Friday, March 20

Vibrant Clark


Listening to an enthusiastic speaker like former Tourism Secretary Mina Gabor is very refreshing and inspiring. Unlike other tourism officers who are bankrupt in ideas, Gabor has a lot to offer to Clark International Airport Corp. (CIAC) as far as selling Clark is concerned. So getting her as a consultant is a good job.

During the North Luzon Tourism Roadshow organized by CIAC last Friday, Gabor was very optimistic on the potentials of Clark and Northern Luzon as prime destinations in the country. Sometimes, in our weakest moment even for a nation, all we need is a little nudge to move forward. And Gabor is doing just that for Clark.

Gabor, CIAC, ATTAP and Clark Freeport Tourism Association are planning a series of road shows in various cities in North and Central Luzon to strengthen this tourism project.

Matched with a strong leader like CIAC President and CEO Victor Jose “Chichos” Luciano, Gabor and all the stakeholders in this campaign for tourism will open numerous opportunities for employment and livelihood. It is not surprising that CIAC is pulling the strings on this campaign considering the creditable developments at the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA).

As soon as Luciano took over as CIAC boss, improvements continue to unfold in the country’s next premier airport. Of course Luciano was able to invite several airlines to fly in Clark including his former company, South Korea’s second flag carrier Asiana.

Asiana was named airline of the year by the Air Transport World (ATW). They are flying in 62 major cities and destinations worldwide including China, Japan, Korea, United States, London, Paris, India, Malaysia, Singapore, Hongkong, Taiwan, Russia and Sydney. It has 65 modern aircraft and the first airline to be ISO 2002 certified for aircraft maintenance.

Luciano said DMIa is more than ready to accommodate huge aircraft and additional flights. Given its existing state-of-the-art radar and high standard support infrastructure, Luciano said the construction of the proposed US$142-million (P6 billion) Terminal 2 is on the way.

Meanwhile, CIAC Chairman Nestor Mangio said the new terminal will accommodate three to seven million passengers. This is in preparation to the influx of international and domestic passengers brought by Tiger Airways, Cebu Pacific, SeaAir and Asiana airlines. DMIA recorded three million passengers last year and at the rate it is going, there is no doubt that such projection will be accomplished.

DMIA has 56 flights a week. More and more people travel at ease through DMIA. Most of the flights are Clark to Hongkong, Macau, Bangkok, Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea, and domestic destinations like Cebu and Caticlan.

Mangio said that despite the current global economic crisis, DMIA likewise stands firm as a logistics center in Asia. He added that CIAC has secured air entitlements to at least 20 countries including Qatar, Kuwait and United Arab Emirates.

What is happening inside the Freeport Zone and DMIA reminds us that we should not be totally hopeless amidst the economic meltdown. We are affected yes but as President Arroyo’s boys always say, “it is all about the attitude.”

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