Philippine Travel Notes

This air route has been on for a time now. It started as a regular route via a hype-up (or command?) of the president (Duterte) to decongest MNL by moving some flights to CRK. Was that 2016? I guess so. Hmm, before I proceed, let us do some 'tsismis'.., I heard, many stakeholders in/at/of Region VIII were vehemently opposed to the Department of Transportation picking TAC as one of the cities with flights to/from NAIA that would be transferred to Clark. How vehement? Ah, many of them (such as business chambers) trooped to their lawmakers or leaders that be, for the needed intercession to Malacañang! Lo and behold.., by the end of 2016August, the Regional Development Council VIII (RDC8) submitted a resolution to the DOTr declaring opposition to making MNL-TAC-MNL flights become CRK-TAC-CRK. I remember there was even an online (hashtag) campaign for this - the #NoToClarkForTaclobanFlights. So what happened? Interesting! At first, all 3 airlines (PAL, Cebu Pacific and Air Asi...

Let's go to San Jose De Buenavista the capital of Antique Province. This was a PAL inaugural flight from Clark - the first by any commercial airline from anywhere. This must have been a historic moment for the province. At kasama ako ! But, as I always say, let's start from the very beginning . 0428H, look at this, already a long line of passengers at the airport's entrance. I know and I knew, not all of them were also taking my flight on a little plane with an 86-passenger capacity. We were entering, for several flights departing that morning. When there are such lines at an airport entrance, no IFs or BUTs, there is something wrong with that airport and/or its procedures. If it has been-so for a long time, then iisa lang ang "that means" nyan - matagal nang dispalinghado ang mga namumuno! It can be caused by many things, but one thing is for sure: there's something wrong. But let's not ruin my morning's historic flight. I made it and g...

So, I arrived at 9PM. Now what? Of course I had to look for somewhere to lay my royal highness for the night! I didn't have reservations, since from experience, there are always available hotels in Clark. There was this relatively unknown place though, that had been inviting my curiousity since this morning, while browsing on googlemaps. It is the nearest, but misplaced! You see my red question mark? That's what the map was telling me. But I knew, that it is not precise. I often pass by the area, it is just a wide parking lot. Maybe nearby? Oh by the way, we can't always trust the accuracy of what we see in google or other such maps, since those are added by just about anybody with an account, who may have inaccurate brains hehehe! What I trust at least is: it must be somewhre nearby! Like in the above map, I trusted that the airport hotel must be in that vicinity! In fact, the reason I went looking for it was: I could see (also on googlemaps), there were othe...

Last leg of my 3-legged flight today. And I was ready to enter Clark's departure area but saw this... I had to stop and watch. This was what I've been advocating all along - let all public transport vehicles deliver/pick-up passengers as near to the airport terminal as can be, just like how private vehicles do . Clark 'partly' does it! THAT, is one of the regular buses that comes from Metro Manila. It can be done! Yes it can be done, for I know it had been done, AND being done by many countries around the world except the Philippines - mga utak tungaw kasi ang mga nasa transport department. "Colonial" brains. Actually not "colonial mentality" as if they're the colonists. To be precise, they have "slave mentality"! Ang unang iniisip "dapat me espesyal na dadaanan ang mga boss, ang mga mayayaman". Ganoon sila! Mga utak alila, isip alipin (na sipsip sa mas nakayayaman)! Sinanay kasi tayo ni Padre Damaso! Haay naku! ...