Take note

The president and CEO of the Maharlika Investment Fund has made some very interesting announcements about areas of interest for investments. In some ways the announcements made by CEO Rafael Consing reflected programs that President Bongbong Marcos has talked about in the past.

Early on, PBBM made a push for development and investment in tourism infrastructure, specifically for modernizing the country’s many local and international airports. Along those lines, Rafael Consing announced that the MIF will do so and even mentioned the New Manila International Airport in Bulacan, along with the rehabilitation of the NAIA, Laoag and Laguindingan airports.

The mention of the San Miguel Bulacan International Airport as a choice investment for MIF certainly gets a lot of attention because one gets the impression that MIF investment could be the Marcos administration’s stamp of approval on the project the country sorely needs. When “someone puts his money where his mouth is,” then you know they believe in the project.

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When Mr. Consing mentioned investments in “tourism” I was reminded of the reaction of hotel and resort developers, operators and promoters when government officials talk about helping them gain more customers. “We know how to promote the business and build facilities. What the government needs to do is to make it attractive for tourists to come to the Philippines.”

The biggest challenge in tourism is getting the guests to go to the Philippines instead of the other Asian destinations because of the price difference in airfare. I don’t know how it was done but back in the 80’s I was told that Hong Kong managed to attract guests by working out a system with airlines for “subsidized airfares” shared by associations of hotels, tour operators, shops and restaurants and government.

If it was true then it was smart, based on the millions of monthly visitors that Hong Kong got back then. If it was just rumors, why not try it? Instead of spending on non-income generating infrastructure, the government ought to study things like using earnings from airline-related taxes, duties, airport charges, travel tax, etc.

Combine that with taxes derived from resorts, hotels and tourism-related businesses and use it to subsidize inbound airfare to make the Philippines more competitive for the new generation of budget conscious world travelers.

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If MIF CEO Consing wants to invest in a sure thing that is long-term and highly beneficial, then the MIF group should look for local and international corporations that develop mobility, transport and connectivity from point A to point B and all parts of the Philippines.

There are millions of over-charged but underserved Filipinos who want or need to travel from island to island. But we don’t have a real shipping industry, we don’t have 50 percent of the needed ships and the once affordable ROROs and inter-island ferries used for travel and transport of goods have become comparatively as expensive as flying, given you lose so many hours traveling by boat.

We still don’t have a decent ferry up and down the touristy Pasig River that San Miguel Corp had dredged, and we still don’t have first world telecoms and internet connectivity. That’s where the MIF should find partners.

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Filipinos love to watch confrontations but eventually forget what really started them. For instance, a video of a pregnant lady driver and an irate vehicle owner at the T3 car park went viral many weeks ago. Eventually the people involved said they would sue each other. Ironically, they will both spend money, bring business to the lawyers and burden the court, all in the interest of proving who was right and who was wrong.

On the EDSA Busway, an MMDA operation against drivers entering the Busway reached the Philippine Senate where “Bong vs Bong” went viral on social media! Let’s sort the mess out.

What really caused the problem at the NAIA T3? Too many cars being allowed in the car park that forced drivers to block, illegally park or go around in circles until they get so mad and take it out on somebody. Car park owners and operators have gotten away with this abuse and lack of accountability. They don’t count the number of vehicles that enter and exit; on weekends they intentionally overload their carpark and driveways, they barely have any roving security and have poor CCTV systems.

To compensate, they say “the management will not be responsible for any theft or damage to your vehicle or property.” There was a time when members of Congress investigated and castigated the abusive and irresponsible carpark operators, especially those who charge exorbitant and predatory parking fees in hospitals and hotels. But nowadays, the only noise you hear from Congress is their destabilization plots against Vice President Duterte or how a senator’s name was maligned by an MMDA official.

Let’s talk about the Bong vs Bong episode. Senator Bong Revilla publicly bemoaned how his name and reputation were tarnished in the campaign of the MMDA against drivers using the bus lane illegally. He threatened to withhold the budget of the MMDA and made a public spectacle of the entire thing that ultimately backfired on him in social media. For his admitted mistake, retired Col. Bong Nebrija was suspended for 30 days but earned a ton of respect from law-abiding Filipinos.

But here’s the catch: What caused the controversy was the expired #7 protocol plate on the vehicles that were stopped and used Revilla’s name. Who issued those plates? Who is supposed to recall or collect them – the LTO. For their failure, an MMDA official was publicly humiliated and suspended.

Any smart lawyer could have and should sue the car park operator at NAIA and the LTO for failure to do their jobs.

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