Food prices at NAIA to go down, says Ang

From a malfunctioning baggage handling system to abandoned cars at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), Ramon S. Ang or RSA, it seems, has inherited such a dizzying task of managing the country’s main gateway.

But the tycoon now in charge of fixing NAIA is unfazed.

“Parang ang sakit sa ulo!” I told him on Tuesday afternoon when news of Terminal 3’s baggage handling system spread on social media.

Not really, he said. I guess he meant it’s just part of the job.

“Hindi masakit sa ulo,” said RSA with his usual cool and energetic vibe.

What’s not cool though, he said, is when the information going around is wrong – whether deliberately or otherwise.

For instance, as news of the baggage malfunction circulated on Tuesday afternoon, some netizens said that another problem that passengers will soon face is more expensive prices of food at NAIA.

This is not true, RSA assured, saying that prices would soon be at par with the cost of eating in malls, “so prices will be cheaper.”

I am looking forward to this because it is a fact that food and other goods are sold at higher prices in NAIA.

RSA said the reason for this is that in the past, there were layers of lessors and sub-lessors.

Industry sources have confirmed this, saying that in some cases, lessors sublease the space and slap their tenants with exorbitant fees, even though the lessors themselves were just paying NAIA very cheap rental rates.

RSA said NNIC is now fixing this and once resolved, prices of food sold at the airport will be cheaper.

Baggage problems

As for the baggage handling system (BHS) and explosive detection system (EDS) malfunction at Terminal 3, RSA said it is unfortunate that these systems have been problematic for years.

“SMC has been aware of the problem since June, so we already ordered the new BHS and EDS in July,” RSA said.

However, it will take a year for the new systems to be up and running because these are customized for the specific user.

But rest assured, he said, that a new system has already been acquired and if all goes as planned, it will be ready by July 2025.

So many problems, indeed. Why did previous administrations allow NAIA to spiral down into such a sorry state?

Obviously, it’s due to corruption and greed of unscrupulous individuals who were benefitting from a broken system, combined with a problematic government procurement process.

One by one, the Ang-led New NAIA Infra Corp. (NNIC), now in charge of the operations and maintenance of NAIA, is fixing the issues.

RSA, as I said, seems unfazed by the enormity of the problems. I guess that with his experience in handling big and complex infrastructure projects, he has gotten used to complications, big or small.

For sure, it will take time before we see drastic changes at NAIA but we cannot pin the blame on NNIC for this. The consortium officially took over only on Sept. 14.

But it is what it is. Our gateway has been neglected and mismanaged for years.

NAIA is like a building riddled with holes, causing it to leak when there’s a heavy downpour. Fixers will try to fix one leak after another but the water will look for a new hole to seep through and thus, there will be a new leak, and another, and so on. It will take time to find and seal all the leaks.

On Wednesday, flying out of Terminal 3 for a coverage in Cebu, here’s what I observed:

Driving toward Terminal 3 was way smoother and easier than I’ve experienced before; the parking lot had quite a number of vacant slots; the arrival bay was filled with cars, but traffic was flowing.

Having checked in online and with no baggage to check in, I reached my departure gate in less than 10 minutes.

That’s the good part. Unfortunately, the flight was delayed by 30 minutes.

Hopefully, in the near future, as NNIC strives to resolve every problem, we will finally have a consistently better flying experience.

Japan fetes former UPLB chancellor

It was my honor and delight to witness the awarding ceremony for Dr. Fernando Sanchez, professor and former chancellor of the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB), who was recognized for his contributions in promoting agricultural academic exchanges between Japan and the Philippines.

Japan Ambassador Endo Kazuya presented the Foreign Minister’s Commendation to Dr. Sanchez on Tuesday in a ceremony at the Japanese Ambassador’s residence.

Dr. Sanchez, the ambassador said, played a pivotal role in establishing the Nagoya University Asian Satellite Campus in UPLB, thereby facilitating the expansion of the university’s linkages with other Japanese universities.

Amb. Endo likewise highlighted Dr. Sanchez’s impressive design of the Centennial Marker for Dr. Jose Rizal in Hibiya Park, Tokyo, which drew on his experience as a landscape horticulturist.

It was, not surprisingly, a UP affair, with no less than UP president Angelo Jimenez and University of the Philippines Alumni Association president Robert Aranton gracing the ceremony.

Like Dr. Sanchez’s affinity for Japan, I, too hold Japan close to my heart, having been an exchange student there when I was a seventh grader.

The benefits of such student and academic exchanges are shared through generations. No doubt, these are testaments to the strong ties between the Philippines and Japan.

*      *      *

Email: [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @eyesgonzales. Column archives at EyesWideOpen on FB.