Airlines, Airplanes and Airports - Compiled Threads [Archive] - Page 26

Rajah_Soliman

July 11th, 2007, 07:49 PM

Filipinos soar to the top of the airline industry

Dubai-based Emirates Airline is intensifying its cabin crew recruitment by adding more Filipino cabin crew to their roster.

Known to be hard-workers, Filipinos are most sought–after because of their positive work attitude and cheerful disposition. In face, over 1,100 Filipinos of which 280 are cabin crew, are employed with Emirates Airline, the world’s third most profitable and fastest growing airline.

"We are generally a happy people, we always find something to smile about," Vene Sheila Teodoro, a cabin crew of Emirates Airline, says.

Sheila, a 5’11" Pagsanjan native, is one of 280 cabin crew out of over 1,100 Filipino employees with Emirates Airline. She has just recently been promoted to the First Class cabin (FG1).

"I’ve always been interested in traveling. I experienced the Emirates Airline service on my first trip to London in 2001. I was working with a foreign embassy in Manila but I thought I’d spread my wings and explore the world. With this in mind, I didn’t need much convincing to answer the ad recruiting future cabin crew from the Philippines. This has been one of the best career choices I’ve made."

But it is no easy task. All qualified cabin crew are to undergo a five–week training course before taking on a flight.

"At first, it was a bit daunting because I didn’t have previous experience of being a cabin crew. This might have been to my advantage as I started with a fresh mind and open to learning policies and procedures specifically for Emirates." Sheila says, "Most people would think that we’re here just to serve them a meal or drinks but it is our job to ensure that they will have a safe flight with us, first and foremost."

Given the profile of the passengers and crew, Shiela has learned to respect differences and gets along with the people she works with.

"Foreign passengers usually observe this and are not surprised to learn where we are from just the smile that we give them. And being Asian, we have a serving heart and are sincere in what we do. I also serve as my country’s ambassadress with the people I meet everyday."

Emirates Airline is currently on their recruitment drive with IPAMS, the airline’s official recruitment agency for manpower requirements since 1991 for all categories of air and ground personnel and professionals in the aviation industry.

Sheila advises future cabin crew members. "It is very important for them to have a solid customer service experience and that they enjoy working with people. With the proper training, anybody can be a cabin crew but what would set you apart is when you sincerely enjoy what you do and everyone will see this with the way you work. It’s no longer a job when this happens and will help you through challenging times on board. Believe in yourself that you have something unique to contribute to the growing Emirates family, always be loyal to the organization you represent and have faith in the Lord no matter how difficult things become. Most importantly, be proud to be a Filipino wherever you are."

Emirates operates services to 91 destinations in 61 countries in Europe, North America, the Middle East, Africa, the Indian subcontinent and Asia-Pacific. New routes planned for 2007 include Venice, Sao Paulo, Newcastle, Houston and Toronto.

oz.fil

July 12th, 2007, 01:57 AM

lol if i dont make it as a pilot im definately applying for a cabin crew position! has anyone seen that movie 'View From Above' with gwenyth paltrow? ahah a glimpse into the aviation industry! :lol:

ryanr

July 12th, 2007, 04:21 AM

but airbus will eat boeing in the very near future. they just got derailed by the 380. airbus was selling more planes than boeing till the dreamliner came along. but airbus got an answer to the dreamliner, thats why they sold more planes again at the air france air show last month. boeing in the end will lose to airbus because their planes are more expensive than airbus. the killer to boeing is not airbus but the boeing employees who wants higher wages every 3 yrs. boeing employees starting wage is $22 an hr, airbus $12 an hr. how can boeing compete.

It is of no one's interest that any one of Boeing or Airbus collapses and loses out to the other. Airlines, governments, suppliers, passengers and not even Boeing nor Airbus wants the other to die. It is this healthy competition that keeps costs down (relatively) and allows innovation to take place (bleedless engines, composite materials, bigger and longer range planes, etc). Why do you think Lufthansa purchased both the A380 and the 747-8? They want both Boeing and Airbus to get return on their investment in research, development and production. This is the same reason why Singapore Airlines purchased both 787s and A350 and also both 777 and A340-500. Everything you hear about airlines and other aviation parties siding with only Boeing or Airbus is rubbish. Its all PR in an effort to pressure the other manufacturer to give them better deals in their next fleet purchase. And also pressure to improve their products such as the A350 and the 747-8.

If Boeing gets eaten up as you say, ticket prices are likely to go up. You wouldnt want that to happen, eh?

So as much as i like Boeing over Airbus, by no means do i want Airbus to go bankrupt. I support both companies in what they do. All this Boeing vs Airbus talk is merely nationalistic pride.

Arkdriver

July 12th, 2007, 04:42 AM

It is of no one's interest that any one of Boeing or Airbus collapses and loses out to the other. Airlines, governments, suppliers, passengers and not even Boeing nor Airbus wants the other to die. It is this healthy competition that keeps costs down (relatively) and allows innovation to take place (bleedless engines, composite materials, bigger and longer range planes, etc). Why do you think Lufthansa purchased both the A380 and the 747-8? They want both Boeing and Airbus to get return on their investment in research, development and production. This is the same reason why Singapore Airlines purchased both 787s and A350 and also both 777 and A340-500. Everything you hear about airlines and other aviation parties siding with only Boeing or Airbus is rubbish. Its all PR in an effort to pressure the other manufacturer to give them better deals in their next fleet purchase. And also pressure to improve their products such as the A350 and the 747-8.

If Boeing gets eaten up as you say, ticket prices are likely to go up. You wouldnt want that to happen, eh?

So as much as i like Boeing over Airbus, by no means do i want Airbus to go bankrupt. I support both companies in what they do. All this Boeing vs Airbus talk is merely nationalistic pride.

can't agree more with you...

Wreckless_Rex

July 12th, 2007, 09:59 AM

ashton

July 12th, 2007, 10:43 AM

This is interesting.
I'd like to hear a comment from an all-Aibus or all-Boeing (is there any?) operators... Cebu Pacific, hello? Comment? Aw anyways, you'll get ATR's soon. :)

It is of no one's interest that any one of Boeing or Airbus collapses and loses out to the other. Airlines, governments, suppliers, passengers and not even Boeing nor Airbus wants the other to die. It is this healthy competition that keeps costs down (relatively) and allows innovation to take place (bleedless engines, composite materials, bigger and longer range planes, etc). Why do you think Lufthansa purchased both the A380 and the 747-8? They want both Boeing and Airbus to get return on their investment in research, development and production. This is the same reason why Singapore Airlines purchased both 787s and A350 and also both 777 and A340-500. Everything you hear about airlines and other aviation parties siding with only Boeing or Airbus is rubbish. Its all PR in an effort to pressure the other manufacturer to give them better deals in their next fleet purchase. And also pressure to improve their products such as the A350 and the 747-8.

If Boeing gets eaten up as you say, ticket prices are likely to go up. You wouldnt want that to happen, eh?

So as much as i like Boeing over Airbus, by no means do i want Airbus to go bankrupt. I support both companies in what they do. All this Boeing vs Airbus talk is merely nationalistic pride.

Arkdriver

July 12th, 2007, 11:30 AM

"A380 taking center stage and Boeing come out with better idea with 787" is complete absurd.

First, the two airplanes are great but when you wanna compare it to each other, it's not fair because it's in different class altogether..A380 should be compare with 747-8 not with A380. When you compare between those orders, yeah 787 won more than 600 by the time they launch but again, they are in different class, so why dont you compare both with their respective rival?

A380 with 747-8
787 with A350

my point is both should be separated. 787 is a brilliant aircraft, i admit but it doesnt mean that A380 is inferior itself, do you think it will be a wise move for Boeing to compete head on (launching at the same time, same class of aircraft)? So to take away some attention and to study their equivalent of A380, Boeing focused more on 787 because they realize Airbus has two redundant model in A330 and A340. It's where they're taking advantage from the airbus.

And Airbus responded by launching A350 XWB which are slated for commercial service in 2013 the earliest. We never know what A350 XWB will offer but i dont think they will let 787 just eat away their pie.

And to say that Boeing focus more point-to-point service model and Airbus is on hub-and-spoke approach, is absurd too, considering that Boeing themselves is developing 747-8. They have more and more aircraft coming in from their production line we can only sit back, relax and enjoy the flight.

By the way I'm not siding on any side. I'm going to get my 747-4HX type rating somewhen this year, and my colleague who flies A320 told me LCCs dont have any preference which narrow body to choose, both are good, but price and terms on payment often has the last words. Newer aircraft are more efficient, whether it's Boeing or Airbus.

ashton

July 12th, 2007, 11:35 AM

^ YEY! Good Luck to you.... and hopefully you can fly B787 soon and share to us! hehehe.

ashton

July 12th, 2007, 12:00 PM

Oh I remember.. Speaking of SIA there was an issue a little over 2 months ago that 777 pilots are paid almost the same as thier VP? It was kind of cool to me as I personally like B777 as this is what they use from MLE-SIN.

It is of no one's interest that any one of Boeing or Airbus collapses and loses out to the other. Airlines, governments, suppliers, passengers and not even Boeing nor Airbus wants the other to die. It is this healthy competition that keeps costs down (relatively) and allows innovation to take place (bleedless engines, composite materials, bigger and longer range planes, etc). Why do you think Lufthansa purchased both the A380 and the 747-8? They want both Boeing and Airbus to get return on their investment in research, development and production. This is the same reason why Singapore Airlines purchased both 787s and A350 and also both 777 and A340-500. Everything you hear about airlines and other aviation parties siding with only Boeing or Airbus is rubbish. Its all PR in an effort to pressure the other manufacturer to give them better deals in their next fleet purchase. And also pressure to improve their products such as the A350 and the 747-8.

If Boeing gets eaten up as you say, ticket prices are likely to go up. You wouldnt want that to happen, eh?

So as much as i like Boeing over Airbus, by no means do i want Airbus to go bankrupt. I support both companies in what they do. All this Boeing vs Airbus talk is merely nationalistic pride.

Wreckless_Rex

July 12th, 2007, 12:58 PM

"A380 taking center stage and Boeing come out with better idea with 787" is complete absurd.
Not if you think of it in terms of ingenuity and/or forecasting (for lack of a better term). Both planes don't target the same market segments but it is the direction which the manufacturers took that has interested me.

Arkdriver

July 12th, 2007, 01:46 PM

Oh I remember.. Speaking of SIA there was an issue a little over 2 months ago that 777 pilots are paid almost the same as thier VP? It was kind of cool to me as I personally like B777 as this is what they use from MLE-SIN.

rumour in SIA is that they gonna pay A380 pilots less than what 777 pilots take home every month. It just doesnt make any sense to me. And as we all know SIA pilots doesnt clique well with management of the company...

ashton

July 12th, 2007, 02:14 PM

^ Thanks... and why do you think 777 pilots get higher pay? Sorry for the curiosity and yes ignorance.

Hard Ball

July 12th, 2007, 04:18 PM

Just saw this new PAL advertisement over MTV. They put a jazzy flavor to the old PAL theme. The theme is being sung by Mon David and arranged, I think, by Mel Villena. The video features new generation aircrafts of PAL. :banana:

Arkdriver

July 12th, 2007, 08:12 PM

Actually in reality almost all airline companies have problems with their employees association especially pilots. Some of them (pilots) are often told to shut up or leave, but SIA pilots took a stride and unite, they came out with powerful bargaining power that giving the company headache. Recent issues were about they pay of 777 pilots and A380. (dissolved when the company agree to pay more).

I dont know why the management decide that way but there's a belief that the easier you fly, the lower pay you'll get. Everybody knows A380 is technologically advanced aircraft, although workload of pilots may be less but the responsibility is indeed higher when you know you gonna fly 500 pax compared to 300++ pax in 777.

from wikipedia:

"The Airbus A380 will come into service in 2007. Pilots have since demanded to have a payrise for flying A-380. Singapore Airlines refuses to increase the pays on the argument that flying A380 is relatively similar to other modern aircraft the pilots are flying currently. The pilots argue that they deserve a payrise since they have a greater responsibility of flying A380 given that there are significantly more passengers. This case was brought into court in the early 2007."

by the way i'll be attending SIA OBS course this September. Still weighing pros and cons.

kiretoce

July 13th, 2007, 01:39 AM

A tale of two countries (http://www.bruneitimes.com.bn/details.php?shape_ID=36415)

A recent trip to Bangkok found me wondering how far behind we are now in building our physical infrastructure. Bangkok's new airport, large and functional, is one of the best in the region. The sight of it made me dread the thought of returning home through the old and dilapidated Ninoy Aquino International Airport as well as the traffic-snarled Tramo Street.

Thailand and the Philippines used to be described as twin countries up to the 1960s, when they had roughly the same population and economic size. Curious to check how we now compare, I looked up the World Fact Book on the Internet. In 2006, our gross domestic product (GDP) per capita was US$5,000, while it was US$9,200 for the Thais. People living below the poverty line made up 40 per cent of our population, while it was only 10 per cent in Thailand.

Do we blame this on our large population? The World Fact Book says we now number 91 million, while there are 65 million Thais. This would explain the difference in our per capita shares if we had the same GDP, but Thailand's stood at US$585.9 billion while ours was US$443.1 billion. Thai exports also amounted to US$123.5 billion, three times more than our US$47.2 billion.

This is the main reason why the unemployment rate in Thailand was 2.1 per cent, while ours was 7.9 per cent. The Thais don't have to look beyond their shores to find gainful employment while eight million of our compatriots endure separation from their families to work abroad.

What accounts for Thailand's higher production? Production comes from a country's installed manufacturing capacity, and its agriculture and services sector, so Thailand's higher GDP would not have come about if it had not done a better job of attracting investments. In fact its investment rate, at 28.7 per cent of GDP, is nearly twice our 14.6 per cent.

We are thankful for small blessings, such as the reported 6.9 per cent GDP growth during the first half of this year. While some people tend to be sceptical about this figure, given how tax collections have fallen below target, our efforts in attracting call centres and business process outsourcing have obviously produced results. And given good infrastructure, we can attract big investments, such as the US$1.6 billion shipbuilding facility of Hanjin in Subic, and the US$1 billion expansion plant of Texas Instruments (TI) in Clark. Subic is fast becoming a maritime centre with the new shipyard and container port, grains and fertiliser bulk facilities, and dry dock for ship repair. Philippine Airlines plans to expand its operations to the Diosdado Macapagal Airport in Clark. I am sure this piece of news, along with the anticipated completion of the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway by yearend helped Texas Instruments choose Clark over China despite the more liberal terms the latter offered. But we have a long way to go before we can ever catch up with our old twin.

On the other hand, our overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) remitted an estimated US$14 billion last year, whereas Thailand does not even keep a record of remittances from its workers abroad. Thus, our combined earnings from visitors and OFW remittances of US$16.5 billion is bigger than Thailand's comparable figure of US$14 billion.

So why are we lagging behind? Because we have long failed to harness this remittance resource. A central bank survey showed that after providing for educational and medical expenses, and buying or improving their houses, only 40 per cent of our OFWs save and most of their savings are kept in banks abroad.

kiretoce

July 13th, 2007, 01:42 AM

What’s the use of being a Pinoy airline? (http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryId=84199)

My inclination is to support the concept of free trade among nations. But it is a complex issue and it is best to formulate policies on the basis of what the circumstances present. In the case of the aviation industry, that would mean an intelligent view of open skies. While it is theoretically nice to have, there are realities that make open skies difficult, or unfair to implement unless some conditions are met.

In our case, the first problem has to do with congestion, specially in the case of Manila. We have one overused runway, often unavailable when local VIPs in their private planes want to take off or land. We also have a terminal building that has seen better years, and not enough gates to handle more than it presently does. The new terminal will be ready, heaven knows when.

And then, we have foreign governments who are not inclined to grant us the same rights we have already granted their carriers. Finally, in what amounts to an open skies situation, with the United States, it didn’t bring in more flights and tourists as we had hoped.

I have been following the issue for years now and it seems the local airlines have a point. In the past, we could accuse the local airlines of being shortsighted… of wanting to protect their turf but not ready to put in the investments to grow our tourism trade. They have been called rent-seekers. Well, both Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific have been spending billions of dollars on new aircraft and related facilities including those for pilot training and aircraft maintenance. They are rent-seekers no more.

Unlike the other major airlines in the region, both PAL and Cebu Pacific are privately owned and do not enjoy any favors from government. In fact, both are significant taxpayers and employers. This makes their recent investments more meaningful.

And they cannot be accused of operating as a cartel that fixes prices. Competition in the domestic airline industry is very real… even cutthroat. In fact, the prices of domestic tickets have gone down so much, inter-island shipping companies are starting to feel the pressure. Our domestic airlines can no longer be accused of not knowing how to compete.

As such, I tend to take their word when they say they are eager to compete with the likes of Singapore’s Tiger Airways or Hong Kong’s Hongkong Airlines or other so-called no frills airlines from Malaysia, Macau and other countries in the region. However, it is the civil aeronautics authorities in Macau, Hong Kong and South Korea who are not inclined to treat us as well as we have been treating them.

For instance, Hong Kong’s civil aviation authorities did not allow Cebu Pacific to make charter flights from Clark to the former British colony. Carmelo Arcilla, executive director of our own Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) said “Hong Kong’s so-called liberal regime just recently rejected Cebu Pacific’s application for charter flights from Clark saying that there’s not enough space in the bilateral agreement.” However, HK Airlines continues to operate to HKG from Clark because they are covered by EO500-A,” Candice Iyog, Cebu Pacific vice president for marketing said.

Lance Gokongwei, Cebu Pacific president and chief executive officer, said the airline plans to use Clark to fly daily to Hong Kong, four times a week to Singapore and Macau, three times a week to Bangkok and Taipei. Cebu Pacific plans to make Clark a base for aircraft and a hub for flights to and from various regional destinations and could enhance Clark’s importance as a gateway to Central and Northern Luzon in a major way.

Hong Kong’s treatment of Cebu Pacific was also not the first time we have been treated unfairly. Macau last year denied the application of Asian Spirit to fly from Clark to Macau and back, whereas Tiger Air of Singapore has been allowed to fly freely from Singapore to Clark to Macau and back. I understand South Korea recently denied similar applications from Asian Spirit, a smaller Philippine carrier.

“We hope to get a favorable response from all other governments considering that our own government has given their carriers similar rights to Clark,” Gokongwei said. Cebu Pacific expects to carry as many as 300,000 passengers in and out of Clark per year.

Philippine Airlines has also announced major investments in Clark. “We do want to make Clark our second home, and eventually our first,” Ma. Socorro Gonzaga, SAVP of Philippine Airlines told a PCCI Forum last week.

What has happened at Clark, she observed, was that Clark has become open skies for every foreign airline that wants to fly there from their home countries and go on to other destinations but effectively closed to Filipino airlines because they can’t do likewise.

“If Clark is now envisioned to be the future of Philippine aviation, then it makes no economic, political, commercial or strategic sense to exclude the Filipino airlines from that future,” Ms. Gonzaga emphasized. I think this is a good point.

If I get the plea of the local airlines correctly, they are not exactly against open skies. They just want our government to use open skies as a carrot to get other governments to allow our airlines the same privilege. The problem with our own officials is that often, they tend to even speak on behalf of the foreign governments. It happened again recently when the head of the Philippine panel in air talks with South Korea won the day… for South Korea.

I guess some sectors have the notion that unconditional open skies would dramatically increase our tourist numbers. That’s not going to happen automatically. I have insisted in past columns that unless we have the necessary infrastructures to promote tourism, open skies won’t make a difference.

We now have an operational Open Skies Agreement with the United States since 2004. But the US carriers have not increased the number of flights to the country nor have they increased the number of passengers they bring here. On the contrary, United Airlines did not resume its flights here.

In fact, those who take the Northwest connecting flights from Japan often report that while their flights are fully packed from the United States, there are more than enough vacant seats on the flight to Manila from Japan. There are those who forget that open skies will not create demand for airline seats. People must first want to visit us to generate demand. And only after there is such a demand will the American airlines even consider taking full advantage of the operational Open Skies agreement we have.

A local pioneer in in-bound tourism told me she can bring in jumbo jet loads of tourists here anytime, but where will she book them? Cebu, Manila and Boracay are fully booked in terms of hotel rooms. In fact, one hotel professional told me, prime rooms are more expensive in Manila than in Beijing.

We have to resolve once and for all, how we want to treat our local aviation industry… if we should have a local aviation industry at all. Right now they feel they are being treated badly and that’s no way to encourage local entrepreneurs who are putting large amounts of money at risk, at least $4.5 billion between the two top airlines on new aircrafts alone. They don’t even get help from our government the way other countries help their flag carriers. But they expect this government not to treat them less favorably than foreign airlines.

That doesn’t sound too much to ask. Or what’s the benefit of being a Filipino-owned airline? As the CEO of Cebu Pacific was once quoted, “we might as well register as foreign air carriers.”

It may be funny for Philippine Airlines to register as anything other than a Philippine airline. But what would stop Lucio Tan from creating a new airline called Air Guam and register it as an American flag carrier to enjoy the benefits here under the Open Skies agreement with the US? Makes business sense to me!

kiretoce

July 13th, 2007, 01:44 AM

Philippine Airlines all set to strengthen presence in Gulf (http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?xfile=data/theuae/2007/July/theuae_July199.xml&section=theuae&col=)

The Philippines’ flag carrier, Philippine Airlines (PAL), has an active plan to strengthen its presence in the Gulf region by expanding its code-share agreements with its Middle East carrier-partners, according to an an airline official.

Speaking from the PAL Head Office in Manila, Jose E.L. Perez de Tagle, assistant vice-president government affairs of PAL, said that the airline management was “constantly reviewing viable market options” and will decide accordingly.

PAL, considered as Asia’s oldest existing airline, had to suspend its flights to major destinations in the Middle East as early as 1998 following a major economic slump resulting from the 1997 Asian financial crisis.

The airline entered into a full-scale 10-year rehabilitation plan in June 1999 and signed up a code-share agreement with Emirates Airline in September of the same year, paving the way for seat allocation on Emirates’ Dubai-Manila route.

However, in March 2006, it altogether pulled the plug on its Middle East operations by suspending its flights to and from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where most of the more than 2 million overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in the region are residing.

In an earlier Press statement, PAL cited the rising cost of aviation fuel prices and ‘gross overcapacity’ or an influx of carriers, mostly from the Middle East and Far East, offering flights to Southeast Asia at reduced air fares, as reasons for its Middle East operation pull-out.

De Tagle said PAL’s code-share agreement with Emirates had been successful and on-going for the past eight years. “The code-share agreement has always been flexible. Seat allocation may increase or decrease depending on market demand. But so far it has been doing well and we’re considering expanding the agreement,” he said.

On average, Emirates allot 25 seats per flight in all its 10-weekly flights to Manila for PAL, accounting a total of 250 seats in a week.

De Tagle, however, does not discount the possibility of PAL flying into the Middle East air space again in the very near future as its rehabilitation plan nears completion. “Although we’ve lost heavily in the past, we have managed to gain some grounds. We’ve ordered a new fleet of Airbus A320 aircraft for our regional and domestic flights and Boeing 777-300 ER planes our long-haul flights,” the PAL official explained.

kiretoce

July 13th, 2007, 01:49 AM

Arroyo leads reopening of Ozamiz airport (http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/cag/2007/07/11/bus/arroyo.leads.reopening.of.ozamiz.airport.html)

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will lead the reopening of the Ozamiz City Airport Wednesday.

The newly renovated airport is expected to benefit travelers from Misamis Occidental and nearby provinces, like Lanao del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur, and Zamboanga Sibugay, following the temporary closure of the Pagadian City Airport.

Some P88 million from the President's funds, released through Misamis Occidental 2nd District Representative Herminia de Mesa-Ramiro per request of Ozamiz City Mayor Reynaldo O. Parojinog Sr., was used to fund the staggered renovation of the airport that had been idle for more than 20 years, according to Napoleon D. Bael, officer-in-charge of the Air Transportation Office (ATO) in Ozamiz City.

The rehabilitation work includes the concrete paving of the asphalted portion of the runway, extension of powerhouse at the flight service station, repainting of runway markers/threshold and centerline, and landscaping and vegetation control of airport terminal grounds and premises.

The ATO of the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) and the Department of Public Works and Highways worked hand-in-hand in the completion of the airport's renovation.

It is classified as a secondary airport situated in Barangay Gango, about two kilometers away from the city.

Meanwhile, Chief of Staff Mike Ochate of the City Mayor's Office said the Air Philippines already made its maiden flight at the newly renovated airport last July 8 with more than 100 passengers bound for Manila.

He said Air Philippines will have four flights a week on Sundays, Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

The AP aircraft leaves Manila for Ozamiz at 10:00 a.m. and is expected to arrive at 11:20 a.m. In its return flight on same day, the plane will leave Ozamiz for Manila at 12:20 noon.

bustero

July 13th, 2007, 05:01 AM

Re Thailand. Well without going into it so much as it's basically ot, there's a bunch of reasons but it's got a lot to do with types of certain strong institutions and the way things are counted but by far the biggest difference is population growth.

The 2nd and the 3rd article easily highlight the differences between open skies and highly regulated. In the 3rd article , one can easily that PAL has been given a license to make money. They don't need to fly they just need to collect money from some other airline using up their rights. If those right did not exist, Emirates could theoretically charge less as they don't need to pay a deadbeat partner and more importantly, Asian Spirit and Cebu Pacific could try for those markets as well. The reason PR does not serve that market is that from a financial return point of view, why bother , we have the monopoly in rights essentially so let's just sell the allocation.

This type of rent seeking mentality pervades the industry in general and PR in particular.

With regards their assertion of parity, one has to look closer at the so called evidence, for example. As asserted by SeaAir Pres the local airline the primary culprit behind Asian Spirit not getting any slots in Macau has as much to do with PR as with Macau. With 5J not getting any slots well I'd be very interested to find out if it also included regular flights and not just charter as there is a huge difference between the two with regards to IATA and ICAO rules and airport management.

I'm pretty sure this has all the makings of cartel protection, the problem lies not with the stated ticket price but with the add on surcharges. IT IS MUCH HIGHER THAN FOREIGN AIRLINES. That's why the local fares are more expensive than comparable foreign fares run by LCCs from Clark. It's got a lot to do with how it's presented. If Air Asia was to run a local airline, I'm pretty sure we would all be enjoying 2000 peso flights from Manila to Davao, all in. It's the comparable flight from KL to KK. At present the comparable 5J or PR flight is about 5k. And I fly to davao all the time it's very difficult to get the so called cheap fares and when you do it's still going to cost 2500 Php.

The example of US open skies treaty is also very much a red herring. That was arranged primarily for cargo! It was a requirement for UPS to even think of putting a hub here. The fact that there were no addtional tourists rests very much with the fact that there are no additional flights. And that is the very big difference with Clark, the additional flights are all waiting to serve Clark. A fact that PR et al have very conviniently chosen to forget in their argument using the so called lack of increase in tourism in spite of an open skies regimen with the US.

And in the end , even if it was all true. One very important group of people is never ever mentioned by these rent seekers, and that is the customer. ME. I'd like my choice and don't see why I should make Lucio Tan and John Gokongwei any richer due to the notion that they are being treated unfairly, specially if one considers that the actual reality is that IT IS THEY WHO ARE ALMOST ALL THE TIME AT THE OTHER END OF TREATING OTHERS FAIRLY. There is no national interest to protect with aligning the interests of these billionaires with the republic.

Solblanc

July 13th, 2007, 06:29 AM

^^

On paper, 5J not getting any slots seems pretty bad, but looking at the factors surrounding it, we see that:

The current bilateral with Hong Kong is indeed stretched. All the capacity has been allotted. I remember reading an article where PR gave 5J the rights over its unused entitlements to Hong Kong. HK airlines can fly to Clark because of Clark's special case. But that's just Clark (and perhaps Subic) If HK airlines attempted to fly to any other airport in the country, they'd be rejected.

But one thing that has been ignored by the press is Cebu Pacific's capabilities in establishing a hub in Clark. I mean, they were already having a hard time juggling their fleet with all the new routes, and now, they're starting service to 4 chinese cities. All of this is from Manila. Can they really afford to base two or three of their precious aircraft in Clark to make a new hub? I know that Cebu Pacific has orders coming in, but these won't come in until late next year.

manchowyin

July 13th, 2007, 09:24 AM

One very important group of people is never ever mentioned by these rent seekers, and that is the customer. ME. I'd like my choice and don't see why I should make Lucio Tan and John Gokongwei any richer due to the notion that they are being treated unfairly, specially if one considers that the actual reality is that IT IS THEY WHO ARE ALMOST ALL THE TIME AT THE OTHER END OF TREATING OTHERS FAIRLY. There is no national interest to protect with aligning the interests of these billionaires with the republic.

You're dead right on that one, man. You should send your piece to some newspapers. Those PR guys are savvy at camouflaging their intentions.

FrancisXavier

July 13th, 2007, 12:46 PM

2P 998 MNL-CGY 9-Jul-07

sorry for the quality..i was using my phone cam(off line mode)

Take off
x57PWB4PXXA

Landing
AZ2FvcovJUs

eonynx

July 13th, 2007, 01:02 PM

RAH-66 Comanche ? cancelled na ito. The US Army put their money on those Blackhawks choppers and other aviation research.
Sayang ito, it is a lot quieter than an Apache.

And composite materials on other existing helicopters are being applied now.

http://www.army-technology.com/projects/comanche/images/comanche4.jpg

oh really na cancel!? what i saw sa featured film (i think it was discovery channel) was really an amazing demonstration of aircraft technology! you're right it's very quiet! a lot quieter than the apache. and it can fly very low! it can hide among the trees. it can fly very fast backwards and it can suddenly change direction in an almost effortless manner while apparently maintaining its speed.

on the flip side, at least the composite material technology found its way to civilian use in the upcoming dream liner! of boeing:) the result of which is a more quiet airplane and since composites are a lot lighter than aluminums, explains in huge part why the dream liner is touted as a fuel efficient airplane. this in turn is a welcome development to air carriers who are bent on saving on fuel costs.

oz.fil

July 13th, 2007, 03:42 PM

Arkdriver

July 13th, 2007, 08:12 PM

bustero is right, if you compare CEB price with other ASEAN based LCC they're not really cheap...

Alo

July 13th, 2007, 09:34 PM

Hi to all

I just read this article in the Manila Standard.

President Arroyo mentions different airports in this article, does anyone know something about these projects, there are threads about the silay airport and iloilo airport. but what about:

Guian Airport in Eastern Samar, San Vicente airstrip in Palawan, Siargao Airport in Surigao and Busuanga Airport in Palawan in December, Puerto Princesa airport in Palawan in February and upgrading of the Dumaguete

here the article:

Super regions forging ahead
By Fel V. Maragay

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo said yesterday the super regions concept is being implemented according to plans as she reported the completion of more infrastructure projects and the launching of new ones.

The President recalled that in last year’s State-of-the-Nation Address, she unveiled the theme of the super regions that would spread development throughout the country from concentration in Manila.

“It was not just a State-of-the-Nation gimmick. It is a concept that will be carried all the way to 2010,” she told the Central Philippines Infrastructure Conference at the New Silay Airport in Silay City, Negros Occidental.

Mrs. Arroyo said the newly constructed Iloilo International Airport started operations last month while the new Bacolod Airport is already finished and will be opened in November after the completion of the access road.

She said the following airports are also due for completion: Guian Airport in Eastern Samar, San Vicente airstrip in Palawan, Siargao Airport in Surigao and Busuanga Airport in Palawan in December, Puerto Princesa airport in Palawan in February and upgrading of the Dumaguete runway in April.

The President said the government must invest in vital infrastructure—the backbone of a modern nation—to enhance the country’s global competitiveness.

ryanr

July 14th, 2007, 03:43 AM

This is interesting.
I'd like to hear a comment from an all-Aibus or all-Boeing (is there any?) operators... Cebu Pacific, hello? Comment? Aw anyways, you'll get ATR's soon. :)

Obviously, my explanation does not cover all (100%) of airlines around the world. It is mainly the big time players like SQ, LH, AF, EK, QF, CX, BA, etc that have most of the purchasing power that enables them to pressure Boeing and Airbus with their aircraft development and business deals. 5J is a very small airline so their voice in the aviation world is minuscule compared to SQ, hence it is to their best interest to save money by operating a fleet of Airbus. There are of course exceptions like JL which is focused on an all-Boeing fleet (replacing their last remaining Airbuses with 787s) but their case is mainly due to the strong Japan-USA relations and Japan's involvement with Boeing's products.

The main point of my earlier post is that it is to the industry's (and in fact, the general public's) benefit that both Boeing and Airbus remain strong. I heard in the news that Airbus congratulated Boeing on its successful 787 launch, showing the deep respect the two companies have for each other. The flaming we hear in Boeing vs Airbus discussions are of the view of poorly informed people and not of the industry itself.

And just to add on tsinoy's comment on the Commanche project - It was also shelved because the US military wanted to focus on un-manned aircraft such as the predator for future recon and light attack missions.

lochinvar

July 14th, 2007, 04:25 AM

"new Bacolod Airport is already finished and will be opened in November after the completion of the access road."

Why were they not built in tandem with each other?

jaywalker

July 14th, 2007, 04:36 AM

"new Bacolod Airport is already finished and will be opened in November after the completion of the access road."

Why were they not built in tandem with each other?

Please visit New Bacolod Silay Thread {NBSA} for the answers and information.Thanks:)

cruizer333444

July 14th, 2007, 06:30 AM

zamboanga city badly needs a new airport of international standard like the one in iloilo. hope the president is thinking about zamboanga also?

le Reine

July 14th, 2007, 06:52 AM

my gosh, don't you think we're building too much airports already? do you think there's enough demand.

dancethingy

July 14th, 2007, 08:32 AM

a good urban planner always anticipates growth. You can't wait until the capacity is through the roof and then build.

le Reine

July 14th, 2007, 08:39 AM

ashton

July 14th, 2007, 10:05 AM

^ Impressive explanation. Thank you very much.
I think the congratulations was fake though. And the 'flaming' not only comes from us but from them too. . And hey d'ya know that Airbus sent it's huge congrats to 5J when it celebrated it's anniversary? :)

habagatcentral1

July 14th, 2007, 11:12 AM

PAL A340 landing at MNL
Xu0OAVi4UAA

FrancisXavier

July 14th, 2007, 03:06 PM

these new airports are expected to boost the economy of their locality.. for example, products from ILOILO can be directly exported without shipping them to international logistic hubs like Manila, Cebu, or Clark..

Alo

July 14th, 2007, 07:27 PM

i got this from an article in the manila standard. it gives an idea about how much these new projects cost:

very interesting projects are Puerto princesa airport, busuanga airport , bicol and panglao airport.

here the article:

Tourism Secretary Joseph Ace Durano, who heads the Central Philippines super region, said the development of new airports in the region would boost the tourism industry.

The airport development projects expected to be completed this year include the New Bacolod Airport Development Project, costing P6.376 billion; and those in Bulan, Sorsogon (P15 million); Kalibo, Aklan (P105 million); and Siargao in Surigao del Norte (P58 million).

Durano said construction of the P3.44-billion Bicol International Airport in Daraga, Albay and the P2.87-billion Panglao Bohol International Airport in Panglao Island, Bohol would start late this year or early next year.

Other airport development projects include the Puerto Princesa Airport, costing P3.132 billion; Busuanga Airport, P1.224 billion; Balabac, P303 million; and San Vicente, P100 million which are all located in Palawan province.

Also under development are airports in Tacloban, costing P1.121 billion; San Jose, Romblon, P303 million; Kabankalan, Negros Occidental, P303 million; Dumaguete, P290 million; and Guiuan, Eastern Samar, P142 million.

ianers_ianized

July 15th, 2007, 10:55 AM

my gosh, don't you think we're building too much airports already? do you think there's enough demand.

I think its not too much every airport in our country needs modernization... and I hope that all of the airport in our country contains jetways, we deverve new airports so we can cater convinienceto ourfelow pinoys and tourists.

midwestguy1

July 15th, 2007, 11:02 AM

lochinvar

July 15th, 2007, 11:13 AM

"I'm curious about why they are building an International airport in Bicol. Is there any boracay type resort there that's popular to foreign and local tourist that it has enough reason to open a direct flight in this region from overseas?"

I didn't know the purpose of an international airport is only to cater to pampered tourists. That's going to be a very expensive airport if it is only one dimensional. :ohno: :ohno:

midwestguy1

July 15th, 2007, 11:36 AM

^^^ You have to look at the brighter side side of it my friend, increased tourism helps in improving the economy, we can't only just receive, you also have to give something and if it means to have a better infrastructure, then an international airport would be one of them answers but it's not limited to it solely. If he whole purpose of building an international airport in that region is for more funding in disguise of "for the benefit of the people"? Then, you can really say "it would be one hell of an expensive airport" because you are just feeding the vultures that is sitting on their asses in their local government.

FrancisXavier

July 15th, 2007, 03:08 PM

airports are not built solely for passengers...

midwestguy1

July 16th, 2007, 12:26 AM

airports are not built solely for passengers...

A functional and pleasant terminal building is there to cater the needs of the traveling public, that includes the residents of the area, the local and the foreign tourists alike. I just don't understand why Bicol will have an international airport,a new or an upgraded airport yes, it would be great for Bicol. If anything that really needed an upgrade, it should be the Zambuanga Intern'l airport. I've never been there but I think they have atleast chartered flights from the neighboring Sabah and Indonesia. You guys can correct me if I am wrong with that one.

pau_p1

July 16th, 2007, 01:45 PM

well.. Bicol does offer a lot of tourism activities like visiting the iconic Mayon Volcano, experience diving with the whalesharks, Daraga is about an hour or two from CamSur where the now famous wakeboarding resort is, they also have good beaches and they offer big festivals like that of Peñafrancia, etc...

plus there may also be Bicolanos working in Malaysia or Singapore or maybe Guam who'd like direct flights to Bicol rather than passing thru Manila to get there....

ohh.. and to add... building international airport in our major cities would be a good preparation for federalization.. that is if it pushes through...

Skyblade

July 17th, 2007, 10:19 PM

Looks like NW *might* also use the CL 6510 (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v74/Skyblade04/Germany/Aircraft%20Interiors%20Expo/Germany4130.jpg) and 3510 (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v74/Skyblade04/Germany/Aircraft%20Interiors%20Expo/Germany4140.jpg) currently planned for PR's retrofit for it's 787 seating according to the Northwest 787 Seat Show gallery (http://www.flickr.com/photos/nwa/sets/72157594316786604/). Currently the CL 6510 is up against the Contour Aura (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v74/Skyblade04/Germany/Aircraft%20Interiors%20Expo/Germany4070.jpg).

NOVO ECIJANO

July 18th, 2007, 07:43 AM

lol i read somewhere that the thais ripped off our milagrosa rice and named their 'thai hom som mali jasmine rice' or sum crap

there are like thai branded filipino products like the nata de coco that are mass produced by thailand and being exported :bash: its really the philippines fault for not concentrating on its exporting of agricultural products. the only thing the thais havnt ripped off and mass produced from the philippines as far as i know are the dried mangoes... and now i think i see some thai brands of that too in asian supermarkets here! argh... oh well, thais are smart :lol: cant blame them

sampaguita rice,ligo rice,mayon rice golden swan soy sauce(exactly the same level) in kuwait all from thailand.

zhock2001

July 18th, 2007, 02:50 PM

tigidig14

July 18th, 2007, 05:53 PM

xxpmrong

July 18th, 2007, 06:19 PM

^^^ over 200 daw ang patay... ano kaya talagang nangyari?

Ph Man

July 18th, 2007, 06:40 PM

lol i read somewhere that the thais ripped off our milagrosa rice and named their 'thai hom som mali jasmine rice' or sum crap

wow, i didn't know this. I've seen a lot of exports of Hom Thai Mali to overseas but i never had an idea this is the Milagrosa rice. Milagrosa rice is not even know internationally.

paulkrps

July 18th, 2007, 07:03 PM

wow, i didn't know this. I've seen a lot of exports of Hom Thai Mali to overseas but i never had an idea this is the Milagrosa rice. Milagrosa rice is not even know internationally.

milagrosa or jasmine rice is very known here in most asian groceries around the greater toronto area. even the mainstream canadian stores/groceries are starting to sell (recognizing the asians as a growing market) milagrosa/jasmine rice. and yes, whatever those brands, they all come from thailand.

tigidig14

July 18th, 2007, 07:16 PM

theyre known to mexican people as well because thats where we get our palengke food. asian stores are usually expensive, thats why

Alo

July 18th, 2007, 08:16 PM

COSCO to develop Sangley Point as int’l airport, seaport, logistics hub

By BERNIE CAHILES–MAGKILAT

Malacañang has issued Executive Order 629 allowing China Ocean Shipping Company (COSCO), the world’s second biggest shipping company in terms of carrying capacity, to convert Sangley Point in Cavite City into an international logistics hub with modern seaport and airport at a cost of billion to billion.

Trade and Industry Secretary Peter B. Favila announced the COSCO investment after President Gloria Arroyo signed the EO just recently and COSCO chief executive office Capt. Wei Jiafu is coming here next week.

Favila said the President has acquiesced to the request of Senator Ramon Revilla, during the latter’s birthday party celebration, for the administration not to forget Cavite in all the infrastructure projects that are being undertaken by the government.

It so happened also that COSCO already did its homework by going around the country to scout for possible location and has decided to take on Sangley Point, Favila said.

Revilla then sought for Arroyo’s issuance of an EO to allow the conversion of Sangley Point into a fully operational international logistics hub.

As a result, the President through EO 629 has created the executive committee for the development of Sangley Point.

The president also directed the Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA) to develop the Sangley Point into an international logistic hubs with container port and airport complex and an economic processing zone with cyberparks through a private sector joint venture under a build-operate-transfer scheme. An inter-agency technical committee was also created to assist the PRA.

COSCO will reclaim 4,000 hectares around Sangley Point because the COSCO project is not supposed to displace the Philippine Navy, which is headquartered in Sangley Point.

"The Chinese wants to do it yesterday," Favila said.

"Senator Revilla has to work with his constituents in Cavite to realize this project," Favila said. A smooth sailing project implementation is expected because Bacoor, where some of the land reclamation would be undertaken, is now under Mayor Edwin Revilla, the brother of Senator Revilla.

Based on the EO, provision of an international container port complex that would include an airport and seaport in Sangley Point is necessary to maximize the use of the R-I Expressway Extension now undergoing construction.

The viability of the project would be enhanced by undertaking reclamation work in the portions of Bacoor and Canaco Bays as this would provide a significant expansion district to the limited land area of Cavite City.

Sangley Point, is a former U.S, Naval Base Port located on the northernmost tip of Cavite City Peninsula is presently being used by the Philippine Navy for ship repair and dry docking purposes. It juts 6 kilometers into the sea.

This facility has the following comparative advantages and potentials for growth: A bay location that provides potential for sea transport, existing air and port facilities which could be upgraded and improved, it has a military airport which has a concrete runway of 229 x 22 meters, and road links, which provide access to Manila and CALABARZON growth corridors.

Aside from Sangley Point terminal, no other terminal in Cavite was developed particularly for the purpose of commercial ferry services.

The commercial ferry services from Cavite City to Roxas Boulevard in Manila and from Cavite City to Corregidor Island which had been using Sangley Point terminal since 1967 had been stopped in September 2001 for security reasons.

Exactly a month ago, COSCO officials led by Capt. Wei had a meeting with the President for its project in the country.

At that time, COSCO was just awaiting for the President’s instruction where to pour its investments in the country.

In a speech before the local business community led by Malacanang Special envoy on trade and investments to China Francis Chua, the COSCO president stressed that the economic growth in Southeast Asia today has also brought about transportation bottlenecks in the region.

"I believe we need to find an area where the transshipment would be reasonable, convenient and efficient. We are now in the process of re-identifying this area," Wei said.

"We want to look into the terminal, logistics, shipbuilding and repair and maintenance facilities," Wei told reporters.

Wei further urged the Philippines to stay competitive with other countries, which are also offering the same transshipment hub concept.

"We are hopeful, in line with the National Economic and Development Authority’s vision of developing the domestic logistics system, that the Philippines will become another logistics center in Asia," Wei added.

With a fleet of 770 ships and a combined tonnage of more than 47 million deadweight tons, Wei said that COSCO is now in the best position to make investments in the region. Its vessels call on 1,300 ports in 160 countries.

Among countries in the region, Wei cited the rapid growth of trade between the Philippines and China from only $ 5.2billion in 2002 to $ 10 billion in 2004. Last year, two-way trade reached $ 23.41 billion making the Philippines China’s fourth largest trading partner in Southeast Asia.

Aside from the logistics and shipping business, COSCO is also engaged in financing, real estate, information technology and soon in the mining business.

The COSCO group owns almost 1,000 companies all over the world employing a total of 80,000 people.

Alo

July 18th, 2007, 08:22 PM

Cosco ups Sangley investment

By Max V. de Leon
Reporter

THE China Ocean Shipping Group Company (Cosco) has increased its committed investments for the company’s proposed logistics hub in Sangley Point, Cavite, to $4 billion to $5 billion from the original $3 billion.

Trade Secretary Peter Favila said Cosco’s management made the decision after the government officially made available to the company a big part of the naval station through the issuance of Executive Order 629 late last month.

EO 629 directs the Philippine Reclamation Authority to convert Sangley Point into an international logistics hub with modern seaport and airport through an enabling reclamation component.

Favila said the president and CEO of Cosco, Wei Jia Fu, will be coming back to Manila soon to finalize plans for the project.

“The Cosco CEO said he is willing to pump in $4 billion to $5 billion to convert Sangley Point to a modern port facility,” Favila told reporters Wednesday.

With the issuance of the EO, Favila said the national government has done its part to make the project happen and it is now up to the local government of Cavite to do its share.

At this time, Favila said it will still take some convincing for the province of Cavite to help Cosco speed up the process.

Favila said he was assured by Cosco officials that the part of the Sangley Point that is being used by the Philippines Navy will not be affected by the Cosco operations.

Earlier, Cosco announced it will pour in $3 billion to convert Sangley Point to its Southeast Asian logistics hub.

The Cosco CEO and his team personally informed President Arroyo of their plan when they visited the country in June.

Favila said he told Cosco officials then to look for a place where they can set up operations and he was informed that the Chinese have already chosen Sangley Point.

Before the Cosco officials came over, Favila said the company had quietly searched for prospective sites and found Sangley Point the most suitable, especially with its deep waters near the shore.

dexter06

July 18th, 2007, 09:47 PM

^^and that's still a big question though. We wouldn't have cities like Manila if we have good urban planners. Haha... sorry for being pessimistic, I'm just worried that some money might be useful to other purposes.

XP,
Iloilo and Bacolod airports are the next busiest airports after Manila, Cebu and Davao. (also include Caticlan - though catering mostly to smaller aircraft).

Cebu and Davao airports have been upgraded already (though Cebu needs expansion due to the rapid increase of flight frequencies the past couple of years). If you have been to Bacolod and Iloilo, you will understand why these two cities each need new airports. The terminal really gets full especially in the morning.

With the rapid increase in flight frequencies, it is not far fetched that both cities will require double aisle aircraft (A330) within the next five years. Cebu and Davao are already serviced by both single aisle and double aisle aircraft. Airports are built to be used in the next 25 to 30 or more years. The old airports of Bacolod and Iloilo are more than 35 years old already - older than NAIA - and operating beyond capacity. Thus, the new airports.

dexter06

July 18th, 2007, 10:00 PM

"new Bacolod Airport is already finished and will be opened in November after the completion of the access road."

Why were they not built in tandem with each other?

Very good question. I also wondered why the access road construction was not coordinated during the planning stage (which was more than 5 years ago).

Firstly, the funding of the new airport did not include the access road. This is not an excuse though. The access road construction should have been included in the planning.

Anyway, there is no use finger pointing at this stage. What is incumbent is to expedite the access road completion. One thing good that came out of this was that the politicians (the mayors of the Silay and Bacolod and the Congressmen) sat down and agreed to coordinate among themselves to expedite its completion (despite their differences). Hope they continue doing so for the rest of their terms.

paulkrps

July 18th, 2007, 11:20 PM

theyre known to mexican people as well because thats where we get our palengke food. asian stores are usually expensive, thats why

not here in toronto. hehehe, in fact a lot of whites are beginning to do their groceries in asian shops because it's cheap.

sorry for the o.t.

crappypants

July 18th, 2007, 11:46 PM

may narinig ako kanina habang nagmamaneho na may nadulas na eroplano sa brazil, sa rio yata, tapos bumanga sa hanger nya na refuel'an ng eroplano, a320 yata but i know its a3 something. ayun sumabog pero wala daw patay. ang kina-iinisan daw nila ay yung kaliitan ng runway ng airport na yun, and its been a problem eversince.

Pano ba naman sasabog yung eroplano na walang patay? :lol:
san napunta mga tao.

sorry but sad news. rest in peace to passengers of brazil airline.

tigidig14

July 19th, 2007, 02:01 AM

nagparachute bago bumanga ^^ sa sao paolo pala at ye madaming namatay

kalbongdad

July 19th, 2007, 04:12 AM

I'm curious about why they are building an International airport in Bicol. Is there any boracay type resort there that's popular to foreign and local tourist that it has enough reason to open a direct flight in this region from overseas?

"I'm curious about why they are building an International airport in Bicol. Is there any boracay type resort there that's popular to foreign and local tourist that it has enough reason to open a direct flight in this region from overseas?"

I didn't know the purpose of an international airport is only to cater to pampered tourists. That's going to be a very expensive airport if it is only one dimensional. :ohno: :ohno:

the bicol airport...the one in bulan...sorsogon (bicol)....is for the development of tourism in that area...they are pushing the whale shark (butanding) to provide the development push...of sorsogon....because of its unique experience...there is nothing like it...in the world...that is unique to the philippines......

the airports being developed actually is to provide the needed infrastructure to support the super regions concept....as you can see GMA's vision is for us to join the 1st world nation status by 2020 we cannot be a 1st world country with delapidated infrastructures....

kalbongdad

July 19th, 2007, 04:21 AM

that is good news.....really...it seems the philippines is busy these with lots of economic activities these days....galing talaga ni GMA small but terrible....kahit dami galit sa kanya...way to go man....

Alo

July 19th, 2007, 04:42 AM

Business
Cosco plan to invest in RP will dislocate Navy

By Ma. Elisa P. Osorio
Thursday, July 19, 2007

The Philippine Navy is considering relocating its headquarters in Sangley Point as Chinese shipping giant China Ocean Shipping Co. (Cosco) firms up its plan to invest up to $5 billion to convert the naval base into a modern seaport.

“We are conducting a study wherein we are considering relocating our Sangley naval station to Zambales,” Navy spokesman Commodore Giovanni Bacordo told The Star in a telephone interview.

According to Bacordo, they are looking at moving to the San Miguel Naval Station in Zambales should Sangley Point in Cavite be reclaimed. However, he conceded that the Zambales base needs a lot of developing.

Bacordo refused to say how much is needed to refurbish the Zambales naval station.

Bacordo said the study to relocate the 140-hectare naval station in Sangley Point is being conducted by the Navy’s plans and programs committee.

The study started June 21, the same time President Arroyo signed Executive Order (EO) 629 that orders the conversion of Sangley.

Under EO 629, the Philippine Reclamation Authority was ordered by the Palace to convert Sangley Point into an international logistics hub with modern seaport and airport thru an enabling reclamation component.

It will likewise be an economic processing zone with cyber or technoparks through a private sector joint venture or a build-operate-transfer scheme.

Bacordo said the signed EO is not clear as to which part of Sangley will be converted into a seaport and an airport. “There are a lot of gray areas in the EO.”

In a separate interview, Trade Secretary Peter B. Favila said Cosco has already committed to infuse $4 billion to $5 billion for the conversion of Sangley Point.

The Chinese liked Sangley Point. They considered other locations but they chose to develop Sangley into a fully operational commercial port,” Favila said at the sidelines of yesterday’s National Competitiveness Council conference at the Renaissance Hotel in Makati.

Favila announced that Wei Jia Fu, Cosco president and chief executive officer, will visit the country to finalize the deal.

The secretary said they are hopeful the multi-billion investment will come in before the end of the year but said Cosco may encounter problems with the local government units.

“We in the national government have done our part already. It is up to them to issue the necessary permits and licenses,” Favila said.

In a previous interview, Francis Chua, special Philippine envoy on China trade and investments, said Cosco’s initial plans include the development of a 250-hectare land in Sangley Point where they would put up a “marine school to train maritime sailors. There will be a repairing ships and building ships.”

“They will be using the Philippines as a hub for shipment to Europe and America, so all cargo from Asia will come to the Philippines, using the Philippines as a staging point to go to US, North America, Europe and vice versa,” Chua said.

manileño

July 19th, 2007, 05:16 AM

this is good news. although it will require another massive redevelopment of the vicinity and roads leading to this new ecozone. and expect a new branch of south rail extending from fort boni to cavite city. the sm mall of asia ferry would also be fully utilised with this development. :cheers:

and in addition, the chinese like Sangley Point because it was named after them by the Spanish for this is where they used to dock their junks and do trade with hispanic philippines.

manileño

July 19th, 2007, 05:38 AM

this news about new regional airports across the country seems like we're already transitioning to a federal republic where projects are pouring in outside imperial manila. hehe. it's good to see a few signs of economic decentralization taking place. :cheers:

LordCarnal

July 19th, 2007, 06:28 AM

I've noticed that we have too many international airports already.

Within reach from NAIA are Subic, Clark, and the one proposed in Sangley. Here in the Visayas, there's Mactan and another one proposed in Bohol. The new airports in Iloilo and Bacolod would soon be international airports.

Wouldn't it be better if the investor would invest in building a terminal in Clark instead? Or perhaps invest it on more highways, roads, railroads, more power plants for stable electric supply, and more dams and reservoir for stable water supply, etc.?

,,.

lochinvar

July 19th, 2007, 06:37 AM

Is there a possibility that Ternate will also build a port and will be managed by the Indonesians. The first inhabitants of the said towns were from the original and much bigger Ternate in Indonesia.

Alo

July 19th, 2007, 06:42 AM

@lochinvar

indonesians?

@arnold carl

i dont agree with that, these are the new times..many more airports and logistics hubs to rise, all over the country. watch out!

they are also building roads and all the things you mentioned.

and yes, just wait a few more months, they will build a huge terminal at DMIA, as soon as the feasibility study is done, the chinese consortium will publish its study, soon after, they will start to build.

its a fantastic news! this are FIVE BILLION US-DOLLAR...man, how cool is that????

DMIA in the north, then subic and now sangley point. thats what it needs to move the philippines forward.

manileño

July 19th, 2007, 07:29 AM

pau_p1

July 19th, 2007, 10:23 AM

hmmm... so it seems that if this pushes through I don't there is a need for NAIA3 anymore.... except of course NAIA remains as the main terminal while Clark and Sangley are secondary international airports to NAIA...

yeah I agree that we don't have enough international airports with the number of islands that we have.... having more of international airports will help us open up more routes in and out of the country rather than relying on Manila, Cebu and Davao international airports...

Alo

July 19th, 2007, 08:34 PM

Sangley port project OKd
By Elaine Ruzul S. Ramos

Malacañang has issued an executive order converting Cavite City’s Sangley Point, home of the Philippine Navy, into a fully operational commercial port.

Trade and Industry Secretary Peter Favila told reporters yesterday the directive would facilitate the proposed multi-billion dollar investment in the country of China Ocean Shipping Co., the world’s second-largest shipping company.

Executive Order 629, signed by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on June 21, 2007, ordered the Philippine Reclamation Authority to convert Sangley Point in Cavite City into an international logistics hub with modern seaport and airport through an enabling reclamation component.

Favila said President Arroyo issued the directive following the request of Senator Ramon Revilla Jr. for a speedier development of infrastructure in his home province.

President Arroyo directed the Philippine Reclamation Authority to develop the Sangley Point into an international logistics hub with container port and airport complex and an economic processing zone with cyber or technoparks through a private sector joint venture, or build-operate-transfer scheme.

She created an executive committee to oversee the planning and implementation of the project, composed of the PRA, representative of the Office of the Mayor of Cavite City and various government agencies.

Favila said the chief executive of Cosco had committed to invest between $4 billion and $5 billion to develop Sangley Point into a commercial port.

Captain Wei Jiafu, chief executive and executive president of the Cosco Group, came to the Philippines a month ago to seek audience with Malacañang for the company’s plans to put up an integrated logistics hub in the country.

Favila said the company, after doing a study on its own, had finally chosen Sangley Point as the location for its proposed hub.

“To convert Sangley Point into a fully commercial port, they have to do some reclamation. Cosco will co-exist with the Navy,” said Favila.

He said the company had yet to disclose details but Cosco officials were flying in next week to firm up investment plans in the country.

“The Chinese want to do it yesterday,” Favila said when asked when Cosco plans to begin with the development of the port.

The Cosco Group owns and operates a fleet of 770 vessels with a combined tonnage of more than 47 million deadweight tons. It is involved in global logistics, shipbuilding, ship repair, terminal operations, trade, financing, real estate and information technology.

The President as early as 2002 had approved the creation of an inter-agency committee for the preparation of a pre-feasibility study on the economic viability, environmental impact, and social and political acceptability of the Sangley Point Development Project in Cavite.

The development involves the reclamation of some 4,000 hectares around Sangley Point for mixed-use development. It features a modern naval and air base, regional hub seaport capable of servicing giant super panamax container ships, an international airport, housing and livelihood facilities, commercial and industrial areas, schools, hospitals and other institutional facilities, parks, playgrounds and other amenities and roads and rail system.

Rolls-Royce

July 20th, 2007, 12:46 AM

The airliner in question was TAM, and the aircraft was A320, which skidded off the runway and slammed to a nearby petrol station. It is feared that no one had survived. It happened at one of Sao Paulo's airport, the Congonhas Airport. There were prior incidents before that, but it wasn't as fatal. It was blamed on the slippery runway which had just been overlayed only a few days before the accident. It is closed hitherto, until a thorough investigation has been done.

Skyblade

July 20th, 2007, 05:48 AM

^^ As many as 200 on the ground and onboard perished. Condolences to friends and family of the fatalities...

TAM pilot reportedly attempted to abort landing (http://www.atwonline.com/news/story.html?storyID=9604)
Brian Straus
Thursday July 19, 2007

The pilot of the TAM A320 that crashed late Tuesday at Sao Paulo Conganhas apparently tried to abort the landing and pull up as he contacted the rain-slickened, 6,365-ft. runway at Brazil's busiest airport.

Instead, the aircraft slid across a multilane road and into a building that may have contained or been adjacent to a fueling station, killing all 180 passengers and six crew aboard and 3-15 people on the ground (ATWOnline, July 18). TAM owns the building, which reportedly was used as a cargo handling center.

CNN and the Associated Press reported from Sao Paulo that the initial investigation revealed that the aircraft was seen attempting to lift off following touchdown. Both the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder have been located, and at least 158 bodies have been recovered, according to press reports. The aircraft was en route from Porto Alegre. Reuters reported that the airport's secondary runway reopened yesterday.

CNN reported that cutting of grooves for rainwater into the recently resurfaced runway, 35L, had not been finished, while Bloomberg News said the airport shut down 18 times during the first quarter because of flooded runways. Brazilian courts addressed the safety of CGH for large aircraft in February, with an appeals court overturning an initial ruling that banned larger planes from the facility.

According to the Flight Safety Foundation's Aviation Safety Network, the IAE V2527-A5-powered A320 first flew in February 1998 and was delivered to TACA the following month. TAM took the aircraft in January of this year. It had accumulated approximately 20,000 flight hr. ASN said Tuesday's accident represents the worst involving an A320 and the worst in Brazilian history.

eonynx

July 20th, 2007, 07:25 AM

aviation authorities said that the airport's runway characteristics- notoriously short and slippery as soap during rainy weather, were the crucial factors in the cause of the crash

coacozambo92

July 20th, 2007, 08:20 AM

A functional and pleasant terminal building is there to cater the needs of the traveling public, that includes the residents of the area, the local and the foreign tourists alike. I just don't understand why Bicol will have an international airport,a new or an upgraded airport yes, it would be great for Bicol. If anything that really needed an upgrade, it should be the Zambuanga Intern'l airport. I've never been there but I think they have atleast chartered flights from the neighboring Sabah and Indonesia. You guys can correct me if I am wrong with that one.

Your right, It is our aim to upgrade our Airport. We are dissapointed in some cases our National Goverment in handling proposed projects. We Zamboanga City residence want to have better International Airport. We have plan since 1987 about the new location of our airport but we are :ohno: overtaken by BACOLOD and ILOILO. Maybe because Zamboanga is an :bash: opossition CITY. Zamboanga is the back door City of Western Mindanao. We are very popular if you say Barter Trading. We are known to every people in Sabah than Bacolod or ILO-ILO not even Gensan then why the government deprive us to having a better International Airport?

bustero

July 20th, 2007, 08:21 AM

el_dasik_oo1

July 20th, 2007, 08:35 AM

Nabasa ko itong article nung isang araw.. wow! this will bring more investment sa Cavite and possibly Batangas area.. ayus yan! :D

midwestguy1

July 20th, 2007, 08:53 AM

^ NAIA will soon be torn down to give way for decongestion and more real estate developments in the metro as fort boni and villamor expand. as i see it, future travels to manila will be served by 3 major airports. (as is the case for NYC at present.) Clark-DMIA [NY's JFK], Subic Bay IA [NY's Newark Intl] and Sangley [NY's La Guardia].

And I dont think we have too many airports already. For an archipelago of 7,107 islands we're the ones who need them the most. and we should be having lots of them. And notice how public infrastructure and roads are also improved when airports get built.

Not a bad idea if they move NAIA to sangley and still develop DMIA. DMIA is really far from the capital region but it will help decongest air traffic in Manila area. With Sangley Point, there are alot of area for expansion. I just hope they carefully plan these so that in the future there would be more space for expansion without compromising safety and such when they reclaim the land.

manileño

July 20th, 2007, 08:55 AM

im excited about this project too.
IMO this will also develop the whole coastal line along Manila Bay, and the northern Cavite towns of Bacoor, Imus, Kawit, Cavite City will be linked to Metro Manila. The metropolis is sure to expand south as a result of this.

midwestguy1

July 20th, 2007, 09:03 AM

I hope the government would consider Zamboanga as well. I think part of the reason why the government kinda overlooking that province is due to the insurgents. Don't quote me on this one. It's just my opinion. If that is true, it's really not fair for Zamboanga people.

manileño

July 20th, 2007, 09:11 AM

midwestguy1

July 20th, 2007, 09:23 AM

Thought so Manileno. Maybe not enough funding, particularly foreign funding would put its investment on the airport as well because of the scare about kidnappings, bombing and such. Still is unfair to the people of Zambo.

stephencua

July 20th, 2007, 09:34 AM

cebu pacific just slashed their ticket prices..
P99 from luzon to luzon
P288 from luzon to visayas

great great prices..

eonynx

July 20th, 2007, 01:12 PM

Raven83

July 20th, 2007, 01:44 PM

maiksi rin runway nila talaga. That's just like a secondary airport runway. I think the new runways of BAcolod and Iloilo are 50% longer (correct me here if I'm wrong but I understand they're at 3000m). And SaoPaolo is like 20times bigger! Big city short runway.

Yup maikli,but its a two parallalel runway. Congonhas Airport is Sao Paolo's downtown aiport and the nations busiest in terms of traffic it has two runways 1300m and 1900m. They have a new airport in Guarulhos some 25Km away with two 3000m+ runways for international flights with its own highway and train connections. Congonhas wasnt close down even with Guarulhos' opening since its proximity to the city is very vital in Sao Paolo's role as latin americas financial capital....Brazil has one of the worlds best managed airport systems with extensive airpot networks using locally build software and hardware..Just pity things like this got to happen. The crash is very similar to the A320 incident in Bacolod last 1998 only that this time it hit a gas station causing a fatal explosion

terrapinoy

July 20th, 2007, 03:57 PM

Anyone watch last night's History Channel show "Boneyard"? Last night's episode was on aircraft and the first thing they scrapped was a PAL 747 that has been sitting in the desert for a while. Sad to see her go like that! :cry:

Show will be replayed on July 26.

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e289/sikatuna/pal_boneyard.jpg

kiretoce

July 20th, 2007, 04:15 PM

^^ Thanks for the heads-up Terrapin! I completely forgot about that show, good thing they're going to rebroadcast it next Thursday. I'd hate to have to miss it the second time around. :colgate:

tigidig14

July 20th, 2007, 04:26 PM

^me 2, i wont forget
maiksi rin runway nila talaga. That's just like a secondary airport runway. I think the new runways of BAcolod and Iloilo are 50% longer (correct me here if I'm wrong but I understand they're at 3000m). And SaoPaolo is like 20times bigger! Big city short runway.

i wanna see and compare our naia runway. is there a possibility that such tragedy could happen at naia. what's the vital statistics of manila runway btw?

habagatcentral1

July 20th, 2007, 05:35 PM

To think of it, its the gateway and a hub since time immemorial.
I like the architecture of Zambo Int't Airport but needs an upgrade.

And as a resident of Iloilo, if you would compare our old airport to yours, I say you still have the advantage. We have been crying out loud for decades because were like sardines in the airport terminal and air traffic is increasing by the year. We need a new and better airport. We have been left behind for decades with other Philippine cities. We have to push for it. Same reason for Bacolod. It was our initiative and relentless clamouring, not the national government, that pushed for the construction of the new airports in Western Visayas.

I also agree that the national govt should also look upon Zamboanga and other hubs because the real progress of a country is not concentrated in just few places but as a whole.

Rolls-Royce

July 20th, 2007, 05:37 PM

Skyblade

July 20th, 2007, 09:21 PM

^^ Indeed, GRU's two runways are 12,140 and 9,843 ft. respectively whereas CGH's two are 6,365 and 4,708.

Thanks for the screenie, Terrapin, I was unable to catch last night's episode but heard that one of PR's former 742s in MZJ. A sad sight to see indeed. :(

WawaY[625]

July 20th, 2007, 09:46 PM

bakit yellow yung PAL 747?

terrapinoy

July 20th, 2007, 09:58 PM

;14367703']bakit yellow yung PAL 747?

Protective coating daw yun para hindi mabulok kagad sa init.

@kiretoce, @tigs, @skyblade - The show was quite good and they even showed how some of the planes are restored like this one owned the Red Bull (http://www.flyingbulls.com/start_fl_e.html) Hard to believe that this plane was a rusting hull sitting in an airfield in Africa.

http://www.ruudleeuw.com/images/dc6-n996dm-30nov06-4.jpg

Raven83

July 21st, 2007, 04:08 AM

Sa NAIA there are still rotting DC-3,DC-4 and a Lockheed Constellation...sana may magrestore

Sinjin P.

July 21st, 2007, 04:45 AM

P5-billion island airport to increase visitors to Boracay and nearby areas (http://www.mb.com.ph/PROV2007072198262.html)

MALAY, Aklan — The construction of the R5-billion Carabao Island Airport, starting October, is expected to serve hundreds of thousands of local and foreign tourists visiting the world famous Boracay island and nearby areas yearly.

The construction of the airport, a private sector initiative, will be completed by 2010.

Steve Tajanlangit, vice chairman of the Boracay Property Holdings, Inc., the main proponent of the project, expressed confidence that the airport will further hasten the growth of tourism on Boracay- Carabao Island corridor.

Tajanlangit stressed that the airport will also generate thousands of employment and spur economic growth and activities not only on Boracay island, but also the entire municipality of San Jose, Romblon, where the Carabao Island is located.

He said his group has already secured a guarantee line from the Phil Exim Bank which shows that the private sector can work hand in hand with the government, especially in the development of tourist destinations.

Once completed, the airport will be equipped with state-of-the-art facilities that can accommodate even big aircraft doing international flights in contrast to the Caticlan Airport which can only host small planes.

Among the highly reputable and world-class firms that have expressed interest and offered expertise and financial resources to the project is Sellex Sistemo Integrated of Italy. Sellex, which supplies airside equipment, is the main firm of the comglomerate Finmeccanica owned by the Italian government.

Tajanlangit’s group is also seriously considering Changi International of Singapore, which is consistently rated as the world’s best airport operator, to be the airport manager.

Construction management will likely be handled by an American firm with proven expertise in building airports and support facilities for the US Defense Department.

Tajanlangit said the government’s guarantee company has already approved credit clearance for the project, while the Air Transportation Office under the Department of Transportation and Communications has already given its condition locational clearance.

eonynx

July 21st, 2007, 04:50 AM

^^ wow! this is some piece of very good news!:)

anonymous_filipino

July 21st, 2007, 05:44 AM

i can see a possible scenario:

Sangley Point - domestic airport of Manila

DMIA - international airport with tourist-frequented domestic routes of Manila

the two airports will be link be a high speed railway and Sangley Point will be connected to Manila via the Manila-Cavite Coastal Expressway.

Alo

July 21st, 2007, 06:25 AM

boracay airport

The construction of the airport, a private sector initiative, will be completed by 2010

maybe that's the reason why the government officials never mentioned this before??? since it is a private initiative??

anyway, i am getting scared now!!! if you look at all the airport projects taking place, and this boracay airport just adds to my feeling of "being scared":lol:

building airports in every corner of the country!!! doing it for amounts of around 4 to 6 billion pesos,...these are really good news!!! (still crossing fingers for them to build the MOTHERS OF ALL AIRPORTS at DMIA...please please give it to us!!!:lol: )

@jhaelnis

btw where did you get the article about the boracay airport? how come this was not published in the major pinoy newspapers??? this is BIG NEWS...4000 meter runway???..how crazy is that?...for large Boeing and Airbus planes??? ..for Boracay???...it's getting wilder and better day by day!!!! LOL.

good news..good news!!!

just found this on the internet

MASTERPLAN FOR THE ISLAND
Aside from constructing an international airport with a 4,000-meter runway, Ma. Victoria Jasmin, director of the Office of Tourism Standards, said the Korean firm plans to integrate resort development which will include construction of hotels, resorts and retirement villages.
The Korean firm reportedly aims of building an international airport that is capable of handling large Airbus or Boeing planes that will bring passengers to Boracay.According to her, the Korean master plan is to develop Carabao Island as a major attraction with Boracay as Day 2 destination.

bitoy

July 21st, 2007, 06:26 AM

Sa NAIA there are still rotting DC-3,DC-4 and a Lockheed Constellation...sana may magrestore
They have to spend millions of dollars and lots of time to restore those old flying machines.

On those boneyards, they remove those serviceable parts and send them to whoever need them. Just like those old A-10 Warthog/Thunderbolt II that was reentered in service during the gulf wars. And I think on that show, a 747 was refurbished to be used as for dropping water on those forest fires.

Skyblade

July 21st, 2007, 06:55 AM

^^ That'd be the Evergreen Supertanker (http://www.evergreenaviation.com/supertanker/index.html). Evergreen Int'l Aviation modified one of their 747-200s for the purpose and has been competing with Omni Air/Cargo Conversions Tanker 910 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanker_910) DC-10. There's also a strip of desert next to MZJ that is "painted" orange/reddish thanks to the practice runs where the Supertanker dropped fire retardant.

Alo

July 21st, 2007, 06:55 AM

eonynx

July 21st, 2007, 07:01 AM

^^ 4000m runway!? galing naman if this plan will really push through!:cheers:
all the best for aklan!

dexter06

July 21st, 2007, 07:24 AM

Wow, 4000 meter runway!! Tapos managed by the same company that manages Changi Airport of Singapore!! Galing talaga. I remember on transit in Singapore 2 hours ako naghintay pero parang 30 minutes lang. And this was more than 5 years ago. What more now!!!

Well, tama lang naman because Boracay really has a lot of tourists all year round. I just hope that its development will spill over to the entire Aklan province.

daks2003

July 21st, 2007, 07:50 AM

^^ ^^ ^^
For Koreans Only lang daw ang airport :lol: :lol: :lol: j/k

Sinjin P.

July 21st, 2007, 07:54 AM

@Alo: From Manila Bulletin :)

pangyao™

July 21st, 2007, 09:02 AM

airports around the country badly needed upgrades!!! of course, zamboanga has more than enough reasons for upgrade! economically speaking! anticipating means getting prepared! why let investors and tourists come first before preparing "shall they come back" when we can prepare right now and be sure that they'd keep on coming back or even stay.... for good!

besides, any modes of tarnsport and theoir corresponding teminals do not serve only guests, but us as well... right??

it is better to prepare like building those modern facilities in cities outside MM, so that tourists and investors wont be disappointed of inconvenience upon arriving to the place. just see malaysia and thailand..

pangyao™

July 21st, 2007, 09:24 AM

anonymous_filipino

July 21st, 2007, 10:24 AM

^^ eh di dapat cargo airport lang gawin... kasi sabi sa article na international airport eh..

midwestguy1

July 21st, 2007, 10:57 AM

@midwestguy1 / anonymous_filipino

dont you think the project is more about shipping and so on? of course there will be an airport component to this project, but dont you think it will be more focused on cargo and logisticsrelated need of COSCO?? coz i think DMIA will really be the main gateway for the phils.

and @ manileno

tearing down naia? i dont think so! since prez arroyo is serious about that project (opening of NAIA T3 or else...) and the builder Takenaka already declared they will take care of it, so they can open it at the end of this year. i really think NAIA T3 will be operational and will go into full business in summer 08.

and then they will start to develop DMIA. if you look at all the airport projects in the country, i dont see any crowded airport anymore in the phils.

Opening of Terminal 3 at Naia and building a new huge international Terminal at DMIA , and several other airports in the country, will really make NAIA....ahmmm..:lol: ...a quiet place...or rather anything elst but crowded.

You know what? It's not really clear if they really mean an actual "airport complex" or air cargo complex. Ofcourse they do have alot of publicity on this and that projects but who knows which ones of these would actually materialize? The idea of transfering NAIA to sangley point isn't so bad don't you think? coupled with DMIA development would still be a favorable project that needs pursued.

DMIA as a hub or a modern international airport comparable to the neighboring asian countries IMO would still be far flung as it seems like that they are more focus on LCC type of airport at this point. Once the government is able to open the new NAIA T3 by the year end hopefully, it will help ease out all the inconviniences in T1 for atleast up to 20 maybe 30 years. ( yeah right LOL, maybe if the Philippine population explotion started to slow down)

anonymous_filipino

July 21st, 2007, 11:19 AM

^^ i beg to differ... right now PAL is going to purchase a $ 50M, 30 hectare land inside the DMIA to be use for their maintenance and catering services. their primary reason, according to their president Mr. Jose Bautista, is they are going make DMIA as their new hub in line of DMIA becoming the future international gateway of Manila. Cebu Pacific also plans to follow suit.

midwestguy1

July 21st, 2007, 11:23 AM

^^^^^ it does not make any sense sometimes doesn't it? Looks like someone is using their arses when they think instead of the head on their shoulders...LMAO either that or meyruon madami siguro na mirron

midwestguy1

July 21st, 2007, 11:32 AM

^^^ yeah, thats their vision for the future...what? might take 20 years or so? and if they want to turn DMIA as their hub they should build their own terminal buildings as well and not rely on the government to provide it for them.

Knowing PAL themselves, they do have lots of publicities but not every single one of them actually happen, just wait and see. They are just now recovering from a near bankruptcy not too long ago so, just play it by ears...

le Reine

July 21st, 2007, 11:37 AM

bat d nalang nila i-upgrade ung kalibo airport, so far asian spirit have a direct flight incheon,korea-kalibo(vice versa). and there are already two airports serving boracay(kalibo and caticlan) mgiging tatlo na if ever ung sa carabao island. di kaya waste of money lng yan? look at the big city like cebu, only have one airport, and boracay a very small island could have three?

It's a private enterprise. I don't think that the one who thought about this would engage in such activity only to lose money in the end.

flymordecai

July 21st, 2007, 12:50 PM

I'll be impressed if the plan of pushing Caribao Island as a main attraction that will make Boracay a "2nd day stop" follows through. I'm interested as to what their masterplan will be like.

bustero

July 21st, 2007, 03:05 PM

A 747 how do they put in the fire retardant. The bombardiers scoop them up from low level water runs if they had to pump a 747 dry it would take like ...forever!

tigs, di mo ba natandaan, Korean Air overshot the runway, in fact this happened twice, grabeng traffic, pero di ko lang sure kung me natepok, parang wala naman, but it was a sight to see this huge plane on south superhighway! the long runway (6/24) is 3800 m something like that, that's pretty standard lenght.

thanks to all, I know SaoPaolo has alternatives but apparently this particular airport is very very busy since it's for domestic and Brazil has a huge domestic market, anyway malas, the articles from FI seem to point a history of similar problems.

coacozambo92

July 21st, 2007, 05:22 PM

^ chenes razon.. porcasa del malo imahe del zamboanga cabar del maga malo sucedimientos na ciudad y region. ansina cuando pirmi terorismo y abu sayyaf pati kidnappings del extranjeros el que ta mira na tv. pero el viene tamen el investments cuando bonito ya el seguridad del zambo.

Claro que si pareng!!! Este el sentimeiento del maga Zamboangenio. We are always the target of media frenzy. We need our life to be known to the world as a peacefull city. Look at Bacolod and Iloilo. Wow very close province, so amazing with such a huge airport? Bacolod is just 1 hour by ferry or less to Iloilo then why our government spend such project for a common reason? Na politika yata ang Zamboanga. Maybe we can also let our government planner to put a huge international airport in Bohol so as Cebu. Palapitan na ito. So disapointing. In the Visayas they must put on a target to build inter Island Bridge rather than too mauch international airports. Look at Japan, bridges is the solution to promote tourism in a country. They must focused on a city as a prime hub not to generalized every Cities because of political favors.

eonynx

July 21st, 2007, 05:43 PM

Claro que si pareng!!! Este el sentimeiento del maga Zamboangenio. We are always the target of media frenzy. We need our life to be known to the world as a peacefull city. Look at Bacolod and Iloilo. Wow very close province, so amazing with such a huge airport? Bacolod is just 1 hour by ferry or less to Iloilo then why our government spend such project for a common reason? Na politika yata ang Zamboanga. Maybe we can also let our government planner to put a huge international airport in Bohol so as Cebu. Palapitan na ito. So disapointing. In the Visayas they must put on a target to build inter Island Bridge rather than too mauch international airports. Look at Japan, bridges is the solution to promote tourism in a country. They must focused on a city as a prime hub not to generalized every Cities because of political favors.

bro, i'm one with you that the government should look beyond the kidnappings, terrorism, etc. and development the necessary infrastructures in zamboanga. the zamboangenos deserve it. but it's not as simple as a political equation as you think!:) and in the case of bacolod and iloilo, it's not as simple as palapitan lang. iloilo is the 4th biggest air domestic market in the country which is closely followed by bacolod. taken from this context, the need for such airports in both cities are not only political, it's long overdue for both cities.

i think for many decades, your airport in zamboanga is even better than our former airport in iloilo. there was a time, both cities, iloilo and bacolod, we really went down on our knees coming from such lofty positions because of a combination of grave mismanagement from our past leaders and also with the downward spiral of the sugar industry. it's only now that we are beginning to rise again. and we are still learning! and in many ways, somewhat, we are still groping for the right solutions. so it's not as simple as palapitan lang.

but i agree that the government and the people especially of zamboanga in particular and the philippines in general for that matter must not be held hostage by the negative news coming from your place. because if we let ourselves be held hostage to the whims of a few band of violence seekers/peace destroyers, it means one thing: that they are having their way! and this further emboldens them! we cannot allow them to do that!

Alo

July 21st, 2007, 08:57 PM

@midwestguy1 / anonymous_filipino

yes, to transfer NAIA to sangley point is not a bad idea, if there would be an international airport down there, that has the capacity to take over services of the magnitude of NAIA, means they will build a bigger terminal down there than NAIA T3, and i dont think that will happen, coz DMIA is meant to take over the NAIA-Job , being the main gateway.

what they are going to build there is more a subic bay-style international airport, thats what i think, using it for cargo and some tourists and thats it. i think its really more a shipping port-investment. but we will find out pretty soon.

on dmia, i totally i agree with anonymous_filipino, they will build a new and huge terminal up there, i dont think it will just be for LCC, coz thats what it is now. but midwestguy1, the time frame you gave, about 20yrs or so, i really dont think that way, i think construction of the main projects up there will start before 2010, well within the term of prez arroyo. the chinese consortium that is undertaking a study now on the dmia will probably also be the one who will build the airport. and i dont think a one billion + us-dollar terminal will just be LCC. and dont forget, its the phase 1 of the three phases. they are really working hard on this, expect something big in a few months, when they will reveal the findings of that study. soon after they will decide, all the indications point to this. the foreign chambers calling for it , PAL setting up a 50 million us-dollar investment there, Lucio Tan being excited about it, about the fact that the government wants to set up an international gateway there.

we will see soon.

lochinvar

July 21st, 2007, 10:48 PM

Is there a possibility this Carabao Island Airport Project might end up just like the Fuga Island Project. After so much funfare, nothing happen with this billion dollar Fuga Project of tha Tan Yu group.

midwestguy1

July 21st, 2007, 11:11 PM

"If there would be international airport with the same capacity of NAIA airport?" @alo?

They said they will reclaim that area just like they did in Roxas blvd area where the new MOA is currently erected as well as the old cultural center and PICC. I think that is exactly what they are planning to do in addition to current Sangley point.

You don't build an airport just to cater SOME tourist only considering there aren't that many tourist coming in and out of the Philippines yet, if there are, they all usually go to Cebu or Boracay. It won't be able to sustain maintaining a passenger terminal building with a very little passenger activities. If it's purely for cargo, I can understand it because they would only need storage building for cargoes where they can process their cargo for their Philippine clients. FedEx pulled out of Subic and chose China instead,the used a philippine company to carry out their business in the Philippines for them so there is a bit loss on the Philippine side there.

On DMIA issue you have mentioned. They won't just start building a huge terminal building in that area considering there is a pending T3 openning sometime which will address the congestion issue in manila, once it is openned, it will take care of the problem for atleast 20 to 30 years. DMIA doesn't have the pax movements that is more than 3 million passenger activities per year YET to consider building a humongous terminal building in Clark area that is comparable to Tokyo, Icheon, changi, HK airports, enough to hastily building the airport starting the year 2010? These aforementioned airports runs around over 30 million to 50 million pax activities yearly while NAIA alone combined domestic and international pax is less than 20 million passengers yearly. I believe it's a total of 17 million only as of this date. You can check the previous thread or Philippine airport statistics on this one.

I'm sure DMIA will work it's way up one way or another.

Alo

July 21st, 2007, 11:26 PM

@lochinvar

i am not really familiar with the Fuga island project, tell us more about it?

and my answer to your question is , i think no, coz the construction will start in october, taking into account the good overall economic atmosphere in the phils, i think this will be realized, tourism is growing, more and more tourists coming in , yes i really think, there is a rising demand for projects like this.

but again, tell us more about that Fuga island project .

lochinvar

July 22nd, 2007, 01:06 AM

I am not really well versed with the procedure on getting items from website but if you search for "Fuga Island" you will see it. It is an island in the Batanes Islands. Supposedly Tan Yu dreamt of turning it into another Hong Kong.

tigidig14

July 22nd, 2007, 02:58 AM

many jobs coming to us
thats indeed a great news :)

Alo

July 22nd, 2007, 06:50 AM

mygz14

July 22nd, 2007, 06:59 AM

COSCO to develop Sangley Point as int’l airport, seaport, logistics hub
By BERNIE CAHILES–MAGKILAT

Malacañang has issued Executive Order 629 allowing China Ocean Shipping Company (COSCO), the world’s second biggest shipping company in terms of carrying capacity, to convert Sangley Point in Cavite City into an international logistics hub with modern seaport and airport at a cost of billion to billion.

Trade and Industry Secretary Peter B. Favila announced the COSCO investment after President Gloria Arroyo signed the EO just recently and COSCO chief executive office Capt. Wei Jiafu is coming here next week.

Favila said the President has acquiesced to the request of Senator Ramon Revilla, during the latter’s birthday party celebration, for the administration not to forget Cavite in all the infrastructure projects that are being undertaken by the government.

It so happened also that COSCO already did its homework by going around the country to scout for possible location and has decided to take on Sangley Point, Favila said.

Revilla then sought for Arroyo’s issuance of an EO to allow the conversion of Sangley Point into a fully operational international logistics hub.

As a result, the President through EO 629 has created the executive committee for the development of Sangley Point.

The president also directed the Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA) to develop the Sangley Point into an international logistic hubs with container port and airport complex and an economic processing zone with cyberparks through a private sector joint venture under a build-operate-transfer scheme. An inter-agency technical committee was also created to assist the PRA.

COSCO will reclaim 4,000 hectares around Sangley Point because the COSCO project is not supposed to displace the Philippine Navy, which is headquartered in Sangley Point.

"The Chinese wants to do it yesterday," Favila said.

"Senator Revilla has to work with his constituents in Cavite to realize this project," Favila said. A smooth sailing project implementation is expected because Bacoor, where some of the land reclamation would be undertaken, is now under Mayor Edwin Revilla, the brother of Senator Revilla.

Based on the EO, provision of an international container port complex that would include an airport and seaport in Sangley Point is necessary to maximize the use of the R-I Expressway Extension now undergoing construction.

The viability of the project would be enhanced by undertaking reclamation work in the portions of Bacoor and Canaco Bays as this would provide a significant expansion district to the limited land area of Cavite City.

Sangley Point, is a former U.S, Naval Base Port located on the northernmost tip of Cavite City Peninsula is presently being used by the Philippine Navy for ship repair and dry docking purposes. It juts 6 kilometers into the sea.

This facility has the following comparative advantages and potentials for growth: A bay location that provides potential for sea transport, existing air and port facilities which could be upgraded and improved, it has a military airport which has a concrete runway of 229 x 22 meters, and road links, which provide access to Manila and CALABARZON growth corridors.

Aside from Sangley Point terminal, no other terminal in Cavite was developed particularly for the purpose of commercial ferry services.

The commercial ferry services from Cavite City to Roxas Boulevard in Manila and from Cavite City to Corregidor Island which had been using Sangley Point terminal since 1967 had been stopped in September 2001 for security reasons.

Exactly a month ago, COSCO officials led by Capt. Wei had a meeting with the President for its project in the country.

At that time, COSCO was just awaiting for the President’s instruction where to pour its investments in the country.

In a speech before the local business community led by Malacanang Special envoy on trade and investments to China Francis Chua, the COSCO president stressed that the economic growth in Southeast Asia today has also brought about transportation bottlenecks in the region.

"I believe we need to find an area where the transshipment would be reasonable, convenient and efficient. We are now in the process of re-identifying this area," Wei said.

"We want to look into the terminal, logistics, shipbuilding and repair and maintenance facilities," Wei told reporters.

Wei further urged the Philippines to stay competitive with other countries, which are also offering the same transshipment hub concept.

"We are hopeful, in line with the National Economic and Development Authority’s vision of developing the domestic logistics system, that the Philippines will become another logistics center in Asia," Wei added.

With a fleet of 770 ships and a combined tonnage of more than 47 million deadweight tons, Wei said that COSCO is now in the best position to make investments in the region. Its vessels call on 1,300 ports in 160 countries.

Among countries in the region, Wei cited the rapid growth of trade between the Philippines and China from only $ 5.2billion in 2002 to $ 10 billion in 2004. Last year, two-way trade reached $ 23.41 billion making the Philippines China’s fourth largest trading partner in Southeast Asia.

Aside from the logistics and shipping business, COSCO is also engaged in financing, real estate, information technology and soon in the mining business.

The COSCO group owns almost 1,000 companies all over the world employing a total of 80,000 people.

http://www.mb.com.ph/BSNS2007071998088.html

Alo

July 22nd, 2007, 07:13 AM

@lochinvar

i did some research on it, i dont think you can compare these two projects.
turning an island into something like a new hong kong already sounds very unrealistic, specially when they did not show any action on their plans.

but the carabao island project is a good and realistic plan, that makes business sense. if they really start the project within this year, then consider it done. if there will be only statements like..we are still looking for investors, ..there was a small delay...we will do a new masterplan...we are still waiting for the outcome of our feasibility study and so on...then consider it a "fuga island"-project...:lol: :lol:

but i think it will turn out as a good project.

midwestguy1

July 22nd, 2007, 10:03 AM

@midwestguy1

Cosco wants to build an integrated logistics hub at Sangley point, therefore one of the components of this project would be an international airport, i just dont think that airport would be meant for taking in a lot of tourists or "help out" NAIA.

All i am saying is, i dont think a chinese shipping company will be the main driving force to set up a new international gateway down there at Sangley point.

Back to the DMIA-thing. Why do you think, that the opening of Terminal 3 in Naia is so important to the expansion plans of DMIA, i dont think they really care if T3 opens or not, and even if it does, which is only a question of time, why do you think it will take 20 yrs or so til they wil build the main gateway to the phils up there?

As far as i know, DMIA went into biz in the year 2003 and is doing good, i find it very unrealistic to wait for 20 yrs to develop it.

Why all these masterplans? Why the expansion? Building an expressway and railway link to connect DMIA with Manila and so on? Just for it to remain a LCC- airport? for the next 20 yrs?

Of course i am well aware of the fact, that the passenger demand is just not there for building a new big international terminal at DMIA, but i dont think thats a reason to wait for them to develop DMIA, but rather downgrade the use of NAIA T3 and transfer all of the services currently done in manila to DMIA, instead of waiting until T3 in manila is crowded again.

Since DMIA is located in a industrial and biz-area, it needs a huge international terminal, of course not one like in Hk or icheon or tokyo, but the DMIA-officials know that, thats why the development will take place in several phases. but as i mentioned before, phase one would mean having a new and large international terminal, handling around 15 million passenger a year. just check out the DMIA-threads here, thats the latest talk in town.

I am not sure how I will react to your Sangley Point comment. All I know is that Arroyo approved and encouraged the building of an airport in Sangley, it's kind of stupid when she plans to turn DMIA as the main and major hub in the country. The Philippines government is good in starting a project here and there without thinking of the long term effect when you have all these international airport sitting all over the country considering the total landmass of the whole Philippine archepelago is approximately about the same size of the State of Arizona only. Just like the very many airports in the Philippines that is being built and is geared towards turning into an international gateway.

Whether there are plans and masterplans of a certain projects in the Philippine does not necessarily mean it will automatically push through. Many has been sacked, idled and so forth...

The openning of T3 is also important because first of all, the congestion in NAIA is the main reason in transfering NAIA to DMIA. T3 is still good for atleast 20 years if ever it is openned. That is why right now they are just expanding DMIA only to accomodate the LCC airlines that is serving clark. 2010 is just too soon to build another terminal building designed for 20 to 30 mil pax per year. Funding is another problem, The Philippine govt is still trying to think of a way to compensate the builder of T3 which happens to be a foreign investor went sour. The Philippines doesn't have the money for extra luxury.... Down the line, i'm sure DMIA will be turned into a major airport. But now that they are talking about Sangley with a willing chinese investor? Will it ever materialize for DMIA? we dont have the real answer for it right now.

Building an expressway in NLEX is vital for economic growth in the region, it should have been addressed centuries ago. The rail transit is still in the talking stage. Again, it will need another investor to start buiding the highspeed rail way which might possibly affect populated areas, Philippines is already over populated comparing to Malaysia and such, we all know these.

Like I said. Why built a terminal building in DMIA that is designed for 20 mil pax/yr when the current pax activities just recently marked to I believe 1 or 2 million yearly? Before it reached to 20 mil pax, would take more than 10 years, besides HK JAPAN Singapore Korea and the likes are all transit hubs for different international airlines as well as their own flag carriers who owns more than just 40 aircrafts comparing to PAL and 5j that has less. CLark and the Philippines in general are more of an final destination so a 20 mil pax activities can't be achieve in even 10 years time. UNLESS?? NAIA is closed and transfered to DMIA, but? now there is a Sangley threatening the DMIA plan? Will it still happen? I don't know the answer either ...

Just imagine how costly it is to maintain a terminal building good for 20 mil passenger yearly when the current pax activities in DMIA is only 1 million. They are building an expansion to DMIA terminal currently but hopefully that terminal building is designed to have enough room for future expansions

cruizer333444

July 22nd, 2007, 10:19 AM

to midwestguy1---- your right the philippines is the size of arizona if you put all the land together. the reason the philippines needs all this airports because its an island country.

midwestguy1

July 22nd, 2007, 10:35 AM

to midwestguy1---- your right the philippines is the size of arizona if you put all the land together. the reason the philippines needs all this airports because its an island country.

No question about it but I am talking about putting that very many international airport all over the country is just rediculous!!!! Domestic airport yes, very understandable.... OR? ever think about bridges and rail systems?? they can build more bridges and rail services that will connect north to south. Rail and land are a cheaper way to transport goods and cargoes than airplanes unless these are same day required.

Alo

July 22nd, 2007, 10:49 AM

PGMA to cite actual accomplishments in infra projects in report to nation
SUNDAY, JULY 22, 2007 | INFRASTRUCTURE

In her 7th State of the Nation Address (SONA) this afternoon (Monday, July 23), President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is expected to highlight, among others, the progress made by her administration in the implementation of priority infrastructure facilities throughout the country.

Billed as key components of the government’s economic development, and delivery of basic services programs, these projects include road networks, airports, seaports and farm-to-market roads.

A document released over the weekend by Cabinet Secretary Ricardo Saludo included the updates on major projects in the five Super Regions: North Luzon Agribusiness Quadrangle, Central Philippines as the country’s Tourism Center; the Urban Beltway and Mindanao as the country’s Agribusiness Center in the South, and the IT Corridor.

In her 2006 report to the nation, the President unveiled her blueprint of the Super Regions economic plan, or Phase 3 of the Medium-Term Public Investment Program.

The economic concept of the Super Regions program underscored the need "to invest in the natural advantages and natural resources of a section of our nation so that when harnessed together, the major economic regions are larger than the sum of its parts."

"It (Super Regions) is the blueprint of the only viable future," the President stressed.

"We must invest in the vital infrastructure that is the backbone of a modern nation," she said, adding that the construction of priority infrastructure projects is possible as the government has now adequate funds for these projects.

In the Luzon Urban Beltway, the Super Regions strategy is "doing great," the President said.

The Subic-Clark-Tarlac Express Road is now in its final stages: the radar approach control of the Clark Airport was installed last April, while construction of the C-5-Katipunan section for the North Luzon and South Luzon Expressways connection is now on-going.

At the South Expressway, the widening of the Alabang Viaduct up to Santo Tomas, Batangas is on-going. By March 2008, the SLEX would extend to the Southern Tagalog Arterial Road.

In Central Philippines, more roads are being built and improved to enhance tourism and the movement of people and goods in Panay Island, where the world famous Boracay is located.

Among the completed projects in Central Philippines are the Jagna Port in Bohol which links the Visayas and Mindanao.

The Iloilo International Airport was opened last June while the Kalibo Airport has gone international with Asian Spirit operating flights directly from Korea.

The Bacolod Airport is nearing completion while the Guiuan Airport in Eastern Samar is scheduled to be finished in September.

The construction of the Kabankalan and Panglao airports is about to start while the proposed international airport in Daraga, Albay is now undergoing engineering study.

As pointed out by government infrastructure overseer Secretary Cerge Remonde, this year alone eight airports, with a total cost of P15.51 billion, will be completed.

Of the eight, the Casiguran (Aurora), Kalibo, New Iloilo and Ozamis Airports will be finished during the first semester, and the other four in the second semester.

Twenty-one other air terminals are programmed to be completed before the President bows out of office in 2010, while three more would be operational by 2011.

The airport projects are designed to promote the development theme of the respective Super Region: for Central Philippines, 16 airport projects are being improved or constructed as part of the intra-regional and extra-regional transport system that would make the many islands and islets of Central Philippines and their key tourist destinations more accessible.

The six airport projects in the North Luzon Agribusiness Quadrangle, and the seven in Mindanao would contribute to the improvement of the transport of agricultural products as well as provide access to key tourist destinations.

The airports in the Urban Beltway are designed to contribute to the seamless movement of services and people in the industrial and service hubs.

As for land transportation, the 21 road and bridge projects in the beltway would add to the existing 20,568 kms. of paved national roads.

Also under the infrastructure projects category are power plants and irrigation systems.

On various occasions in the past, the President pointed out that for the Philippines to be globally competitive, the government must invest both in physical and human infrastructure to attract more investments and thereby create more new jobs.

Xavier15

July 22nd, 2007, 11:53 AM

my gosh, don't you think we're building too much airports already? do you think there's enough demand.

disagree..! especially in Negros Island.. they need Airports especially in Kabankalan, San Carlos and Sipalay.. because NBSA is really far from these cities.. did you know that Sipalay is also known for its White Beach resorts? and for San CArlos City too..(the Sipaway Island) Tourists need transportations bound for these destinations.. and Kabankalan City, it is the 3rd largest City in Western Visayas and is also known as the Queen City of the south for Negros.. This City is even larger than Iloilo City in terms of Land Area.. but iloilo is larger in terms of population.. Kabankalan has about 150,000-200,000 only while iloilo has 300,000+.. Kabankalan is now booming and needs modern facilities.. their City hall is even better than Bacolod's current City HAll and Iloilo's.. :)

le Reine

July 22nd, 2007, 11:56 AM

Xavier15

July 22nd, 2007, 11:59 AM

^What I meant was international airports not just any other kind of airport. Anyway, building many airports in just one small island is quite expensive and impractical. Do you think there's enough demand? Domestic airports is OK but still railroad and ports are more practical and less expensive.

for Negros Island, hindi.. ksi these airports are now under construction.. they are now proposing the LRT railway for Silay-Talisay-BAcolod route..

NBSA, is possible for International flights in the future.. :) that is wat the engineer said when we went to NBSA last june27 :) hehe

le Reine

July 22nd, 2007, 12:26 PM

^That's good then. I just hope that it would materialize soon (LRT). And I wish they could finish those airports soon.

anonymous_filipino

July 22nd, 2007, 12:51 PM

Maybe it will just be a Subic Bay Airport-type of airport....

dancethingy

July 22nd, 2007, 02:01 PM

There are ten million OFWs and growing, im assuming that these airports will serve them all. Add to that ten million the growing influx of tourists and business to the country. These airports are infrastructure and they are what the international community tell us we need in order to attract big time business.

a s i a n a

July 22nd, 2007, 03:03 PM

Aside from the other local carriers and Cathay Pacific, what other airlines operated domestic flights during the 2-week PAL shutdown?

coacozambo92

July 22nd, 2007, 05:12 PM

disagree..! especially in Negros Island.. they need Airports especially in Kabankalan, San Carlos and Sipalay.. because NBSA is really far from these cities.. did you know that Sipalay is also known for its White Beach resorts? and for San CArlos City too..(the Sipaway Island) Tourists need transportations bound for these destinations.. and Kabankalan City, it is the 3rd largest City in Western Visayas and is also known as the Queen City of the south for Negros.. This City is even larger than Iloilo City in terms of Land Area.. but iloilo is larger in terms of population.. Kabankalan has about 150,000-200,000 only while iloilo has 300,000+.. Kabankalan is now booming and needs modern facilities.. their City hall is even better than Bacolod's current City HAll and Iloilo's.. :)

My friend I was been in Sipalay Town before. I remember there is a private airport serving the defunct MMIC mining. I beleive an Airport in Bacolod is enough to serve that area. Sipalay is only 3 hours by land to Bacolod. The only way to speed up the travel is to straighten the Highway. We can develop better road by cutting or building tunnels crossing mountains. It's too much already for a province to have a lot of airport. We must also consider other island which is in need to have airport. Example is in many parts of Mindanao. If we have good operational airports in that place we can immediately give or respond any emergency operation against insurgency not only tourism. We have a good example of Basilan. When the American built an airport in that place thus now they can immediately relay on mass transport by air directly without cruising by sea. We should be practical.

ashton

July 22nd, 2007, 06:00 PM

^ hmmm Dragon Air.

Alo

July 22nd, 2007, 09:12 PM

it's not AIRPORTS vs. ROADS AND BRIDGES, it needs both and the phils is taking care of both , airports and roads, it's just that airport projects figure more prominently in the media.

i just found this article ten minutes ago, i agree with cruizer and dancethingy, the phils needs airports, ofw-population, and being an island nation, are two main reasons, but let me add this article below, which i just found ten minutes ago at the abs-cbn news site. it really explains why there is a need for a big international terminal at DMIA, not in 20 yrs, but asap.

here we go:

DEMAND AND SUPPLY By BOO CHANCO

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Now that our own domestic airline industry has invested heavily in about 20 new Airbus 320s, I can just imagine the strain in the capability of NAIA to handle all that increased air traffic. That’s why flights are now almost always delayed, according to the airlines

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The crash of an Airbus 320 in the congested airport of Congonhas in the Brazilian city of Sao Paolo has been described by a number of news reports as a tragedy that had been waiting to happen. That reminded me of NAIA. All the elements are there… less than adequate runway, congestion and third world airport management.

Consider this excerpt from that LA Times report: "Others said that when Congonhas was built in the early part of the 20th century, the surrounding area was mainly open land. Today, the airport is surrounded by high rises, adding another challenge for pilots."

Now that our own domestic airline industry has invested heavily in about 20 new Airbus 320s, I can just imagine the strain in the capability of NAIA to handle all that increased air traffic. That’s why flights are now almost always delayed, according to the airlines.

By sheer serendipity, the foreign chambers of commerce two weeks ago, came up with a well researched position paper calling government’s attention to the inadequacies of our airports, principally NAIA. If Ate Glue is really into infrastructure building and really wants to impress tourists and investors, she need not go further than our airports.

The foreign chambers worry that "NAIA suffers from two very serious constraints: (a) runway safety and capacity and (b) antiquated terminal facilities." More specifically, "Runway restrictions limit its capacity to handle flights (now allowed to land 22 hours each day from 4 a.m. to 2 a.m.)."

All three of NAIA’s operating terminals are being used beyond original design capacity, the foreign chambers observe. The old domestic terminal handled three million passengers in 2006, above its design capacity of 2.5 million passengers. There are peak periods when the three operating terminals at NAIA are extremely crowded, creating negative impressions for travelers who are used to the modern, efficient facilities built in most Asian cities over the last decade.

The foreign chambers however assert that more problematic than the passenger terminals are serious and immediate constraints to runway capacity and safety. The runways’ design is now well below standards for new generation aircraft, creating serious potential safety concerns. For example, distances between the centerline of runways and centerlines of taxiways do not meet the new International Civil Aviation Organization criteria, the UN body that supervises international aviation regulation and standards.

"The International Runway (called 06-24) was built in the 1940s when the biggest aircraft carried no more than 50 tons. Today an average B747 weighs 350 to 400 tons. With a single runway carrying the entire burden of all international flights, the runway requires heavy maintenance, which affects airline schedules and airport revenue.

"At the best-managed airports such as Hong Kong, Heathrow and JFK, planes can land at a rate of every 3 minutes or 20 an hour during any weather or light conditions. Based on current arrivals and departures, NAIA’s International Runway can accommodate only 15 flights per hour (taking off or landing) during bad weather or at night.

"With current annual growth in total passenger throughput above 10 percent, the runway capacity will reach its limits about the same time that all NAIA terminals including NAIA 3 reach their combined full capacity. In other words, very soon and as early as 2010 NAIA will probably not be able to take additional flights."

As for the terminals, the foreign chambers echoed what I have been saying in this column about the horrible condition of the domestic terminal. " The ‘old’ domestic terminal is totally out of date, with only one passenger entrance, two security machines and no air bridges. There are often long lines of departing and arriving passengers outside the terminal exposed to the elements, while passengers bump into each other and their baggage in security, check-in and terminal fee lines inside. Most tourists traveling to the popular tourist destination of Boracay must experience the quite negative experience of going through this completely retrograde facility which should have been closed when Terminal 2 opened."

As for Terminal 1… it "is almost 30 years old and is a growing maintenance challenge. At peak hours, it experiences severe traffic and overcrowding with long delays while cars inch through departure and arrival areas."

The foreign chambers see little hope for NAIA. "New runways cannot be added at NAIA nor can the airport be closed to allow construction of an international runway meeting current international weight standards. When the airport’s runway capacity is met in three years (at current growth rates) it will be important that an alternative airport to NAIA is available for air travelers in Central Luzon."

This is why, as I wrote here the other week, government should speed up plans to make the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport in Clark the new main airport to service the National Capital Region. This means upgrading its terminal and also most importantly, getting serious about putting up a high speed rail connection to Metro Manila.

As the foreign chambers noted, "Clark lacks adequate domestic and international terminals and its ground transportation links to Manila are subject to congestion. Clark is about the same distance from the capital as the expensive new international airports and terminals built in recent years in Korea and Malaysia at some distance from city centers, which have highly efficient ground transportation links. For example, the high-speed train connecting Kuala Lumpur to its new international airport travels 57 kilometers in 30 minutes."

The foreign chambers feel "a high-speed rail connection between Metro Manila and Clark will be essential. There will be many challenges, such as design, routing, terminal locations, technology, funding and construction, but such a multi-billion project is essential for future development and needs to be a core element in the Central Luzon Air and Sea Logistics Hub Master Plan. Extending the MRT-3 and LRT-1 up to NLEX must also be considered in order to allow efficient access to the NCR light rail system."

The foreign chambers also see the need to construct another runway at Clark. "Runway 02 R/20 L needs an additional parallel runway as an alternative runway as well as to allow eventual dual simultaneous operations. Runway 02 L/20 R can not be used by any aircraft because of the "crocodile cracks" which appeared on it after the Mt. Pinatubo eruption. The construction of a runway takes two to three years, after a planning and bidding period of two to three years."

If all that Ate Glue ends up doing in her last three years to make sure we have these basic airport facilities, she would already leave very concrete accomplishments behind. If she sees no urgency and we end up having our own Cogonhas tragedy at NAIA, she could well be blamed for doing nothing much to prevent a tragedy that was clearly just waiting to happen.

midwestguy1

July 22nd, 2007, 10:49 PM

kalbongdad

July 23rd, 2007, 03:36 AM

yeah, I don't disagree with having more decent airports "alo" especially upgrading the ones already there, it's vital to progress, commerce , trade and tourism. The point being is, DOES IT HAS TO BE an international airport in EVERY single city and islands in the Philippines???? Even Japan and china just have international airports at a certain point and they are even way progressive country than the Philippines. Japan may not have OFW in and out of that country aside from OFW or other nationalities that works IN AND AROUND JAPAN but their people can very much well afford to fly leisurely from one point to another, not to mention overseas... the filipinos can now much afford to fly thanks to low coast fare 5j has been offering but it still not warranted to build a huge international airport within close proximity of each other.

i disagree...we don't have lots of international airport...what we currently have are domiestic airports....being upgraded to international airports to meet current demands......what the gov't is doing at present is upgrading the existing airports...by making the runways longer...and upgrading the delapidated terminals....to meet international standards.....the government should continue to build airports... comparing the philippines with other nation of the same size....we have fewer airports...both domestic and internatinal as to the huge international terminal.....it is already after the fact coz we have already built one... all we have to do is open it..... huge international terminals are the in-thing....for asian countries....if u have noticed malaysia, thailand, p.i., china, korea and singapore are building new terminals.... .that is to show the world that they have arrived...that is to showcase their countries and put pride to its people...

kalbongdad

July 23rd, 2007, 03:49 AM

hopefully all the projects will be completed as promised that will already be a good accomplishment for any administration.....at least now we are starting to build infrastructures again....it has been quiet some time that the philippines dreamt this big...

TheAvenger

July 23rd, 2007, 04:21 AM

http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb244/jibrael865/cavite1.jpg

http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb244/jibrael865/cavite2.jpg

http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb244/jibrael865/cavite3.jpg

http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb244/jibrael865/cavite4.jpg

I remembered that a couple of years ago a chinese corporation also wants to
manage Panama Canal and a pier in Los Angeles, CA. But many peoples in those places objected to that plans for reasons of national security.

If a mainland Chinese company will take over Sangley Points which is a former
U.S. Naval and Air Station and now a base of the Philippine Navy and the Philippine Air Force, don't you think it will be bad for our national security especially if in the future China flexes it's military muscle. I reckoned COSCO is owned by Peoples Republic of China.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
some comments from Timawa

http://timawa.net/forum/index.php?topic=8525.30

News: PMRF Review 2007: http://www.timawa.net/walkarounds/3-6-07/

Philippine Defense Forum
General Discussion
General Discussion
Chicoms want Sangley Point « previous next »
Pages: 1 2 [3] 4

Author Topic: Chicoms want Sangley Point (Read 967 times)
Ignatius1
Member

Posts: 43

Re: Chicoms want Sangley Point
« Reply #30 on: July 16, 2007, 09:17:17 pm »

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I have to say that I am suspicious of this deal as well. What possible benefit is China looking at as far as establishing a shipping hub at Sangley Point? Is the port of Manila over crowded and unsuitable for their purposes? China has thousands of miles of coastline. Why not find a nice spot somewhere along that coast? Looking at a map, it makes no sense economically. A hub is usually designed as an intermediate point where goods will go to different directions (think FedEx). The sea lanes from China to ports all over asia are not that long and a hub going to the Americas and Europe can just as easily be constructed in China providing shorter distance for goods to reach such a hub (as opposed to transporting all that stuff to a port only to tranfer them on another port).

Will the project benefit the Philippines? I am sure it will. Having someone else pay for such a massive infrastructure project is certainly beneficial. It will create jobs along the way, which will certainly benefit local economies and possibly increase the tax base. What we do not have a clear understanding of is the accompanying adverse impact - usually not readily apparent (especially in light of the fact that the company in question already has baggage associated with it).

As far as Chinese intelligence ops; I think they are already well settled in various parts of Filipino society (government, business, and the military). It is to PRC's advantage that the Philippines remains barely viable. I would not be surprised that in its view having a weak Philippines prevents encirclement from the sea via Japan, Korea, and Tiawan. It is worth noting that the PLAN has been working on its blue water capability for some time now. A country develops such capabilities if it feels threatened, has intentions to expand, or both.

Logged
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam

http://timawa.net/forum/index.php?PHPSESSID=1035192fc5198724f73e08dfb899c089&topic=8650.0

brev
Member

Posts: 77

Re: Sangley port project OK'd
« Reply #3 on: July 20, 2007, 03:37:04 pm »

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
COSCO the same company caught by US authorities redhanded distributing firearms to gangs in the US?

Logged
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The choices we make dictate the life we live.........

philippinestoday
Member

Posts: 382

Re: Sangley port project OK'd
« Reply #4 on: July 20, 2007, 03:44:57 pm »

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Quote from: brev on July 20, 2007, 03:37:04 pm
COSCO the same company caught by US authorities redhanded distributing firearms to gangs in the US?

with this and so many other info's regarding the true nature of cosco's business here and elsewhere..the government should and always check them out..I was against this but since only a part of the base will be use for this development, so its ok..But, the facility should be run,much like the way they run subic..filipinos overlooking on every aspect of the port - (just assuming,anyone here have any info to suport my assumptions? )

Logged

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Short list for AFP
http://timawa.net/forum/index.php?topic=4099.0

Alo

July 23rd, 2007, 04:47 AM

@TheAvenger

you know what, the point you've raised about the chinese investment, i was also thinking abou that, when i first did some research on that company, and when i found out, that it is a chinese-government owned company i was really thinking, why do they really invest at sangley point?

from a business perspective , ok, its a good deal, to invest at sangley point makes sense, but there are other good places in the ASEAN region, and then i was thinking this:

since the philippines increased security cooperation in the last few years with the united states, and since the us forces in the pacific are relocating and so on, and this region is fast becoming very important, the chinese would want the philippines not to offer any permanent military basing rights to the us- forces here in the pacific.

how could they do that?...getting into every former base! putting up their own businesses in critical areas! financing big ticket projects at sangley point, and also in clark now. financing some big projects in the phils, to make it harder for the phils to decide something which could go against chinese interests in the region.

i am not sure about that! i dont want to get into this china-threat-paranoia, but turning sangley point into a big chinese biz-port does create jobs and economic activity there, and its good, but it also prevents the possiblity to let the americans set up a naval base there in the future.

TheAvenger

July 23rd, 2007, 05:55 AM

The airport built by the US military is a strategic base for our armed forces,
I don't know the reason why our govt should let the Chinese State corporation to take over Sangley point.

Our government should have nominated to COSCO other place or island in the Philippines which is not develop yet and not a strategic place, and not the former US Naval Air / Station now used as base by Phil Navy and PAF. Sangley, Clark,and Subic were strategic places and should not be leased
to countries who were potential enemy in any war in the future.

Our Navy and Airforce is also using the american-built airport runway in Sangley point. Also funny if in the future our planes who will patrol our Kalayaan Islands Group in the south china sea is based in the Airport / Airbase shared both by our Armed Forces and the Chinese state corporation COSCO.

:nuts: :bash: :bash:

midwestguy1

July 23rd, 2007, 07:25 AM

i disagree...we don't have lots of international airport...what we currently have are domiestic airports....being upgraded to international airports to meet current demands......what the gov't is doing at present is upgrading the existing airports...by making the runways longer...and upgrading the delapidated terminals....to meet international standards.....the government should continue to build airports... comparing the philippines with other nation of the same size....we have fewer airports...both domestic and internatinal as to the huge international terminal.....it is already after the fact coz we have already built one... all we have to do is open it..... huge international terminals are the in-thing....for asian countries....if u have noticed malaysia, thailand, p.i., china, korea and singapore are building new terminals.... .that is to show the world that they have arrived...that is to showcase their countries and put pride to its people...

You don't build a HUGE international airport in many area of the Philippines because it's "THE IN THING"... that is being irresposible and unwise governing. The neighboring countries with the exception of Indonesia is ahead of the Philippines economically otherwise, why don't they have OFC and Indonesia foreign workers in the Middleast, even in Malaysia we send out skilled workers to work there. You build an airport because of the necessity and a requirement for growth. I will repeat this again, it would be very expensive to maintain a huge airport that is already designed for 20 to 30 million pax a year. Take for instance that DMIA is only reaching to this date a 1 mil pax mark this year with Asianna airlines. MCIA has only a capacity of atleast 5 mill pax per year. Where would be the Philippine government get the money to maintain these huge airports if the they built the new airport that big? Lets take DMIA for instance when OLO suggested that by 2010, DMIA should have an airport with a capacity of atleast 20 million. Well NAIA still have T3 and the governent is really looking for a way to open the airport because whether the Philippines like it or not, whether t3 opens or not, The philippines still needs to pay Frapport some compensation? Where are they getting all these? Tax money ...... that's right folks, from your own pocket ... Does Central Bank of the Philippines have that kind of money? NO, that's why the Philippine government has been hunting on who would sponsor the funding and once these airports are operational, it will pay on its own...

midwestguy1

July 23rd, 2007, 07:31 AM

@ TheAvenger and ALO

What national security? What is in Sangley? The Philippines can't even defend itself incase there would be an invasion from another country?? Why we should be worried about? US is our ally, we now have some military presence in the Philippines, Japan and Korea where the US bases are just close by? What national security are we afraid of? The Chinese are just trying to start some business that will generate income to themselves with the returns of their investments. I don't want to sound like I'm putting the Philippines down when it comes to self defense, it's already a known fact that we don't have enough to arm ourselves, just human shield is what we can afford right now to fight their hightech gadgetry....

Alo

July 23rd, 2007, 08:50 AM

@midwestguy

exactly, the US is our ally, and thats exactly the reason why there is some concern on this!!!!

as i mentioned earlier, the chinese are setting up a logistics hub in a very critical area, means, this area in sangley point could easily be used by the us-naval forces if tensions in the south china sea erupt anew.

well i dont really agree with your point of view on this. sangley point is strategically very important.

on dmia, again, there is a need for a huge internatioanal terminal, a huge aviation complex. and what kalbongdad meant with IN-THING is, that other countries are building huge terminals, because it is a requirement to have them in this region.

of course we will not get the passenger traffic and cargo traffic into the phils if we dont have the facilities in place.

you need to build the facilities first, then the business comes in, if you wait to long, others in the region will position their aviation complexes to take in more of the expected rise in this kind of activities in the asia-pacific region.

i think you heavily underestimate the potential of the philippines. and you dont take into account other developments going on in the region, that will tremendously benefit the philippines, building an integrated ASEAN community, freer flow of goods and services troughout the region, the high demand for ofw's around the world, and the ever increasing touristpool in chinas growing middle class. the retiring northeast-asians, just look at the korean "invasion" of tourists in the phils.

you are saying, that the opening of t3 will take care of all the problems in manila? i really think otherwise, in 20 yrs, when this region will become the most important region in the world, being a country that will have a population of more than 100 million people, ASEAN community, East Asia integration, and many more developments, will make it a major requirement to have international airports all over the country. and a huge main gateway at DMIA. to have all these things in place, will also require the philippines to have them in place well before the year 2025.

construction and development should start now. why elst is the united foreign chambers in the phils calling for a large and modern DMIA-terminal, AND even the construction of a second runway, AFTER they already openend T3 in manila?

but tell me? you say, its not really necessary to build that much airports?..

so which of these airpor projects is a waste of money then?

again, its not airports versus roads and bridges. actually these airports create a lot of economic activity in the region they are built. roads to connect them with the areas surrounding these airports are also constructed.

and on the t3-compensation thing you mentioned. yes, the government will sooner or later have to pay fraport a certain amount of compensation, thats very likely, but this will not prevent the government to halt all other projects in the country coz they dont have the money to spend it for infraprojects.

but obviously they got the money to do it. and its money spent wisely.

anonymous_filipino

July 23rd, 2007, 10:49 AM

maybe COSCO should cancel the airport plan. we don't need 2 international airports to serve Metro Manila. we only need 1 international airport w/ tourist-frequented domestic routes which should be far from Metro Manila and connected by expressway and a high speed railway, and 1 domestic airport near the city center....

cruizer333444

July 23rd, 2007, 11:07 AM

midwestguy1

July 24th, 2007, 01:15 AM

@ ALO <<<exactly, the US is our ally, and thats exactly the reason why there is some concern on this!!!!

as i mentioned earlier, the chinese are setting up a logistics hub in a very critical area, means, this area in sangley point could easily be used by the us-naval forces if tensions in the south china sea erupt anew.<<<<

----ME: Like they can use a free port for cargo and hide their amunition without being noticed? It's not a toy gun you can hide in your pocket and setting up a naval force without the Philippine government permission is a violation of the Philippine Law and the international treaty via geneva convention. I don't think they Philippine government is that stupid.. Just like you oppose the chinese forces to set up their naval base there in the Philippines being a communist regime would be opposed by the whole citizenry. IF that happens, UN will interfere.

@ALO >>on dmia, again, there is a need for a huge internatioanal terminal, a huge aviation complex. and what kalbongdad meant with IN-THING is, that other countries are building huge terminals, because it is a requirement to have them in this region<<<<

----ME: What requirement? Who set imposeda law that it is a MUST TO SET up a huge airport because it's the "IN-THING" you built an airport because of the necessity. DMIA hasn't reached its mark yet and that Arroyo is still trying her best to open T3. If T3 didn't open, chances are DMIA will push through easlier than expected.

@ALO >>>of course we will not get the passenger traffic and cargo traffic into the phils if we dont have the facilities in place.

you need to build the facilities first, then the business comes in, if you wait to long, others in the region will position their aviation complexes to take in more of the expected rise in this kind of activities in the asia-pacific region.<<

-----ME: what the heck is this???? You think building an airport is like building another Mall Of Asia where retailers will come in and patrons would come in and buy or use the facility? It does not work that way... First of,Tourism in the Philippines is just now starting, however? it is being hampered by insurgents and political instability. Where do you get the business you are talking about?? yes OFW but considering there are many OFW, the PAX activites in NAIA 1 & 2 on international side doesn't reach more than 15 million, combine international and local travels only reached barely 20 million. So why build an gigantic airport when it is NOT YET NEEDED? Just start from the appropriate size that can be expanded in the future. WHERE THE HECK CAN THE PHIL govt afford to build an airport like that? THROUGH foreign investors, not from it's own pocket or internal financing...

midwestguy1

July 24th, 2007, 01:29 AM

@@ ALO>>

think you heavily underestimate the potential of the philippines. and you dont take into account other developments going on in the region, that will tremendously benefit the philippines, building an integrated ASEAN community, freer flow of goods and services troughout the region, the high demand for ofw's around the world, and the ever increasing touristpool in chinas growing middle class. the retiring northeast-asians, just look at the korean "invasion" of tourists in the phils.

you are saying, that the opening of t3 will take care of all the problems in manila? i really think otherwise, in 20 yrs, when this region will become the most important region in the world, being a country that will have a population of more than 100 million people, ASEAN community, East Asia integration, and many more developments, will make it a major requirement to have international airports all over the country. and a huge main gateway at DMIA. to have all these things in place, will also require the philippines to have them in place well before the year 2025.<<<<

---Me--You expect to have 100 million filipinos in less than 20 years?? Dude??? do you know what that means? population explotion to a much more critical porportion. More people, less jobs means poverty... We have to get rid of the image of the Philippines first with a bad image of being "unsafe" by controlling insurgent and having more political stability. There is still a stigma hunting us with all these political killings with journalist and muslim insurgents. After they resolve these, investment will start to flow freely and it will run its own course.

I don't disagree in having more airports around the Philippines. It's a good thing but we shouldn't hastily act on it just because other countries are building these and that airport about the size of the whole visiyan province. IT's called Step planning. An appropriate size right now just like they are planning on DMIA, expand a little bit, then hopefully, when they plan it, they have the future in mind so that if expansion is necessary, it is planned ahead of time. Not build an airport big when the demand is not even there yet..

midwestguy1

July 24th, 2007, 01:37 AM

@alo --- and on the t3-compensation thing you mentioned. yes, the government will sooner or later have to pay fraport a certain amount of compensation, thats very likely, but this will not prevent the government to halt all other projects in the country coz they dont have the money to spend it for infraprojects.

but obviously they got the money to do it. and its money spent wisely. <<

----Me-- This is another problem in the Philippines. Lack of careful planning. It's like one of those old people are saying " paran boxer, suntok suntok kulang sa planno" They see something needs to be done but then nobody is planning it carefully. But, I can't point fingers on just one group on this one, because once a current administrator is planning something, it will be haunted with alot of critism and suspecions already.

This is exactly my point with Sangley international airport, DMIA is a plan and is in the making. T3 problems isn't solved yet, here comes another dealing with Cosco on building an airport. It's like Arroyo is like nodding on anything just to shut this and that governor, senators and such so she can get their approval. I mean any Philippine presidents not just Arroya. That is very typical filipino, they want to please everybody that in the end, they end up being the bad guy.

kiretoce

July 24th, 2007, 02:03 AM

PAL and two European banks enter pact on purchase of two aircraft (http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/man/2007/07/22/bus/pal.2.european.banks.enter.pact.on.purchase.of.2.aircraft.html)

The country’s flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) has completed a financial agreement with two major European banks to fund the acquisition of two new Airbus A320s.

PAL president Jaime Bautista said they signed the agreement with French lender Calyon Credit Agricole CIB (Calyon) and German company KfW-IBEX Bank, which are two of the world’s leading financiers for the aviation industry.

“These agreements clearly show the confidence of the international financial community in the future of Philippine Airlines,” said Bautista.

The two new jets are part of PAL’s order for nine aircraft for its ongoing narrow-body fleet modernization program.

The financing package includes a 12-year pure commercial loan arrangement without any third-party guarantee. The structured lease was arranged by Calyon with both itself and KfW underwriting and providing the loans.

“We are most pleased with the support of the creditors, particularly our long-time partners Calyon and KfW, for our re-fleeting program. It confirms the soundness of PAL’s approach and that we are on the right track towards sustained growth and profitability,” said Bautista.

This is PAL’s first new accords with the aircraft-financing sector in 10 years, or since before the flag carrier entered a rehabilitation program in 1998.

PAL has had long working relationships with Calyon and KfW, which both helped finance an earlier fleet renewal program in 1997 to 1998 that also featured the acquisition of A320s as well as A330 and A340 wide-body aircraft.

At least 20 new aircraft will be added to PAL’s fleet composed of nine A320 firm orders, two leased A320s, four leased A319s and five A320 option aircraft.

Six of the units have already been delivered, with the seventh, an A320 that is a subject of the financing agreement, scheduled for delivery last Friday at the Airbus facility in Toulouse, France.

Three more aircraft are expected to be delivered this year while five jets will arrive next year.

kiretoce

July 24th, 2007, 02:14 AM

Gokongwei: Correcting mistakes at Cebu Pacific (http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2007/07/24/215544/gokongwei-correcting-mistakes-at-cebu-pacific.html)

Asia's first low-cost carrier Cebu Pacific is returning to strength with improved efficiencies and a firm belief in its business model

This is a classic story of an airline that had a promising start but which lost its way as it branched out beyond its core areas of expertise. Fortunately for Cebu Pacific, however, the story does not have an unhappy ending. The Philippine carrier recognised its problems early enough and was able to recover.

Launched in 1996 by JG Summit Holdings, one of the Philippines' largest and most diversified conglomerates, Cebu Pacific originally stayed fairly true to the model of former US carrier ValuJet, now AirTran, which it adopted in its first years of existence. Strong traffic growth was recorded through 2004 - despite a fatal accident in 1998 - but that all changed when rival Philippine Airlines began to match its fares and aggressively clawed back market share.

President and chief executive Lance Gokongwei, who also now runs the mammoth JG Summit conglomerate which was started by his father John, remembers clearly when he realised things needed to be changed.

"It was mid-2004," he said in an interview at one of the group's hotel properties in central Manila.

"Historically PAL had given us a 30-40% price advantage and, as we only had two prices, it was easy for them to match our prices. Second, from 2004 you started to see fuel prices moving up. We were still making money but I could see the writing was on the wall. Our cost structure was probably higher on a unit basis than Philippine Airlines' was in a high fuel environment as we were operating [McDonnell Douglas] DC-9s six hours a day. We recognised that in the middle of 2004 and luckily we moved fairly quickly."

Since then Cebu Pacific has gone from strength to strength and has placed several aircraft orders to keep up with growth projections. Profits are rising along with traffic, and it is no secret that an initial public offering is planned for the near future - although Gokongwei will not talk about this on the advice of his lawyers.

Before looking at growth plans, however, it is worth examining just how bad things got for Cebu Pacific and how it could have fallen further into despair had the decision not been taken to return to its roots as a true low-cost carrier and differentiate itself from PAL.

In its first year of operation, Cebu Pacific carried 360,000 passengers and this grew steadily through to 2004, when it carried 2.45 million passengers. But in 2005 it suffered a 10% drop in passenger numbers after PAL slashed fares. By 2004 Cebu Pacific's domestic market share had grown to 31.6% but the following year it fell to 27.5%.

Cloning the competition

By that time the airline had effectively lost focus and by its own admission was no longer a true low-cost operator. It had a frequent-flyer programme, lounges in key airports, a mixed fleet of DC-9s and Boeing 757s, several dozen interline agreements with other airlines, business class for regional international services, hot meals in economy class for some flights and complimentary newspapers on board. In effect, it was becoming a PAL "clone", says Gokongwei.

"I think we were too inward looking. We were looking at the market purely from a Philippine airline perspective, whereas clearly this is now a global business. So we had to bring in a fresh set of eyes and people from outside," he says.

"We brought in a couple of experienced people from the low-cost carrier business and we brought in people who are not from the business. When you have fresh eyes you are much more critical about the way things can be done. There is so much available information anyway now. You try to be innovative but there are so many successful models that you can just copy and then it is all just a matter of execution and working very quickly.

"The mistakes we made were basically from not being confident in our own model and trying to duplicate what PAL was doing. We ended up being a light version of Philippine Airlines whereas clearly we should have stayed very consistent with the business model. And of course the high fuel costs really killed the DC-9 model."

Fleet modernisation was the highest priority and in September 2004 Cebu placed an order with Airbus for 10 A319s and two A320s, in addition to lease orders for two more A320s. In 2005 and 2006 the DC-9s were progressively retired and by March 2006 the remaining 757s had been sub-leased out.

Turnaround times improved to 30-35min from 40-45min for the domestic operation, and fleet utilisation increased from around 6.5 hours per day to around 13.5 hours now.

New fare structures were introduced and ticket prices slashed by more than 50%, sparking a fare war. At the same time complimentary newspapers were removed, an online booking capability was launched, airport lounges were closed and the frequent-flyer programme eliminated. Complimentary snacks stopped being provided and passengers now pay for in-flight frills.

Domestic destinations

It was not all about making cuts, however. In 2005 and 2006 the number of domestic destinations served was increased to 20 from 13, while new international services were added to Singapore, Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia and Bangkok in Thailand, and frequencies were increased to Hong Kong and points in South Korea. More destinations have since been added, such as Jakarta in Indonesia and Taipei in Taiwan, with plans for many more destinations to be added in the coming years.

The return to its roots has proven a phenomenal success for Cebu Pacific. In 2006, passenger numbers soared 57% over 2005, to 3.46 million, while domestic market share in terms of passengers carried increased to 35.9% from 27.5%. This year Cebu Pacific expects to carry more than 5 million passengers, representing year-on-year growth of around 45%.

The turnaround has also come with financial gains for JG Summit, which - for now - owns all of the airline. Cebu Pacific's earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation jumped to 2.33 billion pesos ($51 million) in 2006 from 1.39 billion pesos in 2005, on revenue growth to 10.08 billion pesos from 7.96 billion pesos. Net profit increased to 196.7 million pesos from 81.9 million pesos over the same period and earnings are expected to improve further this year.

The carrier recently placed purchase orders for up to 20 more A320s, as well as up to 14 ATR 72-500s, in addition to having secured leases on four more A320s. If all the A320 and ATR 72 options are exercised, the fleet will more than triple in size to 46 aircraft by 2013, up from the current 14.

Adding a second aircraft type will add to the cost base, but Gokongwei says it is a pragmatic move needed to meet the unique requirements of the Philippine domestic market.

"The additional cost is really on the pilot side. Of course the maintenance is outsourced and it's a higher-cost aircraft, but it has a very specific mission," he says.

Viable sub-fleet

"When we looked at this we had a couple of considerations. We were not going to do it just to set up a fleet of two or three aircraft - we need to get above 10 or 12 aircraft to make it worthwhile, to have a sub-fleet that is economically viable. Second, there are 70 airports in the Philippines and only 25 can be reached with an Airbus. Third, the single largest tourist destination in the Philippines, Boracay, can only be approached by a prop. That is 600,000 passengers a year before our stimulation - we think we can grow that to a million. Fourth, we are flying some routes that are only 160km, like Cebu-Bacolod, and it is covered by water in between so you really need to fly. Below 400km or 500km it makes more economic sense to use the ATR and use that sub-fleet to free up capacity for other routes."

He adds: "Fundamentally we are still a point-to-point carrier and we have to have critical mass in each sub-fleet. We have to accept that the ATR has a higher cost per ASK than an Airbus, but at the same time the routes are generally shorter so the revenue per passenger kilometre is also substantially higher."

The ATRs will be used to open services to the many domestic destinations that cannot be served with A320-family aircraft. Internal plans call for Cebu Pacific to be serving around 45 domestic points within five years, up from the current 20.

Growth will also be bold on the international front, rising to 30 destinations from eight over the same period. This will include the launch later this year of new services to Guangzhou, Shanghai and Xiamen on the Chinese mainland as well as the Special Administrative Region of Macau.

As more air services agreements are opened up, such as the recently liberalised Philippines-South Korea bilateral, there will also be many more opportunities for new services to be launched within a four-hour flying radius, says Gokongwei. Japan is a market of particular interest, and he hopes a more liberal bilateral can be agreed soon to enable Cebu Pacific to launch regular services to several destinations there.

Meanwhile, Gokongwei is looking for even more ways to reduce costs.

"Our cost structure is best in class in the Philippines now but if I look at the cost of some of the other firms, especially AirAsia, then there is obviously still more room to reduce cost, especially on the distribution side," he says.

In addition, says Gokongwei, as more people in the Philippines become internet savvy and obtain credit cards, there will be many more savings realised from reduced distribution costs.

Cebu Pacific is still on several global distribution systems and currently sells only 23-24% of its domestic tickets on its website. More than half its international tickets are sold via the website.

Looking ahead, Gokongwei says the carrier will not be tempted to add widebody aircraft and launch long-haul operations like some of its peers. He also says there is no immediate interest in setting up bases in other parts of Asia. However, he does not rule it out.

"Never say never, but the opportunity in something we do well is already enormous. I don't think we should distract ourselves from any other thing now," says Gokongwei.

"It will be very interesting to see how some of the low-cost carriers' exercises [in long-haul operations] play out. The more I am in this business the more I am convinced that you cannot make it work without a substantial fleet, and I am not in a position to order 12 or 15 777s today. The difference is I have been burned before. Hopefully I will always remember some of the pain we felt so that we stay focused."

[b]Lance Gokongwei: taking over the family business

Cebu Pacific launched in 1996, several years after Lance Gokongwei's father, John Gokongwei, read an article in a US newspaper about then-US low-cost carrier ValuJet.

The elder Gokongwei thought the same model could be successful in the Philippines, where the market was being deregulated, and he acquired several ex-Garuda Indonesia McDonnell Douglas DC-9s and secured an operating licence.

Lance, the only son who was being groomed to take over the family empire - one of the largest conglomerates in the Philippines - was tasked with running the fledgling airline and he has been with it ever since.

Now 40, Gokongwei spends around 40% of his time on airline matters, with the rest spent overseeing other businesses in the group, which he also now heads up. These business interests include food, real estate, petrochemicals, telecommunications, power generation and hotels.

With Cebu Pacific back on course for profitable growth after having lost its way for a brief period, it is widely expected that he will hand over day-to-day management of the carrier to a new chief executive in the near future.

Gokongwei has twin degrees in business administration and engineering from the University of Pennsylvania. He is married and has two children.

kiretoce

July 24th, 2007, 02:23 AM

Arroyo's airport complex: 29 airports to open by 2010 (http://www.gmanews.tv/story/52304/Arroyos-airport-complex-29-airports-to-open-by-2010)

If Imelda Marcos was known for her edifice complex, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo might go down in history for her airport complex.

At least 29 airports, dozens of road and port projects across the Philippines composed the intractable bundle of promises she made in her 2007 State of the Nation Address.

By all indications, however, it was a redux of the "super regions" projects she launched in her 2006 SONA.

Mrs Arroyo moved form one region to the other, and run down project names that she dutifully paired with a roll call of the names of her local political allies who are either project proponents or sponsors.

Among the President's promises:

* For the Luzon "Urban Beltway": four major and other road projects, including the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Express Road , the radar approach control of the Clark Airport, the C-5-Katipunan section for the North Luzon and South Luzon Expressways connection is now on-going, the widening of the Alabang Viaduct up to Santo Tomas, Batangas and the extension of SLEX to the Southern Tagalog Arterial Road.

* For Central Philippines, roads "to enhance tourism" and move people and goods in Panay Island, including Boracay: 8 major ports and airports projects worth P15.51 billion, including the Jagna Port in Bohol, the Iloilo International Airport, the Kalibo Airport, the Bacolod Airport, and the Guiuan Airport in Eastern Samar.

Other airport projects she promised to launch or bankroll during her watch are the Kabankalan and Panglao airports, an international airport in Daraga, Albay.

Shje said the Casiguran (Aurora), Kalibo, New Iloilo and Ozamis Airports will be finished during the first semester, and the other four in the second semester.

In addition, Mrs Arrroyo said 21 other air terminals are programmed to be completed before the President bows out of office in 2010, while three more would be operational by 2011.

* For Central Philippines, 16 airport projects to be improved or constructed as part of the intra-regional and extra-regional transport system.

* For the North Luzon Agribusiness Quadrangle, six airport projects.

* For Mindanao, seven airports.

Finally, Mrs Arroyo said 21 road and bridge projects in the beltway would add to the existing 20,568 kms. of paved national roads.

kiretoce

July 24th, 2007, 02:28 AM

BI to acquire 153 passport reading machines soon (http://news.balita.ph/html/article.php/20070723172556269)

The Bureau of Immigration is set to acquire 153 passport reading machines that would be installed at major airports and sub-ports in the country to remove long queues of passengers in such areas.

Of the 153 machine-readable passports or MRPs, 91 will be purchased by the bureau as part of its border control enhancement project, Commissioner Marcelino Libanan said Sunday.

He said the remaining 62 MRPs would come from the donation by the Australian government in line with its continuing program to assist the bureau in modernizing its travel control systems.

"This will benefit most especially our OFWs (overseas Filipino workers), thousands of whom leave the country daily via the NAIA (Ninoy Aquino International Airport)," the BI chief added.

Once the MRPs are installed in the different ports and entry points in the country, the long queues of passengers at immigration counters would be eventually removed, Libanan noted.

Apart from reducing the processing time for passengers, Libanan said the use of the MRPs will help ensure the accuracy of data and information encoded by an immigration officer for every passenger.

The BI head also lauded the Department of Foreign Affairs, which recently announced that it has started applications for MRPs from selected sectors, particularly senior citizens and OFWs.

"It will substantially cut the time it takes for an immigration officer to process an arriving or departing passenger," Libanan said.

The MRPs would be installed in Mactan-Cebu, Davao, Clark, Angeles, Laoag, Subic, Zamboanga, Iloilo, and Kalibo.

BI computer section chief Jollybert Galleon said that aside from retrieving personal data of a passenger, a passport reader is capable of detecting fraudulent or fake passport because it can read the security features embedded in the travel document.

Alo

July 24th, 2007, 03:18 AM

@ midwestguy

you are wrong on almost everything you are posting here. sorry but, thats how it is. on DMIA, on the COSCO thing. let us not make it to complicated

let me correct you on these things. let me start with the "small" things:

1. i welcome the COSCO investment, its a good thing, all i am saying is, BUSINESS might not be the only thing the chinese got in mind when they decided to come to SANGLEY point.

you really dont get my point on this, COSCO will "OCCUPY" the sangley point, by setting up a logistics hub there. by doing that, that area will not be usefull anymore to any future american base. thats all i am saying.

2. COSCO will build a small international airport. you'll see. there is no need to look at it as if they are building an airport to help out NAIA. they are not! why are you mixing up things here, NAIA TERMINAL 3 with the COSCO plan to set up an airport there. there is no connection in this, its COSCOs plan to have an logistics hub with an airport component in it. end of story.

3. NAIA IS NEARING its saturation point. even with the opening of T3, NAIA can not be expanded anymore. read the findings of the experts on this. and therefore

4. it needs DMIA, a large modern terminal. again the experts agree on this. funding will come from foreign investors.

5. sorry dude. OF COURSE i expect the philippine population to be more than 100 million in less than 20 yrs. THE POPULATION today is ALREADY 87 OR more million.

you know what, it will be close to a HUNDRED MILLION already in a FEW YEARS.

poverty is declining, not fast enough, but its declining, those living in poverty, their number in percentage will go down, not up. given the fast aging western nations, i think its a good chance to build pinoy communities all over the world. for example canada. pinoy community is fast becoming bigger and bigger. thats a good development. same in europe.

sorry, but, just based on the way you reacted when i mentioned i expect the philippines population to be well more than a hundred million in 20 years. your reaction is really like..as if its not going to happen or totally unrealistic.

the philippines population will rise to more than 140 million in the year 2040

just take a look here:

http://www.census.gov.ph/data/sectordata/popproj_tab2r.html

http://www.census.gov.ph/data/pressrelease/2006/pr0620tx.html

3cr

July 24th, 2007, 03:38 AM

China's Cosco to invest $5B in RP logistics hub

China Ocean Shipping (Group) Co. (Cosco), China's biggest shipping firm, will invest $5 billion in the Philippines for the construction of a logistics hub in a province south of Manila, Trade Secretary Peter Favila said on Wednesday.

Favila said Cosco officials led by Captain Wei Jiafu, chief executive officer and executive vice president, would be in Manila next week to firm up the investment plans.

"Cosco said it would need between $4 billion and $5 billion just to convert Sangley Point into a fully operational commercial port," Favila said.

Favila said Cosco chose Sangley Point for its deep harbor but said the plan would require some reclamation to accommodate the land requirement.

Favila added that the Philippine Navy, most of whose fleet is headquartered in Sangley Point, was assured by Cosco that they would co-exist in the area.

Sangley Point occupies the northern portion of the Cavite City peninsula.

The base has a two-kilometer-long airstrip (part of the Danilo Atienza Air Base), which is the home of the Philippine Air Force's 15th Strike Wing.

After the conversion, Sangley Point would be home to a big seaport that could service giant "super panamax" container ships and to an international airport.

Sangley Point used to be a major ship-

Political intrusions mar Cosco major plan
By Ayen Infante
http://www.tribune.net.ph/business/20070724bus2.html

Giant China shipmaker Ocean Shipping Co. (Cosco), world’s second largest shipping firm, is seriously considering to skip Sangley Point, a military naval base in Cavite, from its plan for a major hub due to confusions caused by the presence of political personalities in the multibillion-dollar project, according to a top businessman privy to the negotiations.

The possibility to drop the original project site in Cavite which was the same location being pushed by President Arroyo when Cosco top executives went to Manila early last month, was reportedly being considered to appease the China-owned shipping company when the said political personalities and government officials started to intrude in the project apparently to solicit participation, sources said.

The official even recalled that when the Chinese group was supposed to meet the economic managers and some government officials including chief of the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) Romulo Neri, former secretary of Budget and Management, newly appointed Energy Secretary Angelo Reyes and Trade and Industry head Peter Favila who was assigned as the point man in-charge of the group in that welcome dinner held in Malacañang, Favila reportedly snubbed the Chinese team by not attending the event.

The official confirmed that even before the story on President Arroy’s issuance of Executive Order (EO) 629 came out, the Cosco group and Favila had not even had a chance to discuss the details of the said project.

What was quite strange, he said, was when Favila was quoted in newspapers that he had a meeting with the Cosco officials when in fact it was only lately that the DTI chief had been requesting to arrange a meeting with the Cosco group. “I don’t know where he (Favila) was getting his information.”

“Maybe it was only later he (Favila) realized the magnitude of the project when a news article on Cosco investments plan in the Philippines came out in the London Financial Times,” the official added.

But Favila, when interviewed by business reporters in a sidelights of an event in Makati City last week, announced Malacañang’s issuance of EO 629 and discussed other important details of the proposed project. “All I know is that he (Favila) has never met the group yet.”

EO 629 signed by Mrs. Arroyo on June 21, 2007, calls for the Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA) to transform Sangley Point into an international logistics hub complete with an operational port under the Sangley Point Development project which was proposed as early as 2002.

The proposed project involves the reclamation of some 4,000 hectares around Sangley Point for mixed-use development that will feature a modern naval and air base, regional hub seaport capable of servicing giant super panamax container ships, an international airport, housing and livelihood facilities, commercial and industrial areas, schools, hospitals and other institutional facilities, parks, playgrounds and other amenities and roads and rail system.

The EO was said to be promised by Mrs. Arroyo to former Sen. Ramon Revilla Jr. who was appointed as the chair of PRA. Malacañang wants to develop the former military camp but needs foreign investors to fund the project.

But in the process of negotiations, the senior Revilla recommended the participation of his son-in-law, former Sen. Robert Jaworski. Apart from them, there was also the close involvement of former Bureau of Immigration head Andrea Domingo.The scenario has forced Cosco to negotiate for another business site, the official added.

He added the government may present new business sites to the Chinese company when its officials visits the country once more before the end of the month. This week, the group is scheduled to arrive here and visit Subic on 25th, and may also see Sangley on the 24th.

Prior to that meeting, the official said he has already asked Neda, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, now headed by former Manila Mayor Lito Atienza, and the DTI to “agree among themselves” what should be presented and offered to the China-owned company.

_____________________

^^ Ay naku baka mabulilyaso pa to. Itong mga politiko talaga oh! :bash:

lochinvar

July 24th, 2007, 04:26 AM

I fear the Greeks bearing gift. Poor Troy.

Alo

July 24th, 2007, 05:01 AM

@midwestguy

another question, you always say, the need to have a big huge terminal at DMIA is not there, the passenger demand is not there.

the need, wheter its passenger or cargo is just not there,

so tell me, why did thailand build suvarnabhumi airport? thailand got of course a lot more tourists, around 13 million a year. the phils around 3 million.

but if you really only go by this. why that HUGE airport built for 45 MILLION PASSENGER a year, and they want to expand it til 2015 to handle 100 MILLION PASSENGER A YEAR.

AGAIN! 100 MILLION IN A COUPLE OF YEARS. AND 45 MILLION NOW!

so, even if the tourist numbers will explode and thailand would start to send its citizens abroad to take up jobs, what would it be then? 20 million passengers? maybe 25 million?

going by this numbers, why would they build an airport like that? nearly double the size they really need??? and the old airport is still in business. and already they are planning expanding it? can you explain that to me, using your logic?

and to your comment, where will the government get the money?..from taxes , from the expanded VAT. from international investors. they got the money thanks to prez arroyo's fiscal reforms.

just read this, its all about infrastructure, and they are doing it, right now.

http://www.gov.ph/news/?i=18246

Arkdriver

July 24th, 2007, 06:19 AM

I think we need to move faster in replacing the old passports with the new MRP because it gives you so much convenience. No long queues and speedy clearance.

papi_chulo

July 24th, 2007, 06:51 AM

the u.s is not developing our terminal. our country is starving for developement and jobs. if the chinese are willing to do it, more power to them. seems like only the chinese are willing to invest in our country in this big time projects. i welcome them with open arms.
U-S tops list of RP investors

American businessmen topped the list of foreign investors in the first semester this year with P26.3-billion worth of projects followed by Japanese with P12.7 billion.

http://www.goodnewspilipinas.com/docs/biz_progress/current/us_top_investor.html

cruizer333444

July 24th, 2007, 08:12 AM

tp papi_chulo-----can you tell me what big time projects the americans have in our country?

Alo

July 24th, 2007, 08:51 AM

@cruizer

ever heard about the 1 billion texas instruments investment in clark? i would call that a big time project.

midwestguy1

July 24th, 2007, 08:59 AM

hayyyy alo, I don't think you understand my point. To make it simple.. DMIA do need a new facility because there is an increase in pax activities from then on.. YES, BUt BuILDING an international airport that is about the size of CHangi or HK or even the new china airport isn't warranted YET. They need to build an airport according to current needs that has allowable space for expansion. For instance, since they are building a new terminal building that will accomodate the LCC airline companies, if the current pAX actvts is about 1 million a year, they need to start with an airport that is about the size of an airport initially for let's say 5 to 10 million pax year, but the plan should have substantial room for further more expansion til it reach let's say 100 million pax yearly. That is more appropriate. Mactan airport has been there for years and with the tourism in that region is booming, they hasn't made the 10 mil pax mark most especially the international passengers. What more with DMIA??? then if T3 open by next year then for atleast 10 The philippines gov wouldn't have to worry about expanding right away and will give enough time to start expanding DMIA little by little until NAIA is totally relieved by DMIA.

With Sangley?? You are getting waaayyyyyyyyyy too excited about it and we don't even know how far this would really push through. Besides considering the proximity of Sangley to manila itself and a room for building road via coastal road is just perfect. It would make it so much easier to plan it there since COSCO is planning to reclaim the land in that area. There is someone sponsoring it already, with DMIA, there are plans but they would still be looking for a foreign investor to fund the mega plan for future DMIA. There is nothing wrong to aspire and dream for this but the reality is, the Philippines can't afford to fund these on it's own, not with the billions of dollars the Philippines incure before Marcos time up to the current administration. Don't forget that the Philippines is very much in debt still.

The Philippine government isn't that stupid to allow the chinese to set up a naval base there even if the greedy politicians are unstable and are constantly fighting on who wants to sit in the number one office in the Philippines. I'm sure the Philippine government will seek help from the US or the US will not allow to have a chinese military build-up anywhere. Wait the minute? What gave you an idea that the chinese will just or automatically set up a naval base in SANGLEY?? Do you know of any other chinese naval installations elsewhere in the world outside china? as far as I know nowhere, even in Vietnam they don't even have one???

JustHorace

July 24th, 2007, 09:13 AM

Wonderful project! I just hope politicking would leave this alone. Ang kulit talaga ng mga Pinoy!

Alo

July 24th, 2007, 09:26 AM

@midwestguy

i am not saying the chinese are building a naval station in the phils. :lol: :lol:

in the last few years china became more cooperative when it comes to the south china sea problem, spratly island. the philippines increased its security cooperation , and the ASEAN countries are pursuing their integration, acting more and more as one group versus china.

the chinese are using softpower and investments to allay fears in south east asia that their rising nation will pose a threat in the future to the national security of the surrounding countries.

its a well known and often described technique the chinese use, to make friends in south east asia. coming from this thought, i looked at the sangley point investment from that point of view.

why did the philippines sign the visiting forces agreement with the usa? one reason was the occupation of islets in the south china sea by the chinese. it became quiet in the last few years, but just a couple of weeks ago, the chinese navy shot at a vietnamese fishing vessel. i read about this in an japanese newspaper.

but its a fact, that china is using is new wealth to convince asian neighbours, that the rise of china is good, that it is something all asian countries can profit. the question is, how will they behave in the future.

nowadays its only japan and the usa that are worried, every other nations seems to be very enthusiastic about the opportunities rather than the threats or challenges a rising china poses to them.

about DMIA, i just got a different opinion on this, now that we are talking about the chinese, its a chinese consortium doing a study, and probably they will also be the ones who will build a terminal at DMIA. who knows.

there are already rumors that the chinese are looking for another site for the cosco-investment, so i think nothing is final yet.

midwestguy1

July 24th, 2007, 09:26 AM

ALO>> 3. NAIA IS NEARING its saturation point. even with the opening of T3, NAIA can not be expanded anymore. read the findings of the experts on this. and therefore<<<

Once T3 is openned, congestion in naia will be relieved for the time being. They should not tear t1 down because it will help with the decongestion in NAIA, they can do some remodelling inside and upgrade. The government do need to address the 2 runways, both can still be used if they tickenned the aspalt layer to withhold the insult from the newer and heavier aircrafts. If the old domestic terminal is removed, the 2ndary runways can be widenned and somehow extended just from point where there are marking on where the planes needs to position before take off. The filipino traffic controlers are talented enough to handle these take off and landings. so there are 2 runways in NAIA already. NAIA isn't the only busiest and major airport in the world where runway is crossing each other, I used to have a picture in canada where it is bigger airport than NAIA but they have only 2 runway which crosses each other just like in NAIA , it is very much functional and so far is safe. If I am not mistaken it's the one in Vancouver Canada, but I have to check it again.

Yes, I read the article about NAIA is at it's near saturation point.

wheel of steel

July 24th, 2007, 01:12 PM

COSCO will definitely construct a railway that will pass the Cavite Province all the way to PNR Grand Terminal in FTI Taguig...definitely....all the way to Mauban in Quezon....(LABART Project)...WOW!!

wheel of steel

July 24th, 2007, 01:17 PM

^^ $1B from Texas Instruments.....NICE!!! Thanks a lot TI...:banana:

papi_chulo

July 24th, 2007, 04:39 PM

tp papi_chulo-----can you tell me what big time projects the americans have in our country?
well sa sobrang dami baka d ko ma lista...well click d link and read, this news is from DTI...ill give you some investment from the u.s.a...$1B from Texas Instruments, Offshore investment, check your computer and most microchip there is from philippines;) even your processor(if its a pentiume), software companies...dami kaya nga sabi pinakamataas na nag invest is america next is japan...

http://www.goodnewspilipinas.com/docs/biz_progress/current/us_top_investor.html

papi_chulo

July 24th, 2007, 05:01 PM

tp papi_chulo-----can you tell me what big time projects the americans have in our country?
U-S firm commits more RP investments

NASDAQ-listed Lawson Software has committed to invest some $6 million in the next two to three months, in addition to the $15 million it has already sunk into its Philippine facilities in less than two years.

http://www.goodnewspilipinas.com/docs/biz_progress/current/lawson_commits_more_investment.html

kiretoce

July 24th, 2007, 06:43 PM

THAI falling behind peers as fleet ages (http://www.bangkokpost.com/Business/24Jul2007_biz49.php)

Thai Airways International is seeing a greater need to modernise its fleet, now among the oldest in the league of Asia's leading carriers.

The flag carrier's board and top management are paying increasing attention to fleet age, an area in which THAI compares poorly with main rivals including Singapore Airlines and Cathay Pacific.

In addition to being less appealing to passengers, older aircraft are less fuel-efficient and potentially present other problems including high operating costs and emission and noise levels above prevailing international standards.

THAI aims to reduce the maximum usage of its aircraft to 15 years from 20, says ACM Chalit Pukbhasuk, the airline's chairman and also commander-in-chief of the Royal Thai Air Force.

More than 20 of THAI's 90 planes have been in operation for 15-20 years and in the next five years, a total of 48 planes will reach 20 years, insiders say.

The average age of the THAI fleet was 10.2 years as of December 2006, compared to six years and three months for SIA (as of March 2007), seven years for Cathay Pacific (April 2006) and 8.4 years for Philippine Airlines (April 2007).

THAI slightly fared better than Malaysia Airlines (11 years as of August 2006) but trailed Vietnam Airlines (6.3 years as of January 2007).

THAI plans to acquire 47 planes including six Airbus A380 superjumbos now on order, over the next decade as it retires 24 aircraft that are more than 20 years old over the next five years.

Until now, rejuvenation through jet replacement had never been clearly spelled out in THAI's corporate agenda. The airline's focus was on acquiring new jets for the sake of adding capacity to meet its network and growth strategy.

Most major airlines release aircraft after a maximum of 15 years of service, and are still able to obtain fairly good resale value, industry experts explain.

''By stretching the utilisation of the planes to 20 years or more as THAI does, the residual value of the aircraft would be very low and it will be extremely difficult to sell them,'' one executive said.

With jet fuel close to US$90 a barrel and fuel accounting for more than 30% of costs, airlines are increasingly compelled to replace older aircraft with more fuel-efficient jets such as the Boeing 787 ''Dreamliner'' and the Airbus A380, which consume 20% less fuel.

On the technical front, new equipment performs better than older equipment, which in turn leads to the issue of maintenance costs.

There is also a perception issue airlines such as SIA have been using the age of their fleets as a selling point.

However, THAI's average fleet age will be gradually reduced as a number of new planes including four B777s and an additional A340-600 are joining the fleet in the near future.

Recently, THAI placed an order for eight Airbus A330-300 jetliners worth at least US$700 million to replace the six A330-600s and two Boeing 747-300s, which have been flying for two decades.The first new A330-300 is scheduled to be delivered in October 2008.

jaywalker

July 24th, 2007, 06:56 PM

^^ A330-600 or A300-600.Never heard of that A330-600.:lol:

midwestguy1

July 24th, 2007, 09:08 PM

midwestguy1

July 24th, 2007, 09:19 PM

@midwestguy

i am not saying the chinese are building a naval station in the phils. :lol: :lol:

why did the philippines sign the visiting forces agreement with the usa? one reason was the occupation of islets in the south china sea by the chinese. it became quiet in the last few years, but just a couple of weeks ago, the chinese navy shot at a vietnamese fishing vessel. i read about this in an japanese newspaper.

Like I said, you were the one who brought up that the chinese will use this port in Sangley to establish a naval base there. That came from you..

The main reason why the Philippines sign an agreement with the US is that the philippines can't control the Abu Sayaf from spreading terrorism in form of bombing and the increasing case of tourist of foreign kidnappings in the Philippines for ransom. Spratley Issue is being addressed in the UN council long time ago even before the US Visiting forces. You mentioned that chinese shot a vietnamese vessel from a japanese newspaper? It looks like the vietnamese are fishing in the area where the chinese has claim in a chain of Islands down that area in Spratly, not the Islands already occupied by the Philippine forces...

Alo

July 24th, 2007, 11:19 PM

@midwestguy

no, i did not say the chinese will built a naval base. i said, a logistics hub, a shipping port, FOR COMMERCIAL USE, of course not a MILITARY NAVAL BASE.

about VFA, sorry, i could post hundreds of sites which will explain to you why the phils signed the VFA and how they used the abu sayyaf or the fight against terrorism in the phils for covering up the true nature why the phils and the usa increased security cooperation, there has been terrorism in the philippine south for decades, the vfa is not related to that, also not the MLSA , mutual logistics and services agreement.

and the shooting at the viet vessel is subject to an investigation right now, done by the viet government, nobody knows what really happened. just in the south china sea, where exactly they did not reveal it.

you say they adressed the spratly issue in the united nations? thats not the case, read the ASEAN-CHINA declaration of the SOUTH CHINA SEA, the CODE OF CONDUCT, and google SPRATLY islands , and you'll see what is going on. the chinese even preferred to settle this in bilateral talks, but changed their attitude. now its asean-china doing it.

the chinese, together with the phils and vietnam are currently undertaking a seismic study on the area, its possible they will turn it into a tripartite agreement, but this is still up for discussions.

you really missed my point on this, about the cosco thing. setting up a BUSINESS, whatever it is, WHETER a LOGISTICS HUB or a THEME park, or even a huge CALL center or whatever, in areas that are critical to national security, or with other words, in AREAS THAT COULD BE used for letting the US forces set up a naval base, or military base in the future, could be what the chinese got in mind.

setting up a business in those areas will make the chances a lot smaller for the usa- forces and the philippine government to let the americans set up a base there. nothing elst.

nobody knows how china will behave, and its possible the philippines will decide to let the americans have permanent bases in the country again, but having chinese companies, occupying all the areas which could be sites for these bases, and in the same time having huge investments in the phils, will make it harder for the phils to let the americans set up base in the phils again, more of a balancing act . thats the point i raised.

you said i am waaayyyyyy to excited about this project, yes i am, but its nothing compared to a possible announcement of a HUUUGE AND LARGE DMIA-TERMINAL...i would start to bleed out of my nose sooooo excited i would be abou that.. lol

just found this article in Business Mirror:

Sangley or Subic for Cosco?

By Max V. de Leon
Reporter

EXECUTIVES of China’s shipping giant China Ocean Shipping Group Co. (Cosco) are in Manila to look into the possibility of making the area between Subic and Clark an alternative location for its multibillion-dollar logistics hub project if its original choice, Sangley Point in Cavite, proves to be unsuitable.

Francis Chua, special trade and investment envoy to China, said the Cosco delegation led by its executive vice president, Li Jianhong, has scheduled separate trips to Sangley Point and the Subic Bay Freeport—the sites that are now vying for the huge investment.

The Cosco team has also set a meeting with the Navy to inquire into the possible extent of the Sangley Point area, which hosts a naval base, that the company can use for its transshipment facility should it choose Cavite over Subic.

Chua said these are parts of the final stages of the feasibility study that Cosco is doing before pushing through with the project. In two days, Chua added, Cosco would have probably decided which site is more suitable.

He added the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) came knocking on Cosco’s doors and offered the free port and the areas from Subic to Clark at a time when Cosco was hesitating on its choice of Sangley Point. “Right now Subic is still in the running because the SBMA said that corridor could still be utilized.”

What is certain, according to him, is that Cosco had definitely decided on the Philippines.

Alo

July 25th, 2007, 03:29 AM

the true reasons why the chinese are still looking for other sites than sangley, the article in the tribune is just a rumor and a story fabricated by some irresponsible journalists.

http://www.tribune.net.ph/business/20070724bus2.html

read below:

Cosco eyes Subic, Sangley as possible invest sites

By MA. ELISA P. OSORIO
The Philippine Star

Chinese shipping giant China Ocean Shipping Co. is seriously eyeing the 93-kilometer strip between Subic and Clark as a possible location of their multi-billion dollar investment in the country.

“Cosco officials are here on a two-day visit to look at Subic and Sangley Point,” Francis Chua, special Philippine envoy on China trade and investments, said in an interview Tuesday.

According to Chua, Cosco vice-president LiJian Xiong and executive vice-president Li Jianhong went to Sangley Point in Cavite Tuesday and is scheduled to visit Subic Wednesday.

“They want to evaluate the two areas. They want to see if the areas can accommodate the facilities they want to build,” Chua said.

Chua said Cosco’s initial plans include the development of a land where they would put up a “marine school to train maritime sailors. There will be a repairing ships and building ships.”

“They will be using the Philippines as a hub for shipment to Europe and America, so all cargo from Asia will come to the Philippines, using the Philippines as a staging point to go to US, North America, Europe and vice versa,” Chua said.

The move of the Chinese investor is contrary to earlier statements made by Trade Secretary Peter Favila who claimed Cosco has finally decided to pluck in their $3-billion to $5-billion investment in the naval base in Cavite.

“The Chinese liked Sangley Point. They considered other locations but they chose to develop Sangley into a fully operational commercial port,” Favila said last week.

However, Chua said the Chinese are concerned if there is enough space for them in the Sangley Point naval base. “They need a lot of space. They are not certain if the Cavite property will be enough.”

According to Chua, the Philippine Reclamation Authority has told him that Philippine Airlines (PAL) is moving in the naval base to extend the runway of the international airport in order to accommodate the flag carrier’s 747 planes.

Currently, the runway is two kilometers. Chua said the 747 requires seven kilometers so the new runway would eat up five kilometers.

In spite of the confusion as to where the investment is going to be located, Chua said he is confident that the Chinese will not move their business to another country like Vietnam.

“We will not allow that to happen. One thing is sure, Cosco will locate in the Philippines,” Chua stressed.

Founded in 1961 as the pioneer international shipping carrier in China, Cosco has grown into a $17-billion global company. It owns and operates 600 various types of ships operating in 1,300 ports in more than 160 countries and regions worldwide.

kalbongdad

July 25th, 2007, 03:53 AM

you are making so much ado about nothing....its plane and simple economics...the philippines needs investments...it will welcome any country ..it just so happens now that the chinese economy is doing very well and it has lots of surplus money to invest with...if you have noticed chinese investments is everywhere nowadays...in africa...asia..in the u.s. and europe even...it is just filling the void left by the u.s. ...china has already upstage russia...it is the center of envy now by the u.s. let us face it..it's china's time
china has now overtaken u.s. as the most visited country in the world...and it has increased its influence in asia and africa...

if i may comment on the VFA thing....the U.S. needs it more than the philippines....we have survived rather well without the american bases....sbma and clark has created more jobs than the u.s. bases can possibly provide...the philippines is admittedly militarily weak but it is not helpless in dealing with the insurgents...remember that since the closing of the bases we did not get any military assistance from the u.s. but we survived...the VFA is a tool for america to handle its fear... that the muslim rebels in the south...will export their terrorist activities to the u.s. after 9/11...and it is a way they could train their soldier in an environment of actual conflict...

the world very well know that the american military is the most powerful in the world because of it's weapon's technological superiority ...but when it comes to personnel warfare and man to man combat...it continues to suffer humiliating defeats from inferiorly armed military of other countries....a good example...the bay of pigs in cuba...the vietnam war...and now the iraq war...the u.s. may have bombed iraq into the middle ages but it has not broken its will to fight and that... my friend...cannot be defeated by any technologically advanced military weapons.....america has lost its bearing and confidence since these series of defeats....it has not regained it since....the wars entered into by the americans are waged miles away...and is only good for a week or two...in a prolonged war they always end up packing their bags and going home defeated.....leaving the devastation they have created ......and that my friend is being repeated again in iraq ...again a technologically advance super power is on the verge of going home once again humiliated.......

going back to the chinese in sangley .... if the chinese can beautifully develop that area...well and good it is a good help to the philippines...the philippines needs all the investments it can get...that area was occupied by the americans but nothing happened to it....

cruizer333444

July 25th, 2007, 04:19 AM

the americans are going broke. if we wait for american investments, its like watching paint dry.

wheel of steel

July 25th, 2007, 05:09 AM

^^ LET'S BE PROUD TO HAVE AN ASIAN INVESTORS led by Japan, South Korea and China.....:banana:

wheel of steel

July 25th, 2007, 05:15 AM

the americans are going broke. if we wait for american investments, its like watching paint dry.

the americans are going broke. if we wait for american investments, its like waiting for war to happen...he he he he.....:lol: JOKE!!!

Arkdriver

July 25th, 2007, 06:31 AM

wait, the man said 747 needs 7-kilometer runway? does he really know anything about aviation? Do PAL plans to park their plane in a long line tail to head? absurd....

Arkdriver

July 25th, 2007, 06:36 AM

thai fleet is bigger than PAL there's no big deal about their fleet ages. As for Malaysia Airlines old fleet doesnt stop them from being awarded 5 star airlines....it's fleet management and regular maintenance. But since their 734 is already more than a decade old they are phasing out starting in 2009.

Alo

July 25th, 2007, 07:05 AM

@ ssangyongs

yes i was also wondering about that, but i think he meant both runways together will be 7 kilometers. which means two runways with a lenghts of 3.5 kilometers. but i assume , the guy messed up something or the journalist did not hear the exact number.:ohno: :ohno:

mambo

July 25th, 2007, 08:50 AM

yeah and pals cabins have seen the good days, they intend to spend millions of dollars to refurbish exisitng wide body fleets

midwestguy1

July 25th, 2007, 09:43 AM

midwestguy1

July 25th, 2007, 09:53 AM

ALO ==you really missed my point on this, about the cosco thing. setting up a BUSINESS, whatever it is, WHETER a LOGISTICS HUB or a THEME park, or even a huge CALL center or whatever, in areas that are critical to national security, or with other words, in AREAS THAT COULD BE used for letting the US forces set up a naval base, or military base in the future, could be what the chinese got in mind.

setting up a business in those areas will make the chances a lot smaller for the usa- forces and the philippine government to let the americans set up a base there. nothing elst. <<<<

----ME: Who would encourage the US to set up a naval base in sangley?
Who is going to let the US to set up a naval base in Sangley?? For what purpose?? Is there already a tension between china and america? Will there be one in future?? Why Are you having all these negative thoughts or ideas?? Is the Philippines under threat from the Chinese???

midwestguy1

July 25th, 2007, 10:05 AM

the americans are going broke. if we wait for american investments, its like waiting for war to happen...he he he he.....:lol: JOKE!!!

Wait, I know there are already alot of US investments in the Philippines. One of them is timex. That movie or something in cebu that is supposed to set the Philippines to be the hollywood of asia. Let's see, Marriott Hotel chain is a US hotel base what else. MCI call centers, IT help for different US computer corporations such as Hewitt-packard, intel and Dell are all american companies set up in the Philippines. Ofcourse there are alot Koreans and Japanese investors as well because of the close proximity of the two contries to the Philippines because it is cheaper for these companies to set up their business in the Philippines.

JudeD

July 25th, 2007, 06:08 PM

Expat Communications, Inc., publishers of weekly newspaper, What’s On & Expat, and What’s On The Philippine Guide, comes out with the 2nd issue of Expat Travel & Lifestyle, a 140-page glossy, oversized magazine – and the first publication devoted to expat life in the Philippines.

The 2nd issue, which centers on the theme “high flyers,” features eight expat airline executives, namely: AIR FRANCE KLM's Ihab Sorial, Lufthansa's Christopher Zimmer, Malaysia Airlines' Goh Meng Kheng, Northwest Airlines' Todd Anderson, Qatar Airways' Mohammed Riyaz, Singapore Airlines' Clinton Tan, SEAIR's Nikos Gitsis and Thai Airways' Nivat Chantarachoti. Going with the high-flying theme, main articles include features on airports, airlines and aviation.

Published quarterly, Expat Travel & Lifestyle is a must-read for expats and people with a passion for life in the Philippines. Regular sections include travel (foreign and local), business, home and real estate, lifestyle and culture, health and sports, style and beauty, and so much more.

Readers will also get insightful and often times amusing looks at life in the Philippines through columnists such as award-winning journalists Murray Hertz and Rosalinda Orosa, travel writer and producer of award-winning films Christine Dayrit, former PC World Sweden editor-in-chief and tech expert Drasko Markovic, hip businessman Greg Kittelson, and longtime expat and socialite Marit Yuchengco, to name just a few.

Expat Travel & Lifestyle is exclusively distributed by Emerald Headway Distributors, Inc., and is now available at magazine stands, bookstores supermarkets and other retail outlets.

For subscriptions, call: (02) 647-4744 or 647-4766 or email: ehdi@pldtdsl.net. Grab a copy today!

We’re also wondering if any of you, or any of your expatriate friends may want to contribute articles or stories for our magazine, particularly our next issue coming out this October. We welcome articles on any subject, but especially about expat life and activities, and travel stories by expats. Our deadline for all submissions would be by the start of September, but we'd like to know ASAP who may be willing to contribute. Of course, all contributors will be duly compensated for their efforts. If any contributors would like to use a pen name/pseudonym for any reason, we wouldn't mind that as well.

Contact:
Jude Defensor
Editor
Expat Communications, Inc.
(02) 840-2996, 812-0987
expatmag@gmail.com

http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa305/judedefensor/Expatmagazine2ndissuecoverFINAL_Pag.jpg
http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa305/judedefensor/center.jpg
http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa305/judedefensor/editorcrop.jpg

JudeD

July 25th, 2007, 06:10 PM

http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa305/judedefensor/PALcrop.jpg
http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa305/judedefensor/miascorcrop.jpg

Buy the latest issue of Expat Travel & Lifestyle magazine to read the full articles!

kalbongdad

July 26th, 2007, 05:43 AM

oi bili daw kayo.....ako makkbasa na lang.....:nuts:

Sinjin P.

July 28th, 2007, 06:43 AM

New budget airline launched in Subic (http://www.mb.com.ph/BSNS2007072898821.html)

By BERNIE CAHILES–MAGKILAT

Pacific Pearl Airways.Com Corp. (PPA), another low-cost airline, has launched its operations in Subic Freeport for a daily flight from South Korea to several tourist destinations in the country.

PPA will operate and manage chartered flights in both domestic and foreign routes. It has committed .12 million in investments in Subic. It has also entered into an agreement with the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority to lease a hangar within the Subic Bay International Airport (SBIA).

"The company has prepared daily flight schedules from South Korea to several destinations in the Philippines namely Manila, Subic, Aklan, Cebu and Davao. Flights will commence in August this year," said Eligio Jimenez, PPA vice president for marketing.

Highlighting yesterday’s inauguration was the unveiling of two of the newest and most technologically advanced Boeing 737-200 aircrafts which flew in a week ago from Guam. Each of these aircrafts boasts of a highly convenient seating capacity of 114 passengers.

These flights are projected to bring Korean tourists to Kalibo without suffering through the hustle and bustle of connecting flights at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

Earlier, PPA was reportedly looking at operating in the Mactan Cebu International Airport with regular flight from Korea to Subic and Kalibo.

SBMA administrator Armand C. Arreza noted that good things happen in threes.

Arreza noted that the president has returned for the third time in six weeks to Subic to lead today’s PPA inauguration.

The President recently visited the Freeport during the investiture rites of the 16.15-kilometer Subic Cawag-Balaybay road that now strategically connects the towns of Zambales to the billion-dollar Hanjin shipbuilding facility. Last week, she also attended the inauguration of the first phase completion of the 5-million Subic Bay Port Development Project.

Consistent with the mandate of being part of the Arroyo administration’s priority projects to augment economic prosperity in Central Luzon, the Subic Bay Freeport remains as the top record holder of having registered more than 60 percent of foreign direct investments (FDIs) in the Philippines.

ewh1

July 28th, 2007, 08:10 AM

Highlighting yesterday’s inauguration was the unveiling of two of the newest and most technologically advanced Boeing 737-200 aircrafts which flew in a week ago from Guam

ahahaha..... dream on.

mambo

July 28th, 2007, 09:44 AM

737-200 is a 20 years +++ old model

xDieselJockx

July 28th, 2007, 09:49 AM

Raven83

July 28th, 2007, 03:06 PM

You guys... Don't be so negative!!! Maybe they will provide insurance for a very low price. FOR MORTUARY AND FUNERAL expenses !!!!HAR HAR HAR. Kidding !!!!. Let's hope they will succeed as well just like that CebPac airways corportion.

Any livery on how their planes would look like and maybe with the interior of the aircraft???

loooooools hehehe! wait a second I have a pic of that old junk in LAX(gonna dig it out and post it later), The paint is like a pseudo Airforce One

Anyway you might be interested in their website
http://www.pacificpearlairways.com/

I dont know but I think this airline is owned by a born again christian group or a very religious catholic old matron,It kinda telling,judging on the website at least:lol:

ryanr

July 28th, 2007, 04:07 PM

ahahaha..... dream on.

:lol: why does the media even bother. They should either stop trying to fool us or learn more about what they are writting.

Raven83

July 28th, 2007, 05:38 PM

Here it is
http://k43.pbase.com/g6/78/737778/2/81828215.uh7BEvOq.jpg

malvinjordan

July 28th, 2007, 06:33 PM

loooooools hehehe! wait a second I have a pic of that old junk in LAX(gonna dig it out and post it later), The paint is like a pseudo Airforce One

Anyway you might be interested in their website
http://www.pacificpearlairways.com/

I dont know but I think this airline is owned by a born again christian group or a very religious catholic old matron,It kinda telling,judging on the website at least:lol:

hahaha, I checked their site. The FA's could be nun's and the priest as a pilot. Great place for a mass in the air.

pi_malejana

July 28th, 2007, 11:06 PM

images here...

http://www.pbase.com/philippineaviation/pacific_pearl_airways

malvinjordan

July 29th, 2007, 05:54 AM

Does anybody know why I can't book flights to Korea online @ Cebu Pacific?

midwestguy1

July 29th, 2007, 06:07 AM

This wouldn't be a bad airport the government can have built for Boracay Resort. I think it would be appropriate for the area since Boracay is somewhat a mecca of all resorts in the Philippines. This one is in Argentina.

http://img210.imageshack.us/img210/6159/13wv1.jpg

http://img210.imageshack.us/img210/7121/34ok.jpg

http://img210.imageshack.us/img210/6773/48jd1.jpg

http://img210.imageshack.us/img210/7906/56ix.jpg

Hard Ball

July 29th, 2007, 07:36 AM

Does anybody know why I can't book flights to Korea online @ Cebu Pacific?

I think because flights to Korea are on chartered basis only not a regular/scheduled flights. Peeps, correct me if I'm wrong.

Ph Man

July 29th, 2007, 07:58 AM

err...maybe because their flights to KR is yet to be opened. just like Shanghai. please correct me also if i am wrong. soon, flight to Shanghai will be very affordable. they have ongoing promo of P1999 now. sans the taxes and charges.

Sinjin P.

July 29th, 2007, 08:40 AM

GMA leads launching of Pacific Pearl Airways at inaugural rites in Subic (http://www.mb.com.ph/PROV2007072998890.html)

By FRANCO G. REGALA & RANDY V. DATU

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT — President Arroyo yesterday led the launching of the Pacific Pearl Airways (PPA), the only Philippine airline operating both local and international flights here at Subic Bay International Airport.

President Arroyo pledged her full support to the Pacific Pearl Airways whose domestic and international flights are expected to start on Aug. 17.

As this developed, Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Administrator and CEO Armand Arreza said that the international flights are scheduled this year from Subic Bay International Airport to Korea, while the domestic flights will start in August from Subic to Palawan, Cebu, Aklan, and Davao, and Manila.

The President visited the Freeport during the airline’s inauguration with the opening of the 16.15-kilometer Subic-Cawag-Balaybay access road that strategically connects the towns of Zambales to the -billion Hanjin shipbuilding facility.

Last week, the President attended the inauguration of the New Container Terminal (NCT) Phase 1 of the 5-million Subic Bay Port Development Project, funded by the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC).

Arreza said that the Pacific Pearl Airways will link the Philippines to Korea and other parts of Asia.

The Pacific Pearl Airways is expected to bring in many Korean and foreign investors and tourists to the country, Arreza said. He added the airline has prepared daily flights from South Korea to several destinations in the Philippines, including Manila, Subic, Aklan, Cebu, and Davao.

Arreza said the PPA has forged an agreement with the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority to lease a hangar within the SBAA, to notch a competitive advantage in the aviation industry by eliminating stop-over problems.

In doing so, he said, passengers can benefit more since there are no stopovers in Manila, and enjoy more quality holidays due to shorter travel time.

Consistent with the Arroyo administration’s priority projects to boost economic prosperity in Central Luzon, the Subic Bay Freeport remains as the top record-holder having registered more than 60 percent of Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs) in the Philippines.

Meanwhile, Zambales Gov. Amor Deloso said President Arroyo assured her of full support on the proposed major road of Iba, Zambales and Tarlac road during her visit here yesterday.

Deloso said "once the major road of Zambales and Tarlac through the North Luzon interconnection road is completed, our province will have more investors and tourists. If the province of Zambales is linked by new roads to other parts of Luzon, more investments will come, creating many jobs for local residents."