the prices did not spike artificially, a lot of people got a chance to own a “space” and you had the same amount of development underground as you did on ground level. This approach would also stabilize real estate prices that have become artificially driven or manipulated by investors or developers.What’s interesting is, judging from the commercial activity below the train system, they probably make more money and pay more taxes than the businesses located at ground level.

For the last two days we have spent many hours walking under and around the train systems of Incheon. You don’t hear or feel the trains the only thing you experience is the visual attack of products and merchandise from all over the world, the varied scents of food and the fact that it all goes on and on and on. If you ever make it to Incheon I must warn you that if you are a foodie, prepare to gain so much weight just from street food. Contrary to general impressions, Korean food is not just all spicy. We sampled just about every other delicacy we saw from grilled lobsters, korean sweet chicken, battered crablets, vegetable pancakes, assorted fried nuts, the famous Korean Ginseng chicken (black), cheese and vegetable “pizza,” fish cakes, we even saw but did not dare to try “Oreo” Churros!

One of the busiest and successful areas is Myeong Dong or Myeong District. Here anyone who wants to do business from a food cart or be an ambulant vendor has to pay a very high price to get a permit because the government recognizes that the business is not constant and people usually don’t pay income taxes as vendors. Because the permits are costly, the vendors police their own ranks, they will report an illegal rude or dishonest vendor. There is also a high degree of police visibility in the area.    

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Last impressions are quite important because they could directly determine a future. You might get a return customer, a second date, build up a relationship or simply get written off as a lousy experience. Back when I used to build and work on a couple of resorts in Northern Palawan, I remember how we would always send off our guests pampered with juices, sandwiches and the most heartfelt waves of fare thee well and sometimes even a tear or two. It was never a goodbye – it was always “We hope to see you soon.” And if we didn’t, we at least did our best to give you a “Last Impression” to last you a life time.

All these came to mind as I walked around the “International Departure area” of the NAIA Terminal 2 last Friday evening on my way to Incheon, South Korea. Of all the terminals at NAIA, I have always liked Terminal 2 the most as far as domestic departures are concerned. As small as the area is, it has been laid out well enough to be comfortable and complete with basic necessities. It could do with more tables and chairs but otherwise it is very functional in a minimalist sort of way.

Unfortunately, I can’t say the same for the T2 International departure area. Imagine all those hundreds of thousands of tourists who enjoyed the best that the Philippines had to offer and their last impression is not a heartfelt “fare thee well” or a last chance to reminisce the beauty of the country but instead a cramped, poorly laid out facility where the food and retail outlets are not even half as nice as those in our domestic departure areas.

People were walking around trying to find stores or outlets with enough food choices except it was very limited and most of them were packing it up by 10 pm. I won’t beat a dead horse in this situation but it might be a good idea for the NAIA GM and DOT Secretary Wanda Teo to study how our International departure area can be set up to have the “resort feel and attitude.” Instead of TV monitors showing nothing but NBA replays, can we at least get the suppliers to intersperse them with tourism promotional material. Cesar Montano should start visiting these places and help their friends at NAIA to insure that the last impression our guests have is a good and lasting impression of Philippine hospitality.

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