IT SEEMS the country is getting rave reviews from world travelers. There’s the London-based luxury travel magazine Conde Nast Traveller who recommended the Philippines as a destination in “the big news for travelers in 2013.”
Our unique selling points? Our 7,000 heavenly islands, our “incredible underwater life, unspoiled coral gardens with rainbow-bright fish, green sea turtles and dugongs,” as Conde Nast gushed.
We got other countries’ diving spots eating our dust. Conde Nast put it this way, “Sorry, Maldives… We love you, but we’ve got a new flame.”
Says its Guide to Philippines website: “From chic and luxurious to homely and tranquil: whatever your travel requirements, there’s a resort in the idyllic archipelago of the Philippines to suit you.”
Not to be outdone, Travel + Leisure’s heaped praises on our natural resource treasures that are making waves among travel magazines based among branding agencies and other experts. “The archipelago of Palawan, a UNESCO biosphere reserve in the Philippines, just added a resort with a scuba center; hop a two-hour flight from Hong Kong and you’ll soon be diving with the sea turtles,” wrote Heidi Mitchell in Travel + Leisure.
But there’s a downside that the country has to address, “the airports, the airports,” posted Fil-Am lawyer Benjamin Cárdinez on my Facebook wall, obviously referring to our problems with our international airports. I can only mutter and agree.
The good news is that according to aviation think tank Center for Aviation, NAIA 1 became the 34th busiest airport from December 31, 2012 to January 6, 2013, serving 829,348 total seats.
The bad news is that the travel website Sleeping In Airports noted: “With its collapsing ceilings, overcrowding, rampant bribery, and taxi drivers scamming travelers on fares, it’s easy to understand why ‘disappointed’ and ‘unbelievable’ are just a few of the words travelers use to describe Manila’s Terminal 1” for passengers in transit to their connecting flights.
Recently, Bacolod Mayor Evelio Leonardia requested Immigration Commissioner Ricardo David Jr. to reconsider his position and provide the necessary Customs immigration and quarantine services to allow nine chartered flights from Korea to land at the Bacolod-Silay Airport in January and February.
Then the ultimate slap. David instead requested that the flights from Korea be diverted to the Iloilo International Airport where the Commission can provide the necessary immigration services.
Outgoing Leonardia said that for Negros Occidental to enhance its tourism industry, the Bacolod-Silay Airport should start putting in place its capability to receive international flights within the earliest possible time. “The chartered flights of Zest Air give us this golden opportunity to act on this need now,” he argued.
I agree. But local governments in the province have to prove that they earn good points for national government support. Otherwise, I’ll be embarrassed to the max if we can’t do our homework, and totally rely on the national government to do our job.
Take the question on quarantine. Negros Occidental might have one of those fantastic beaches that sun bathers would die for to visit especially during the winter season in North Asia, Europe and North America.
But think of the flies. Fly in Negros Occidental via an airplane. Fly out inside the check-in and pre-departure sections in the company flies. I can’t for the life of me understand why our local governments are unable to get rid of these flies which airport authorities blame on nearby poultry.
Let our local authorities clean the Bacolod-Silay Airport of pests, instead of relying on national government to do our job. Then I just might join the campaign to bring in more tourists.
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