ARRIVALS and DEPARTURES

“I have only slipped into the next room. I am I and you are you.

Whatever we were to each other, that we still are….All is well.” — Henry Scott Holland, as passed on by Ahmed Cuizon

A child was weeping beside a channel where ships pass. An old man saw him and asked why he was crying. “My father just died and I am crying because I will not see him again.” The old man was at a loss, prayed to God to give him the right words to say. Then he pointed to a ship passing by, “Do you see how big that ship is? Soon it will become smaller and smaller as it gets farther, until it disappears with the horizon. Now I ask, did that ship ever exist? You cannot see it anymore.” The boy answered, “No, it just went away to another place.” “That is right, my little child,” the old man said. “When it reaches its destination, it will appear to become bigger and bigger, and the people there will welcome the ship and its passengers. Your father has just gone away; and where he will go, he will be welcomed with such joy. Your father is on a trip, but will always be with you.”

My mother passed away last February 22. And just last May 27, it was the turn of my father-in-law to go. As if this was not enough, my brother-in-law, Lewis passed away, barely 11 days after his father, and just 17 days after the whole family broke the news to him that he had leukemia. Three immediate members of our family departed, leaving us grieving and trying to put back the pieces of what is left in our individual and collective lives.

But life goes on. We all have been blessed by the roles they played in our lives; and after learning much from the examples they showed and actual experiences shared, we continue on to become better persons. Such, indeed, is the day-to-day challenge we have.

Passenger Terminal

I have mentioned that 14,000 passengers arrive and depart in our terminal daily. And if you have time to observe, you will experience the difference in moods between the arrival and the departure areas. Most departing passengers suffer various levels of sadness in saying farewell to those left behind. In contrast, you see all smiles and laughter at the arrival areas.

To allow more space and amenities for the passengers who arrive and depart in our terminal every day, the Expansion Project has started and will be completed on September 10, 2011.

The Expanded Terminal will have the following improvements:

It will have two more departure lounges: Lounge 1 for International Departure and Lounge 5A for Domestic Departure. The existing Lounges 3 and 4 will become more spacious as the PAL Mabuhay Lounges will be transferred to the center of the terminal, where all the VIP and Business Lounges will be located.

The Departure Concourse will be lengthened to accommodate two additional piers with double Passenger Boarding Bridges each.

The retail and food shops will be rationalized and spaced in zones within convenient areas in all lounges. Wi-Fi and free internet and charging stations will be available in all departure lounges.

Two additional elevators will be available for the elderly, disabled and those with heavy luggage. Arrival baggage conveyors will be lengthened to provide more space for baggage claim.

The other areas of the present terminal will be upgraded and modernized. All in all, the expansion will accommodate 600,000 more passengers annually, or increase the capacity from 4.5M to 5.1M annually.

Crash/Fire Drill

We had our first live Fire/Crash Drill last May 28. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) requires a live exercise every two years for all international airports. For Mactan Cebu, it is part of the process towards the airport certification by our own Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP). It will actually be the first of a series of live exercises/drills and will be the basis for upgrade of the airport's emergency and security services.

OTHER EVENTS

In the Air Force Organization at the Mactan Benito Ebuen Air Base, Major General Nat Legaspi, Commander of the 2nd Air Division covering the Visayas, has retired from the service last June 3. Also Brigadier General Edgar Mendoza, the Base Commander, has retired just last June 15. General Legaspi and I have worked together at the Office of the Secretary Joint Staff AFP in 1996-1997; while General Mendoza grew up in the same Fernando Air Base, where my spouse, Arleen Rose grew up. We also played basketball together many times and the common love of the game is the reason why the basketball court at the air base is now one of the best. We bid them farewell and wish them well in their future work.

Mactan Cebu International Airport will be featured in the coming episodes of the Asian Air Safari. Its founder, Joy Roa, and his crew were here on two occasions to film many of the facilities of the airport and the air base. They came on board an Executive Embraer Legacy 600 Jet. We were fortunate to join the party.

The Philippine Air Force will celebrate another anniversary on July 1; but because the whole nation is still in transition, the celebration will be moved to a later date. The new President will be sworn in on June 30. Coincidentally, the Aviation Society of the Philippines will also be one year old this July 1. The annual members' meeting will also be moved to synchronize with the Air Force activity.

We join hands in congratulating President-elect Noynoy Aquino and the new Vice President Jejomar Binay.