Ramon Ang’s real deal?

It was recently announced that the SMC airport project has finally been given the green light by the government, but all that turns out to be a figure of speech or something for media consumption and publicity because the project proposal has to go back to the National Economic Development Authority and the Department of Finance once again for “final”approval sometime today or next week. As a rule, any unsolicited proposal submitted to government should only take 120 to 180 days and the government should either approve it, subject to a Swiss challenge or simply reject the proposal. The SMC Bulacan Airport has been passed around government agencies and departments for nearly two and a half years or close to 912 days. What’s worse is just about every key department or agency related to airports, business and finance has thrown objections and obstacles at the project, not because the project is a bad idea but because bureaucrats claim they can build it themselves or they want to protect government investments in developing the Clark Airport, or to insure the viability of the NAIA airport complex that is now being rehabilitated instead of being gutted as originally proposed.

It defies logic that government agencies would oppose a major project that comes at no cost and would provide the country with a world-class airport of global standards and technology. But I suddenly realized that those government agencies or officials who’ve opposed the SMC proposal may simply be puppets in the hands of a puppet master who suspects that the SMC Bulacan Airport is just part one of a multi-level strategy of SMC president Ramon Ang. Alongside the proposed airport, Ang and SMC could very well have their sights on putting up a new airline or entering into a partnership with Air Asia, a struggling third player in Philippine aviation.

I suspect that what frightens two groups in aviation is the inevitability of San Miguel Corp. re-investing or putting up their own airline. No airport would be viable unless they have their own or are allied to a strong domestic airline that will base or build their hub at the SMC Bulacan Airport. The facility would be useless unless it is utilized to the max and at the moment there are only three recognized airlines based in the country, two of them, PAL and Cebu Pacific are both committed to supporting the NAIA Consortium and can’t be counted on to patronize the SMC project. As a result, SMC and Ramon Ang will have no choice but to strike up an alliance with a regional airline operator like Air Asia which has had great difficulty competing in a market, controlled by PAL and Cebu Pacific.

Let’s not forget that RSA has attempted to launch All Asia Airlines and re-launch Philippine Airlines where he had some measure of success in restoring efficiency and customer confidence. Ramon Ang’s misadventures into aviation and airline operations somewhat reminds me of Richard Branson who was actively opposed and lobbied against by the dominant airline British Airways until Branson and his team beat BA in court and finally got Virgin Airways off the ground. Combining the frustration and opposition that Air Asia boss Tony Fernandes and SMC president Ramon Ang have had to endure trying to build up their businesses in the Philippines, a joint venture between SMC and Air Asia seems to be the most logical direction for the two. This perhaps is what really scares a couple of Taipans in the air and that’s why everything is being done to stop or delay the construction of the badly needed airport and the emergence of a stronger third force in Philippine skies.

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Senator Richard Gordon recently pointed out the violent impunity of assassins who have fearlessly carried out their murderous deeds in many parts of the country in broad daylight. Gordon’s indignation and sense of helplessness with the situation is genuine since he has lost two friends in less than 30 days and in the same manner. Last Nov. 28 businessman and Subic locator Dominic Sytin was gunned down by an assassin inside SBMA. This was followed by the assassination of Congressman Rodel Batocabe who was also killed in broad daylight. Legislators have finally been confronted by the ugly fact that they are not safe and have no immunity from assassination. Batocabe’s murder has brought violence to the “house” of representatives.

Members of Congress raised close to P50 million as reward money for Batocabe’s killers. They published full-page ads condemning the assassination and calling upon “all law enforcement agencies to swiftly bring the perpetrators of this dastardly act to justice.” Then I heard that the President was scheduled to visit the family of Batocabe and pay his respects. As the day came to a close, no less than the Chief of the Philippine National Police Oscar Albayalde vowed to devote all resources to hunt down the killers.

Sad to say, I witnessed the same scenario after my friend Dominic Sytin was murdered. But unlike Batocabe’s friends in Congress, the only amount the Sytin family could come up with was P1 million because they did not want to insult the police by putting a price tag on their professionalism or commercialize their pursuit of justice. President Duterte also visited the wake of Dominic. Police officials also gave assurances that all resources would be used to solve the murder/assassination of Dominic Sytin. In the face of this violent impunity have we now come up with a standard operating procedure as shown in the Sytin and Batocabe assassinations? Has it all boiled down to lip service for the bereaved and promises for justice depending on whether or not law enforcers get a lucky break? Will crime solving ultimately come down to how many millions of pesos can be put up like a bounty? Or will it all be dependent on how many Congressmen and Senators you can muster to pressure the DOJ and PNP relentlessly? What is the government spending their intelligence funds on if they can’t even get enough intelligence on communities of assassins?

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