All good things “I tell you that our Father answers all our prayers…”

As I started to write this article in our room at Staff House 7, I heard the familiar sound of an Airbus 319 on its final approach. Seconds later, as I turned to watch from my window, I saw the airplane make its touchdown at runway 22 of Mactan Cebu International Airport – completing its journey, safe and secure.

An hour ago, my wife and I listened to the homily on the Sunday’s Gospel. The priest started by asking, “Does our Father answer all our prayers? He always does. It’s sometimes YES, and many times NO; but He does answer every prayer all the time.”

I know that our Father has granted one of our constant prayers – that all airplanes take off and land safely at their destinations every single day. But more than this, MCIA has been blessed with many things.

Skytrax and ACI, two of the most respected authorities in airports worldwide have listed four Asian Airports among the top five international hubs in the whole world for 2006. These are Hong Kong, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Incheon. And Mactan Cebu International is connected to these renowned hubs, which means that, “from anywhere around the world, everyone can be at Cebu.”

And if one looks at the geographic circumstance of Cebu within the Philippine landscape, Mactan Cebu International is well connected to the other four international airports, that also serve as regional hubs in Southeast Asia: Manila, Clark, Davao and Zamboanga, as well as to the important domestic airports in the tourism-rich areas of the central super region. From our airport at Mactan, one can also fly to nearer landmarks on smaller General Aviation aircraft or by various types of sea vessels from the seaports of Cebu

More Good News

The State of the Nation Address (SONA) of the President last July 23 elicited many responses from the various sectors. But one of the positive things is the massive build up of transportation infrastructure along the length and breadth of the whole archipelago. Notable among these is the construction and improvement of more airports in the country, in accordance with the Medium Term Development Plan.

Next, we eagerly await the holding of the 1st Philippine International Tourism Fair on September 5-7 at the Cebu International Convention Center where travel executives around the world will converge and discuss new initiatives in travel and exploit the opportunities that new concepts of airline travel and airport management have opened. The result of this forum will certainly benefit Cebu and the MCIA.

Closer to home, we inaugurated the first direct flight from Shanghai to Cebu when China Southern Airlines MD90 number 2251 landed at 0125AM last Saturday July 28, bringing the first 136 Chinese passengers from the mainland, led by our Consul General at Shanghai, Ambassador Jesus Yabes, Tourism Attaché Gerard Panga, the China Southern airline staff and tour operators. Among those in the reception line were Dawnie Roa of DOT Region 7, the Head of Supervisor of Immigration at the airport Atty. Casimiro P. Madarang III, Customs Port Collector Atty. Ernesto D. Urbano, Public Affairs MCIAA Ahmed Cuizon and the General Manager of Mactan Cebu International Airport.

Several hours earlier, with President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo as Guest of Honor, Pacific Pearl Airways inaugurated its operations as a national carrier with the blessing of its first Boeing 737-200 at Subic. Based there, it will transport tourists from Incheon to the different tourist spots in the country. We shall see its aircraft going to Cebu soon.

PAL has also recently blessed its seventh Airbus 320 – aircraft number C8606. Few know that the PAL 320’s have the 21st century cabin design, the first in the Philippines and the first in Asia.

Lastly, I visited the corporate headquarters of Air Philippines in the first week of July. The president, Capt. Medina, discussed plans of resuming the flights to Ozamis, which officially started July 8 and getting two more B737-200s for its domestic long routes. He also talked about new 50-seater Bombardier turbo-prop aircraft that will come late this year to early next year to service the smaller airports, inaccessible to jet aircraft. All of these routes will originate from Cebu. From where I sit, I can see that Air Philippines will eventually develop as an airline that will take all the domestic routes of PAL and even compete in regional operations using a derivative clientele-based business concept.

The priest continued his homily. “I have discovered that when God says NO to your prayers, He says NO for four reasons. First what you asked for is certainly not good for you; and not giving in to your wishes is best for the situation. Second: He means WAIT because He knows just the exact time to give you what you need. Third: what you asked for may be too little or too simple; and what He will grant you would definitely be much better. And lastly, He may be disappointed in you because you only seek Him when it’s time to ask.”

People have dreams about the airport and what it should be. We all pray that we be granted the best and most modern facilities and equipment like those of richer countries. We become frustrated at the time it takes to get funds or get things moving. But often we cannot see that the solution is within us always. When we learn to get to know each other, how every one and every organization works and how everything can be coordinated and planned in a most integrated way - only then will we be a step closer to attaining our dreams.

At the airport, the team is slowly getting there…

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