‘Don’t selfie — get angry’

After Filipino passengers spent anywhere from 24 to 48 hours stuck at the NAIA, many observers found it unbelievable how Filipinos simply sat it out, hoping against hope to fly out soon, or as one news reporter put it: “sticking it out at NAIA was much like one’s love life – Ipaglalaban mo!” Many prayed, watched Netflix, monopolized the nearest power outlet to charge their phones while regularly making “selfies” and posting on Instagram or Facebook.

Like lambs to the slaughter, they actually believed airline personnel who kept them addicted to false hopes with hourly announcements of flight schedules being rescheduled, delayed but never cancelled until after three to eight hours! While the patience and fortitude of the 136,000 passengers were certainly admirable, when do we stop taking selfies and start getting angry?

I don’t encourage people to pick fights and scream at “part-time” airline employees, but be angry about the state of affairs. Speak out and demand your money’s worth as taxpayers and not be victims of incompetence and political deals. You pay P1,600 in travel tax and a couple hundred for terminal fee and you get treated like cattle or sinners at the Feast of the Black Nazarene inside NAIA! Get angry!

I don’t mean to be a rabble-rouser but the fact is certain officials such as Secretary Art Tugade who should be bowing his head low in shame for the mismanaged crisis at the NAIA, even had time to take jabs at “critics” who they accuse of not helping. That to me is sinful pride. In the face of massive inconvenience, economic loss and failure, one is best advised to show compassion, humility and visible effort. But to go out of your way to assail critics and complainants is tantamount to saying “It’s not our fault so don’t blame us.” No it’s not your fault, it was no one’s fault but it was and remains to be your responsibility and as such you take the blame as well as the consequence that come with the job you so willingly accepted. Like the saying goes: “If you can’t stand the heat – get out of the kitchen.”

Secretary Tugade may sincerely be of the opinion or belief that they were doing the best if not the most. But the fact that so many passengers suffered and the economy suffered because the crisis over extended to several days proves that the efforts of the DOTr team was simply not enough. Now we have President Duterte instructing Secretary Tugade to make sure that the people responsible for the disaster and mismanagement should be punished. The first person with that responsibility is Secretary Tugade by virtue of command responsibility.

Next to Tugade would be the recycled and leftover officials of the DOTr. The DOTr is littered with leftover political appointees from numerous presidencies and they have stayed on as non-performing assets or as favors to their patrons. They are part of the reason why we can’t get competent professionals into the system. The NAIA is equally stuffed with characters whose past performance in previous administrations are marked with failure based on incident reports. For instance, during the time of GM Honrado, flood waters shorted out the electricity at NAIA and the back-up generators did not kick in. The guy in-charge was never fired and was actually promoted under the new administration. Check out officials who could not even fix the airconditioning system at Terminal 2 and Terminal 3 until Ramon Ang who headed PAL back then simply brought in his own crew and spent his money to fix the T2 aircon. Thanks to the efforts of the current NAIA Manager Ed Monreal, the air con at T3 has finally been fixed. But to this day there are many leftovers at the NAIA, CAB, CAAP etc. 

Who else would Tugade go after?  I suppose he can check if Xiamen Airlines actually complied with the entire requirements and procedures of government in order to operate in the Philippines. Did the CAAP, CAB and DOTr process Xiamen airlines or did some bullyboy Congressman pressure local authorities to fast track and facilitate Xiamen Air’s entry into the Philippines. Does Xiamen Airlines have the financial capacity to pay the entire bill including the cost to passengers?

From what’s been reported, the NAIA management had to “rent” a “super crane” because there was no such equipment within the Manila International Airport facility. No less than former Prime Minister Cesar Virata told me in a recent interview that the Armed Forces of the Philippines should be given the budget and directive to procure such “super” recovery equipment in anticipation of future disasters not just at the airport but when Tsunami or earthquakes hit us.

If you now understand what I mean when I said “Don’t Selfie – Get Angry” then do exactly that. Express your anger in much the same way I am expressing my anger not toward specific persons but toward their conduct, attitude and practices. Express your anger with the patronage politics, positioning incompetents in sensitive government offices and facilities. Express your anger at the lack of professionals and professionalism in the management of key facilities such as airports. Express your anger at the indifference, self-interest and slow-sluggard work of government that has prevented, blocked and politicized the construction of new airports and necessary infrastructure. Express your anger with senators, congressmen, and government officials who push to promote the development and prioritization of their provincial or regional airports while stonewalling other proposals to the disadvantage of the entire country.

Jesus expressed his anger toward corrupt officials, spiritual leaders who were hypocrites as well as businessmen who preyed and abused ordinary Jews. He even chased out “illegal vendors” from inside the temple. We have to do likewise. Yes express your anger BUT remember what the Bible teaches us: “In your anger do not sin” (Ephesians 4:26). Let’s not get personal, “Trabaho lang!”

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