EDITORIAL- Land at your own risk

The botched hostage rescue, now a textbook case worldwide on how not to resolve a hostage situation, has brought shame to the nation and prompted cancellations of tours to the Philippines from Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland during one of their peak travel seasons. But even before one deranged ex-cop and the government’s incompetent response spooked foreign visitors, the Philippines was already struggling in its efforts to attract more travelers.

One immediate reason was the breakdown of the VOR or very high frequency omni-range station at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, which prompted authorities to turn back or divert flights during nighttime or periods of poor visibility due to smog. Airport authorities tried to downplay the problem by saying pilots should just use their eyes for landing, but of course many refused to take that risk.

The VOR as well as the instrument landing system and distance measuring equipment at the NAIA were damaged at the height of storm “Ondoy” last year. The ILS and DME were repaired and became operational only last Thursday afternoon, while the VOR is working only because the NAIA borrowed a transmitter from the airport in Subic.

How much does it cost to rehabilitate the VOR? A transmitter costs P14 million, authorities said, while VOR replacement parts costing P3 million also need to be purchased. The total amount is smaller than the individual pork barrel allocation of congressmen, or the pay and bonuses received last year by each of the top executives in the major government-owned or controlled corporations. The Department of Transportation and Communications was prepared in the previous administration to spend $329 million on a government broadband network project, but not a fraction of that amount to upgrade navigation facilities in the country’s premier airport.

The uncertainty of being able to land in the airport of one’s choice in this country is on top of the many problems that have long bedeviled visitors in the Philippines. Traffic, pollution, security risks, poor tourism infrastructure, unsafe mass transportation facilities – all these problems have contributed to making the country lag behind its regional neighbors in terms of tourism arrivals. The inability to replace airport navigation equipment is another disincentive to travelers that can and should be quickly remedied.