Mayhem at PAL terminal

Whatever happened to the buoyant expectations generated by Philippine Airlines’ expansion plans that saw the flag carrier ramping up the hiring of new cabin crew and ground staff? At the PAL Terminal (also known as NAIA Terminal 2), departing passengers were under the impression that everything was so disorganized with not enough counters to attend to them – and made even worse by the increased number of people traveling during the Christmas season. 

The arrival area however is something else, with tired passengers from long haul flights from San Francisco, Vancouver and Los Angeles greeted by utter chaos and confusion, their frustration levels rising at having to wait for their luggage for one hour and a half. Apparently, PAL unloaded luggage from three different flights all at the same time – and as you can see from the photos, it was such a mess at the terminal with people trying to squeeze in to check the carousels for their bags and other stuff.

In fact, we’ve heard complaints from bewildered passengers who said they were told by PAL flight crew to wait for their baggage at a particular carousel number – only to find out that their bags and balikbayan boxes were all lumped into one carousel. By then they were already exhausted, hungry and thirsty and not surprisingly, angry at the mix-up. 

A visitor from Regina, Canada, Mr. David Bowman said he was really looking forward to his trip to Manila, anticipating a pleasant and relaxing experience with the weather he left in Regina at minus-50 degrees – the coldest winter ever in North America. In fact, he was already in his shorts and Hawaiian shirt ready to hit the beach – only to be met by the chaos and mayhem at the PAL Terminal.

Airports are the first thing that greet visitors to this country and whatever experience they encounter can shape their impressions negatively or positively. We don’t know if the mayhem at Terminal 2 is the fault of Customs, the DOTC, the MIAA or the PAL management – but at least they all should do something about this very disappointing experience to PAL passengers like Canadian visitor David Bowman.

Metro Manila earthquake drill

The magnitude 7.2 earthquake that jolted Bohol, Cebu and several areas in Visayas and Mindanao late last year continues to strike terror among Metro Manila residents who shudder at the thought of the overwhelming devastation, with 34,000 dead, 40 percent of homes and residential buildings shattered and more than 100,000 injured according to a 2004 Metro Manila Earthquake Impact Reduction Study (MMEIRS) conducted by the Japan International Cooperation Agency, the MMDA and the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology.

One of our readers, Fernando Anluagui, is proposing the conduct of a metrowide earthquake drill with a theoretical scenario to open the eyes of Metro Manila residents about what could happen during such a disaster. Fernando says MMDA chairman Francis Tolentino – who said the Guadalupe Bridge in Makati as well as the LRT and MRT lines would collapse in the face of a 7.2 intensity earthquake – should initiate the massive drills this January starting with government and private offices first, then public and private schools in succeeding days.

Print and broadcast media people can help disseminate the information with coordination to be made with LGU chiefs, hospital administrators, DepEd officials, the PNP NCRPO, AFP, DPWH, DOTC, DOH, DSWD, NDRRMC, and of course, Phivolcs. Our reader outlines very specific details like cascading orders to AFP field commanders from north to south to simulate readiness of available military personnel for mobilization to Metro Manila at short notice. The same goes for the PNP and DILG personnel for augmentation purposes in enforcing peace and order; supermarket operators and owners should have contingency plans of mobilizing available employees or personnel to prepare relief packs with PNP personnel to be deployed to help security guards prevent looting; the DOH should be ready with emergency intervention for casualties with body bags for retrieval purposes; and most of all, there should be synchronized media dissemination to avoid the issuance of conflicting reports.

It never hurts to begin the New Year by preparing all residents of Metro Manila for the possibility of a killer earthquake which could happen anytime.

MVP, Brother Armin Luistro ink MOA

PLDT chairman Manny V. Pangilinan (MVP) and DepEd Secretary Brother Armin Luistro just finished signing a Memorandum of Agreement where the Philippine Disaster Recovery Foundation (PDRF) would supply rice for 27,000 school children in areas devastated by Typhoon Yolanda. PDRF, co-chaired by MVP and Jaime Augusto Zobel (JAZA), is the country’s primary private sector vehicle for disaster management that has top business groups and conglomerates as its members. 

Everyone knows the important role that the private sector plays in rehabilitation and recovery efforts for disaster stricken areas – with businessmen noting that government has not been exactly effective in the areas of search and rescue as well as relief and rehabilitation efforts. 

The PDRF was organized in 2009 as a result of the devastation brought by Typhoons Frank, Ondoy and Pepeng, with government (through the Special Public Reconstruction Commission) tapping the resources of the private sector in formulating a reconstruction strategy, with efforts focused on activities directed towards the rehabilitation of disaster-stricken areas. 

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