WHY ISN'T CEBU REPRESENTED IN THE AIR PANEL?
CEBU CITY, APRIL 23, 2008 (STAR) INSIDE CEBU By Bobit S. Avila - I got an e-mailed reaction to the April 18 article about my meeting with Lance Gokongwei, as the success of Cebu Pacific Air was linked to the growth of our domestic tourism, especially in Central Visayas. But this letter is truly an eye-opener or should I say a wake-up call about the future of Cebu’s international tourism industry. No doubt, the person who wrote me this letter is an industry insider and truly knows what’s going on, that is why I was requested that the name of the writer be withheld.
“Dear Mr. Avila, I read with great interest your column today regarding your talk with Lance Gokongwei of Cebu Pacific. The public takes its hat of, indeed, to Cebu Pacific for providing low-cost air services to the traveling public and most importantly, for providing competition in servicing our domestic air routes. The Cebu Pacific phenomenon would not have been possible if not for Executive Order 219, signed during the administration of President Fidel V. Ramos, liberalizing our air services, thus making it possible for Cebu Pacific, Asian Spirit, and SEAIR to provide the Filipino people good alternatives to Philippine Airlines. Now that our domestic destinations are well served, we should turn our attention to our international routes, which are still underserved.
“Cebu, as a growth center in Central Philippines for tourism, trade and commerce, is not well-served by our Civil Aeronautics Board. Are you aware, for instance, that under our Air Services Agreement with Singapore, Cebu has to share 8,700 seats per week with Manila and Davao? Silk Air is currently mounting 288 extra seats per week, above its allowed capacity, between Singapore and Cebu. These seats will still have to become permanent entitlements in the next round of negotiations with Singapore and will have to be shared with Davao.
“The Bangkok-Cebu route will have to be expanded as well, from the 850 seats per week, which are allowed under the current agreement. Expanding this route will enable our local carriers and their Thai counterparts to develop the network from Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket, etc. and bring in the European markets to Cebu and the rest of Central Philippines.
“I suggest that the Cebuanos get their act together and lobby PGMA to include a representative from the Cebu private sector in the Philippine air negotiating panel. Take a good look at Clark. It is represented in the air panel by the Clark International Airport Corp. (CIAC). Thus, each time there are air talks, Clark is able to get its voice heard. The growth in the number of air passengers to Clark is very dramatic – from 7,880 passengers in 2003 to 540,000 in 2007 – a 673 percent growth in just four years!
“Get the CAB to schedule air talks soonest with Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Thailand and Taiwan with the sole objective of increasing flights between our countries. The last time we had air talks with Hong Kong, Thailand and Malaysia was in 1995 with Taiwan, in 2000! While the rest of the world has been busy increasing air connectivity, the Philippines has been sleeping or at least lulled into believing that our national flag carrier is doing us a great service.
“If and when these air talks are finally scheduled, be sure Cebu is represented. All it needs is for PGMA to issue an amendment to EO 296, which constitutes the air panel. She should have no problem doing that. She loves Cebu and the Cebuanos and the Central Philippines, as a Super Region for Tourism is one of her centerpiece projects. Regards and more power! (Name withheld upon request.)”
Thanks to this letter for giving us a ton of information about the Philippine air negotiating panel, of which I submit I only have a vague idea. Pardon my ignorance, all the time I thought that these air negotiations where done only at the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB). If not for this letter, I wouldn’t have known that Cebu wasn’t represented in the air panel despite our having the Mactan Cebu International Airport Authority (MCIAA) since the early 90s.
Hence, it is time to lobby for Cebu’s inclusion in the air panel and this can be done through the Regional Development Council (RDC-7) chaired by Cebu Gov. Gwen Garcia or if our Cebuano congressmen would care to issue a resolution asking PGMA to have Cebu represented in that panel.
But more important perhaps is that the last time we had talks with the air panel was eight years ago, so while the airline industry is experiencing a crisis of sorts because of record highs in the prices of fuel, however, thanks to competition in the airline industry, many Asians, especially in ASEAN, are flying the regional routes, and this is why we need to restart those air panel talks right away. I hope my friend Tourism Boss Ace Durano is listening.
Chief News Editor: Sol Jose Vanzi
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by PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE
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