Follow the dream...

How many times in your life have you reached such a “threshold?” The past weeks have been hard on my family. We had to move to our 19th home. Yes, since I met Arleen in my first year in the Air Force and then joined hands and made our first home at Fernando Air Base in Pampanga, we have had that many homes.

This time, it is a condominium unit right on the 15th floor, with a balcony overlooking the cross runways and taxiways of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport. It took four months since we paid our down payment and 44 days of additional construction period, to finally complete our transfer and hold the dedication ceremonies with family members last Saturday.

At the same time, we had to rush my mother to the hospital two Sundays ago because she refused to eat anymore. We had to shuttle between hospital and moving to the new unit. While alone with my 90-year-old mother and listening to her incoherent talk about past, present and “future” all at the same time, I could not help but think of the 50 years since my father passed away, when she took over and raised all four of us. They were turbulent times in the first few years, and she was bigger than life – she who has made us into who we are now.

I whispered to her that when she gets well, I would bring her to our condo unit. And she would smile like a small child…like when I asked her if she wanted me to buy ice cream…and when I did, we relished, savored the cool, sweet chocolate that melted in our mouths. How many sunrises and sunsets with her did we take for granted? Why was it hard to say “I love you” …. even until now, when she may not feel its meaning anymore. Was she in the threshold, we shall never know.

All we pray for is that her times here with us be comfortable and gratifying, that it’s perfectly all right to let us help her with the wheelchair, with the light switches, with the food, with bringing her to see the flowers and the fields. It’s okay if she cannot do things on her own anymore, and that depending so much on us is the way we will also feel that she appreciates our love and care.

The Asian Century

I have talked many times about how our growth in domestic travel has reached 23 percent in 2007, tied with Mexico and second worldwide to India at 32 percent, and better than China at 16 percent. This was all because of the Low Cost Carriers in these three countries. And when we revisit the Frost and Sullivan charts comparing airports with LCC operations in 2000 and by 2010, you will find the Philippines with the most in 2000. And this was because Cebu Pacific started operations as LCC in 1996.

It is inevitable that the ASEAN Ministers of Transportation, with China, Japan and Korea participating, will sign the ASEAN One Sky for Capital Cities by November this year. Other cities will follow later on. This will enable 400 Million travelers to fly across Asia.

Closer To Home

Cebu Pacific inaugurated the Cebu-Caticlan (Boracay) flights, using the ATR 72, last Friday, April 4, followed by Cebu-Macau next day and Cebu-Bangkok last Sunday. By end of April, Shenzen Airlines will start the Cebu-Nanjing route. Also by next month, Air Philippines will fly Cebu-Caticlan using the Q300/Q400.

We also had the CEO of Cebu Pacific, Lance Gokongwei, and members of his primary staff as guests in last Tuesday’s MCIAA Board Meeting. He talked about the Airline’s continuing re-fleeting plan and future hubs and flights.

As the wheels of Airbus 320 number 42 kissed the runway touchdown point at Mactan, I knew that inspite of leaving my mother at the hospital for the moment, and Arleen alone at our new residence for the first time, life takes a new meaning every single day. He takes care of the people we love, when we serve everyone else in the work we have accepted in our hearts.

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