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Wednesday, January 11, 2023
JANUARY 2023 TRAVEL PROTOCOLS: BORDER CONTROLS TO COVER ALL COUNTRIES
Ouch! P10,000-device caused P100-M airport crisis
by Ellson Quismorio
A device worth just P10,000 ended up causing P100 million in damages on New Year’s day when the operations of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) was paralyzed by a “trip” within its Communications, Navigation and Surveillance Systems for Air Traffic Management (CNS/ATM).
This was learned Tuesday, Jan. 10 during a briefing on the disastrous New Year flight cancellations by the House Committee on Transportation chaired by Antipolo 2nd district Rep. Romeo Acop.
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The meeting was attended by officials of the Department of Transportation (DOTr), Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) and Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB), just to name a few.
During the panel briefing, CAAP Director General Manuel Antonio Tamayo pinpointed the cause of the CNS/ATM glitch to one its four circuit breakers.
In the immediate aftermath of the NAIA crisis last Jan. 1, aviation officials blamed something else, especifically the uninterruptible power supply (UPS) of the CNS/ATM for the problem.
Senior Deputy Minority Leader and Northern Samar 1st district Rep. Paul Daza was conducting an interpellation on the resource persons when he suddenly became curious and asked: “The UPS and the circuit breaker, how much did you spend for that?”
“The UPS is P13 million and the circuit breaker is P10,000,” answered CAAP Air Traffic Service Officer-in -Charge (OIC), Engineer Arnold Balucating.
“For a circuit breaker that disrupted, caused P100 million worth at least, and you’re spending how much? Again? P10,000?” said Daza in an incredulous tone. A total of 414 flights were cancelled on Jan. 1, a Sunday.
“And you’re now asking for a budget of P13 billion for a new system? There’s gonna be a lot more questions,” the Visayas solon added.
A resource person in the briefing, CAB Executive Director Carmelo Arcilla, pegged the losses from the airlines at P100 million. But he said the damages suffered by the estimated 65,000 affected passengers were much more worse and hard to calculate.
NAIA’s entire CNS/ATM, which was turned over to CAAP over just five years ago, would cost the government P13 billion to replace.
It was also established during the hearing that on Jan. 5 or four days after the crisis, CAAP sought the purchase of a new UPS–which has a P13-million price tag–under emergency procurement.
Tamayo justified this move by saying that the UPS, which was one of the key components of the CNS/ATM, was already in the middle of its lifespan and thus needed to have “redundancy” in place. He says the new UPS is an “upgraded” version.
This caused 1-Rider Party-list Rep. Ramon Gutierrez to comment in Filipino, “We only suffered a flat tire. Why do we need to buy a new motorcycle?”
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“Forgive this representation for finding it quite alarming that we would categorize it as emergency [purchase]…we did not have to really fast-track the purchase of the UPS and simply focus on the fixing of the circuit breaker,” Gutierrez told Tamayo.
Balucating later told the panel that circuit breakers need to be replaced once they become faulty, since they cannot be “opened and fixed”.
Daza said that CAAP’s takeaway from Jan. 1 should be to improve their maintenence protocols.
Higher gear
Published January 11, 2023, 12:05 AM
OF TREES AND FOREST
As we enter a new year, the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. endeavored to write a new chapter in Philippine-China relations. In his speech before embarking on a historic trip to Beijing, President Marcos laid out the fundamental objective of his visit: “I will be opening a new chapter in our comprehensive strategic cooperation with China.” He added that his meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping will shift “the trajectory of our relations to a higher gear” and broaden cooperation between the two countries.
The three-day trip was an important one coming as it was amidst the territorial disputes between the two countries. This is complicated by the deep historical ties we have with the United States which has engaged China in an economic and geopolitical tug of war. The state visit, which came after his visit to the US, was seen by experts as indicator of the shape of things to come as far as bilateral relations between the two countries are concerned.
The first thing that I was really impressed by was President Marcos’ assertion of our country’s sovereignty. He reported that during his talks with President Xi he expressed his administration’s intention to pursue an independent foreign policy. This was, of course, in line with the Constitutional mandate and an important statement to make at the onset. President Bongbong said: “I emphasized how my administration intends to pursue an independent foreign policy, that we are more than willing to cooperate whenever possible in the pursuit of regional peace and our two countries’ national interest.”
This is the perfect follow up to the theme of President Rodrigo Duterte’s foreign policy direction that also insisted on our sovereignty and the insistence that we be treated as equals in the global community. Sustaining this policy position was very critical not just to the status of the new Chief Diplomat but also the position of our country among the community of nations.
During the meeting between the two leaders, Presidents Marcos and Xi agreed to “appropriately manage differences,” and “reaffirmed the importance of maintaining and promoting peace and stability in the region.” This is a clear and unambiguous statement from the Philippines and China that should set the right direction in our foreign relations. The South China Sea has long been a source of tension between the two countries and in fact in the region. Controversies would periodically flare up sending the two countries into a series of diplomatic protests, denials, and assertions of sovereignty over the disputed territory.
The two leaders also agreed to resume negotiations on joint oil and gas explorations in an effort to revive their economies amid the pandemic downturn and address tensions over the South China Sea.
In addition to these accomplishments, the state visit of President Marcos, Jr. generated an estimated $22.8 billion worth of investment pledges which included $13.76 billion for renewable energy, $7.32 billion for electric vehicles and mineral processing, and $1.72 billion for agriculture.
Some quarters have criticized the frequent travels of the President linking it to extravagance. These critics need to realize that official visits to other countries are important because they are essential tools of economic and political diplomacy. The Presidency has a multitude of responsibilities, some domestic, some global. When a president travels it does not mean that he is neglecting his duties at home. The bureaucracy still functions and with advancements in communications technology, the President can always attend to urgent matters when they arise.
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And it is not as if these visits are for sightseeing purposes. Malacañang reported that in his first six months in office, President Marcos’ visits to Indonesia, Singapore, the US, Cambodia and Thailand have generated a total of $23.6 billion in investment pledges. I have been to numerous visits during the term of President Duterte and I can tell you that they are no picnics. The delegations have hectic schedules and meetings with counterparts and more importantly, with the Filipino community in the host country.
The first months of his presidency has demonstrated President Marcos’ knowledge of statecraft. He understands that the requirements of good governance include building a healthy and productive relations with allies. And so rather than baseless criticisms, we should instead give our chief diplomat the support he needs to be successful in foreign relations.
For comments, please send email to: mbv_secretariat@vistaland.com.ph and/or http://www.mannyvillar.com.
Torrential rain, flood continue to batter Eastern Visayas
Published January 11, 2023, 11:02 AM
by Marie Tonette Marticio, MB
TACLOBAN CITY – Hundreds of families fled their homes and work and classes remain suspended in some areas in Eastern Visayas due to incessant rain and flood on Wednesday, Jan. 11.
Eastern Samar Gov. Ben Evardone appealed to the Department of Agriculture to provide rice-certified seeds to farmers as all of the crops in their province have been destroyed by flooding.
He called on the Department of Social Welfare and Development to distribute food to 12,101 individuals staying in evacuation centers.
All national roads in Eastern Samar are passable to all types of vehicles except in Barangay Bigo, Arteche, which remain flooded as of Wednesday morning.
Motorists from Arteche bound for Jipapad and vice versa may take the alternate route via Barangay Imelda, Lapinig- Jipapad Road.
Northern Samar Gov. Edwin Ongchuan extended the suspension of classes on all levels due to the inclement weather caused by a low-pressure area.
Landslides triggered by heavy flooding were reported in the municipalities of Catubig, Mondragon, Las Navas, Catarman, Laoang, Lope de Vega, and Mapanas.
In Catubig, some residents rode boats on flooded streets as well as local government unit personnel who rescued families trapped in their homes.
Samar Gov. Sharee Ann Tan ordered the suspension of classes on all levels in public and private schools and work in all government offices.
Several vehicles were stranded by flood in a portion of the Maharlika Highway in Barangay Tulay in Santa Rita, Samar on Tuesday due to non-stop rain.
As of 9 a.m. Wednesday, the road was passable to all types of vehicles.
The municipalities of Caibiran, Cabucgayan, Maripipi, Almeria, Culaba, Kawayan, and Naval in Biliran province suspended work and classes.
Naval Mayor Gretchen Espina said some families from landslide-prone areas fled to the evacuation center in Barangay Larrazabal.
A section of the Biliran-Naval Road is impassable to all types of vehicles due to the Catmon Detour Bridge submerged by continuous heavy rain as of 7:40 a.m. Wednesday.
Motorists were advised to use the alternate routes Naval-Caibiran Cross Country Road-Caibiran-Cabucgayan-Biliran for light vehicles and Naval-Almeria-Kawayan-Culaba-Caibiran-Cabucgayan-Biliran for heavy vehicles.
PH gears for $2-B export of durian, other tropical fruits to China
by Jel Santos, MB
The Department of Agriculture (DA) is now preparing for the country’s $2.09-billion fruit export to China, which primarily includes durian and other tropical fruits.
During the recent state visit to China, the protocols for “phytosanitary requirements for the export of fresh durians from the Philippines to China” were covered by the 14 bilateral agreements signed as the Philippine delegation led by President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr. and First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos met with Chinese officials, according to the Office of the Press Secretary.
“There has been created what we are now calling the ‘Durian Protocol’ because they are opening their trade to imports of durian and other agricultural products from the Philippines, so that we can regress the imbalance in our imports and exports from China,” Marcos disclosed after his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping last week
In a press briefing on Tuesday, Jan. 10, Agriculture Assistant Secretary Rex Estoperez, who serves as DA’s deputy spokesperson, revealed that the steps to begin the durian export to China are now being finalized.
“Iyon pong formal na pagmi-meeting namin with our delegation sa China po ay mangyayari pa po iyan sa Friday together with the Executive Committee, pero ang pagkakaalam ko lang iyong pina-finalize ngayon is iyong export natin po ng Durian doon sa China (Our formal meeting with the Philippine delegation in China will be held this Friday, together with the Executive Committee, but as far as I know, we are now currently finalizing our durian export to China),” the official said.
On Monday, Jan. 9, DA Senior Undersecretary Domingo Panganiban and Assistant Secretary for Operations Arnel De Mesa called for a special meeting with the Regional Executive Directors (REDs) and Bureau of Plant Industry officials to discuss plans for the export project.
The DA is set to prepare for the expansion of durian production in the country to meet the demands of the Chinese market for fresh durians. During the meeting, Panganiban directed the concerned REDs to identify the potential areas for expansion and formulate the necessary work and financial plans to sustain the durian export.
Aside from durian, also part of the fruit export deal with China are coconuts and bananas.
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