Seair International cleared for takeoff

MANILA, Philippines – The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) has finally given Seair International (Seair-I) the green light for its flight operations beginning this month. 

The company’s Vice Chairman Nikos Gitsis said in an interview Seair-I is launching its maiden flight from Manila to Basco, Batanes on December 7. 

“The plan is, we will fly Fridays and Mondays and we will go from there. It could become three times a week,” he said. The carrier will use a 32-seater Dornier 328 turboprop for this service. 

He said the carrier will also offer a “VIP charter service early next year for domestic and international routes” using a seven-seater Falcon 10 jet. 

“[Apart from the scheduled Basco flights] we will focus on charters for the time being, and we will explore and open up new destinations,” Gitsis added (Read the rest at InterAksyon.com. This piece was originally published on Dec. 2, 2012.)

What drives Jun Abaya?

(Transportation and Communications Sec. Jun Abaya with his wife, Dr. Ria Abesamis-Abaya.)

IT probably isn’t easy to be named after a revolutionary hero like Emilio Aguinaldo, but Joseph Emilio Aguinaldo Abaya, the new transportation secretary, seems to carry it quite well.

In fact, Abaya, or Jun to his friends, seems every bit the overachiever as his great grandfather, the first president of the Philippine republic. Second in a family of six boys of former Congressman Plaridel Abaya and Consuelo Aguinaldo, he is currently acting president of the Liberal Party where word has it that he is being groomed as a future presidential standard bearer. (He insists President Aquino was just joking when the latter said, “Baka ikaw na rin ang susunod na magiging pangulo” at a recent LP sortie.)

Until recently, he was chairman of the powerful House Committee on Appropriations which successfully passed the 2013 budget. He also managed the House of Representatives prosecution panel during the historic impeachment trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona.

Even in his youth, Abaya seemed quite in the thick of things. He was some sort of math genius and a consistent honor student at Philippine Science High School, the elite secondary school for the country’s...uhm...nerds.

While studying to be an electrical engineer at the University of the Philippines, Abaya took and topped the entrance exams at the Philippine Military Academy. (His dad was a former PMAer as well.) This qualified him to join the US Naval Academy where he was able to get a BS Math degree in 1988. Unsurprisingly, Abaya was a consistent dean’s lister at the Annapolis institution.

From there, Abaya studied for his Master’s Degree in Electrical Engineering at Cornell University in New York. Upon his return to the Philippines, he served as aide-de-camp to President Corazon Aquino while enlisted in the Philippine Navy. With his father on his third term as congressman, Abaya went to the Ateneo Law School to prepare himself for a legislator’s life. He became a member of the Bar in 2007. He eventually retired from active military service after 20 years, with the rank of lieutenant commander.

(In similar fashion, at age 17, Emilio Aguinaldo was already a barangay official in the town of Binakayan, in what is known as the present-day Kawit, Cavite, according to Wikipedia. By 26, he was already Kawit’s first municipal captain. As member of the Magdalo faction of the Katipunan, Emilio successfully held off and defeated the Spaniards in various battles in Cavite. At age 29, Aguinaldo was elected first president of the Philippine republic. He died in 1964 at the age of 94, just two years before Abaya was born. Abaya’s mother, Consuelo, is the daughter of Emilio Jr.)

(Abaya is acting president of the ruling Liberal Party...and perhaps, if President Aquino had his way, future President of the Philippines as well.)

Abaya says the stories that stick out the most about his Lolo was that “he had an anting-anting, and had a friendly kapre that sat in a huge tree [at his home in Kawit], that’s why he never lost any battles. Mom would say Lolo is a quiet type of person. He never spoke English, maybe because of his anger [toward the Americans]. When he lost to Manuel Quezon [in the presidential elections of 1935 under the Commonwealth government], Lolo dedicated his life to helping the veterans [who fought for independence from the Americans]. He just quietly faded away in Kawit. I don’t think he even drank nor smoked.”

The eventual question is, of course: Does Abaya ever dream of becoming president of the Philippines someday? “No. President ng Magtatahong at Magtatalaba ng Kawit, pwede pa!” he answers in jest, then lets out a hearty laugh. Seriously now, even President Aquino says so! “He always likes to make jokes. You don’t plan for those things,” Abaya insists.

With his boyish charm and endearing smile, Abaya can actually be mistaken for just another college student, especially when he dons his favorite ensemble of sports shirts, jeans and sneakers (or sometimes sandals). “Ria [his wife] knows if I can get away with wearing this everywhere, I would!” the DOTC chief says sheepishly.

Though exposed to the American life and culture while a student at Annapolis, Abaya’s taste in music is strictly Pinoy. He is a fan of Noel Cabangon, Joey Ayala and...wait for it...Yoyoy Villame.

As DOTC chief, Abaya says his most pressing concerns are: getting the country’s aviation safety status upgraded to Category 1, implementing a P10-increase in Metro Rail Transit fares in 2013, rebidding of the information technology infrastructure project under the Land Transportation Office, “getting Naia-3 fully commissioned and online and addressing the structural deficiencies of Naia-1,” hiring more aviation experts for the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines and air traffic controllers, to name a few.

(A young Abaya upon his graduation from the prestigious U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis in 1988.)

Considering the amount of work that has to be accomplished in a little less than four years until the Aquino administration steps down, this devoted soccer dad’s greatest fear about being DOTC secretary is spending less time with the family. “First of all, my response to the congratulations [on my appointment to DOTC] was, ‘Thank you. But kindly pray for us, but most especially for Ria and the kids. They’re the most affected sector in society with this decision.’”

For now, he still manages to bring the three kids to school in the morning, though the weekends are getting to be a challenge. (After our interview, which was held on a Sunday, he was off to Malacañang for the announcement of the Bangsamoro draft framework agreement. A pediatrician by profession, Abaya’s spouse, the former Ria Abesamis, tells me that she is realistic enough to expect that their regular family vacations may not include Jun in the meantime that he is serving in the government.)

But Abaya says he is determined to follow the example of the late Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo, who always made it a point to be home with his family in Naga during the weekends. “The second [greatest fear], is not meeting the President’s expectations and the people’s expectations. Sabi ko nga, if the President figures out I’m a disservice to the people, I could easily go,” Abaya stresses.

“I think the amount of work…eventually I’ll catch up with it,” he adds. “I’m not intimidated by the technical stuff. The politics, the media…that is something I’m not used to. I don’t want to be the center of attention. But it’s part of the job, I will have to do it.”

By most accounts, Abaya passed his first formal press conference with the DOTC beat reporters with flying colors - our female and gay colleagues in media can't help but swoon over the the new secretary whom they think is a total dreamboat! (Oh, but wait ’til the consumer groups start protesting the MRT fare hike! Ouch!)

Sounds like the beginning of a thrilling ride for the good secretary.

(Something Like Life is published every Friday in the Life section of the BusinessMirror. This profile of DOTC Sec. Jun Abaya was published on Oct. 16, 2012. This is the unabridged version. Photos courtesy the Abaya family.)

Caticlan monopoly may ease Seair’s revenue losses

So despite the drop in passenger traffic in the first five months of the year, Zapanta said its revenues only dipped by 18 percent. “At the onset of 2009, while the other airlines continued to bleed, Seair has stopped the bleeding. We are happy to even have just a slim margin for the whole, but with the new development in Caticlan, we will have to revisit the plans for the rest of the year.” (Click Caticlan monopoly for the rest.)

(Blogger's note: In the statement, "Lean, mean and small is our aim through the current business climate we are experiencing, and awaiting opportunities as they come to assess how we move," the quote was attributed by our editor to Seair president Avelino Zapanta, but actually it was said by Seair co-founder and director Nikos Gitsis. Apologies to both gentlemen.)

(Boracay-bound passengers board a Seair DO-328 for a flight to Caticlan.)

Boracay guests rue longer travel time, shorter vacation

THE new runway configuration implemented at the Caticlan Airport in Aklan is already reaping some opposition from resort owners on Boracay Island.

The Department of Tourism (DOT) has promised to look into concerns of tourists to the resort island famous the world over for its long white beach.

In an e-mail, Nenette Graf, owner of Boracay Beach Resort and former president of the Boracay Foundation Inc., the association of resort owners on the island, said: “Our guests are starting to complain because their vacation is now short of half a day because of the travel time to Kalibo.”

As president of the Boracay Windsport Association, Graf said the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) rule particularly impacts on those guests coming from Hong Kong on the weekend to windsurf and kitesurf during the current habagat (southwest monsoon) season.

(Photo from Boracay-budgettravel-tips)
“Before, they can still enjoy three hours of kiting before sunset on their first day, or windsurfing if they leave Hong Kong in the morning. Now it is not possible with three to four hours travel time from Manila to Boracay, or more if domestic flights are delayed. Like [yesterday], the guests arrived in Manila at 11:30 a.m. and [were] supposed to fly at 1:30 p.m. to Caticlan with Cebu Pacific, only to be told that their flight is diverted to Kalibo, and the flight will be delayed by an hour-and-a-half. They arrived at 6:30 p.m. in the resort. They traveled for one day and they will go back on Monday via Kalibo again. They complained, and were given a free ticket valid for one year, but I doubt if they will come for the weekend again,” she explained.

Usually, if traveling to Manila via Caticlan, say on a 12 p.m. flight, passengers only have to check out of their resorts and leave Boracay by 10:45 a.m. to make the flight. If traveling via Kalibo, however, guests have to make sure they leave Boracay by 8 a.m.

Edd Fuentes, owner of the Sun Villa resorts also said his guests have been complaining of the inconvenience of traveling via Kalibo. “They’ve been so used to landing in Caticlan which is so near Boracay, just 15 minutes away by boat. They think Kalibo is too far, and now that’s it’s raining, the travel time is slower and longer.”

He added that the problem is even if his guests want to transfer to Seair, which is the only carrier flying to Caticlan, they’re unable to do so “because its flights are limited, considering it’s the low season. I, too have been trying to get a booking with Seair for my trip this Saturday and I’ve been told that all flights are already fully booked. So my guests may not have a choice but to still fly via Kalibo.”

Guests have also started complaining of the confusion in the major carriers’ check-in procedures owing to their pullout from Caticlan.

Gina Policarpio, a housewife on the PAL Express PR 324 return flight to Manila on Monday back to Manila told BusinessMirror that her family was told by the carrier to check into Caticlan “and we will just pick up our bags in Manila. They even told us not to worry about it.”

But when their group arrived in Kalibo, she said the PAL Express counter told them to get their bags and check these again at the counter. “Why were we told to check in Caticlan if we will check in again at Kalibo anyway? Ang gulo nila.”

Meanwhile, Tourism Secretary Joseph “Ace” Durano expressed concern over the new CAAP ruling on Caticlan’s runway configuration. He promised to look into ways for the Boracay guests to keep flying into Caticlan without compromising their safety.

(The 70-km road from Kalibo, right, to Caticlan. Photo from Travelsmart.net)
The CAAP’s ruling effectively shortened the takeoff and landing distance for planes in Caticlan, forcing major carriers like Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific to cancel their routes there. They now fly Boracay guests via Kalibo and are currently footing the costs of transferring passengers to Caticlan. Only Southeast Asian Airlines continues to fly to Caticlan.

In a text message over the weekend, Durano told the BusinessMirror: “We are studying alternative policies now that we can propose to CAAP, policies that ensure safety of flights to and from Caticlan without unnecessarily hampering passenger traffic.”

He declined to disclose what these alternatives are pending their finalization.

Department of Tourism Western Visayas Director Edwin Trompeta earlier expressed confidence that Boracay would still see continued strong tourist arrivals despite the pullout of major carriers from Caticlan.

“There is no major impact because the number of flights of these airlines to Kalibo are the same number of flights before the CAAP measures were imposed.”

In the first half of the year, tourist arrivals in Boracay grew by 6 percent to 383,313 from the 362,228 registered in the same period in 2008.

Since Zest Air’s second accident on June 25 involving its China-made MA60 plane—the first accident being in January 2009—the CAAP had decided to reassess the runway configuration and landing/takeoff procedures at the Caticlan Airport.

Most analysts noted that due to the larger size of their planes, PAL, Cebu Pacific and Zest Air are unable to fly into Caticlan with the shorter runway, especially during the southwest monsoon, when an aircraft is buffeted by strong winds.

Most airlines agree that the permanent solution to the Caticlan Airport is to extend the runway.

In 2007 officials of CEB, then Asian Spirit, and PAL had already discussed funding the runway extension, but nothing came out of it.

On June 22 the Department of Transportation and Communications signed a build-operate-and-transfer (BOT) agreement with a consortium led by McDonald’s Philippines franchise holder George Yang which would upgrade the Caticlan Airport to international standards.

The improvement of the airport, projected to cost some P2.5 billion, will be shouldered entirely by the Caticlan International Airport Development Corp.

Under the terms of the BOT, the company has up to seven years to build and expand the airport, and 25 years to operate the facilities, before it is eventually turned over to the government.

The upgrade includes the extension of the runways, which would allow larger planes to use the airport.

Attached to the project is a commercial component allowing Akean Resorts Corp., owned by investors led by Francisco Alba, former ambassador to the Vatican, to develop the 16-hectare area beside the Caticlan terminal into a hub for hotels, resorts and shops. “Akean” is the old name of Aklan.

The government allows investors in pioneering tourism projects to avail themselves of duty-free importation of capital equipment and income-tax holidays up to five years.

The upgrade of the Caticlan airport has been dubbed as the first-ever privatization of an airport in the country.

(Blogger's Note: This is the unabridged version of my story on how Boracay guests are reacting to the new runway configuration in Caticlan. The original was published in BusinessMirror's Perspective, July 14, 2009.)

Cebu Pac cancels Caticlan route*

(Kiteboarding in Boracay during the habagat season)
THE Department of Tourism sees tourist arrivals in Boracay to remain strong despite the pullout of major carriers from the Caticlan airport.

This developed as Cebu Pacific (CEB), the aviation concern of the Gokongwei-led JG Summit Holdings Inc., has confirmed that it too had withdrawn from its Caticlan route as of Thursday morning.

This is a result of a new order by the recently-formed Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, implementing a long-ignored rule on “one runway-take off, one runway-landing” procedure in the main runway of said provincial airport, effectively shortening the runway maneuverability of most carriers.

In a press statement released at 1:15 p.m. Thursday, CEB president Lance Gokongwei said: “CAAP has designated Caticlan, for the time being, as a one-way airport for all carriers: takeoff should be towards the sea and landing in the opposite direction. A technical re-definition also in effect shortens the runway, despite its actual length.

“We have therefore decided to divert all Caticlan flights to Kalibo instead and from there bus all our Boracay-bound passengers [to Caticlan] at no extra cost,” he added.

While CEB spokesman RG Orense told this reporter Wednesday night that the carrier’s first two flights on Thursday would land in Caticlan as scheduled, apparently these two were also diverted to Kalibo. “[Both flights] landed in Kalibo. The instructions [to the pilots] were given early [yesterday morning],” Orense said.

The carrier said more than 60,000 booked passengers will be affected by the cancellation of its Caticlan route.

(Cebu Pacific President and CEO Lance Gokongwei)

Caticlan is the gateway to the resort island of Boracay, considered a “bread-and-butter” route in terms of domestic destinations by most major carriers.

Yesterday, Philippine Airlines also pulled its Caticlan flights and transferred them to Kalibo. In the meantime, PAL said it will shoulder the land-transfer expense of passengers who had booked Caticlan flights. But Francisco Yngente, vice president for airport services said the cost of the transfer, however, will already be tucked into the cost of the PAL ticket in future bookings.

Passengers interviewed by this reporter who originally booked their flights to Caticlan and flew Thursday morning said PAL customer service called them Wednesday afternoon, informing them of the switch in the landing destination.

Nikka A. Policarpio, a marketing consultant, who rode PR 037 which left Manila at 6:10 a.m. Thursday, said “our transfer was organized. We were provided a Starex van to ferry us to Caticlan from Kalibo. And the trip was alright, short, about an hour-and-a-half only.”

As a result of the CAAP order, only Southeast Asian Airlines, because of the smaller size of its planes, will be able to fly into Caticlan.

The Caticlan airport’s new runway configuration was announced Wednesday in a meeting between CAAP and the three major carriers – PAL, CEB, and Seair.

Sources said Zest Airways, whose plane overshot the Caticlan runway on June 25 and caused the CAAP to review the airport procedures, did not attend the meeting which adjourned at 4 p.m. Since its June 25 accident, the second since January when its plane undershot the runway, Zest Air already closed its Caticlan route.

Meanwhile, Edwin Trompeta, regional director of the DOT region 6 (Western Visayas) expressed confidence that the pullout of the carriers from Caticlan will not affect tourist arrivals in Boracay. “There is no major impact because the number of flights to Kalibo of these airlines are the same number of flights before the CAAP measures were imposed.”

But he admitted that some passengers may be “inconvenienced” because the land trip from Kalibo to Caticlan take an hour and half, before the 15-minute pump boat ride from the Caticlan jetty port to Boracay. “Plus it could add up to the cost of the airfare and their tour package because of the transfers,” he said.

Trompeta said ultimately, the diversion of the flights to Kalibo by these major carriers, “will be good for our visitors because we’re concerned for their safety. These carriers are now using bigger aircraft and considering the length of the runway and it now being habagat (southwest monsoon) season where winds from the southwest are coming in, we’re a little bit concerned with the safety of the passengers.”

The tourism official intimated that the CAAP measure “could be temporary” until the amihan season (northeast winds) starts in October. The amihan season usually last until May or June, allowing the carriers to use runway 06, which is the approach from the sea. “I think this is a temporary arrangement. But the final decision is with the CAAP.” At present, all carriers have been using runway 24.

Still, he explained that even before the CAAP ruling, “those planes were not filled to capacity [because of the difficulty in the landing and takeoff considering the short runway]. Most of them incurred penalties for not loading their planes.”

According to data from the DOT, tourist arrivals in Boracay in the first half of 2009, grew by 6 percent to 383,313 from the 362,228 registered in the same period in 2008.

Trompeta said the bulk of the tourists continue to be Filipinos, accounting for 71 percent or 271,498 of total arrivals, while foreigners numbered 96,102. Balikbayans or returning Filipinos totaled 16,213.

(The pristine white sands of Boracay make it one of the best beaches in the world according to international travel magazines.)

Of the foreigners, arrivals from Korea were the largest at 34,818 in the six-month period; followed by China at 11,584; Taiwan at 8,074; and Americans at 7,130.

Total tourism receipts for the period reached P7.06 billion.

The DOT official said Boracay tourism arrivals continue to be “strong” despite the global economic crisis and the (A)H1N1 global flu outbreak. Before the H1N1 outbreak, DOT projected tourist arrivals in the island to increase by 10 percent to 697,799 from the 2008 arrivals of 634,363. Last year, the island brought in total tourism receipts amounting to P11.66 billion.

In a press statement, CEB president Gokongwei said: “We continue to work closely with our industry partner, the CAAP, to find a speedy resolution, to these airport issues, to allow Cebu Pacific to re-instate flights to Caticlan.

He added that Boracay continues to be one of the country’s most important tourism destinations. “CEB’s low fare service has been integral to the growth and development of the island’s tourism industry and has increased its accessibility to both local and foreign tourists.”

CEB said it has been operating direct flights to Caticlan since February 29, 2008 and has since carried “over 340,000 passengers.” Its schedule, especially during the peak summer season, reached as high as 15 round-trip flights daily to Caticlan.

(*This was my original piece for BusinessMirror but due to space constraints, was folded in a general story on the issue along with other reporters' stories.)

Carriers pull out of Caticlan

"STARTING Thursday (July 9, 2009), major carriers are expected to discontinue flights to Caticlan, the gateway to the resort island of Boracay, in anticipation of a government order aimed at implementing a long-ignored rule on a one-takeoff and one-landing procedure.

Sources who attended a hearing between airlines and the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) on Wednesday said the new order will virtually leave only one carrier, Southeast Asian Airlines, plying the route." (Click here for the rest of the story. Apologies for the alarmist headline in the paper. Thanks!)

(Only Seair will be left flying to Caticlan, giving it a virtual monopoly over schedules and airfares. Let's pray it doesn't take advantage of the situation and unnecessarily jack up its airfares.)

CAAP doesn't solve problem

(CAAP Director-General Ruben Ciron is the man who holds your life in his hands whenever you fly in the Philippines. Photo from CAAP web site.)

WRITTEN on the web site of the newly-formed Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP), is its mission, foremost of which is "to provide safe and reliable air transport system and regulatory services, as well as promote the economic viability, develop and regulate the technical. operational, safety and security functions of civil aviation."

But the agency, headed by retired General Ruben F. Ciron, is turning out a bit as inutile as its predecessor, the Air Transportation Office (not the Civil Aeronautics Board as I earlier mentioned). In reaction to the most recent accident of Zest Airways where its Chinese-made MA-60 plane overshot the runway at the Caticlan Airport, instead of grounding the carrier and these planes, it decides to penalize other more professional and efficient airlines instead, by banning two-way traffic at the airport. Click here for the story.

Here's a video at the accident site on June 25, 2009:



Like many government regulations, this is another limp-wristed reaction to a severe problem that has been plaguing Philippine aviation industry – the lack of real a credible regulatory body that would actually protect the traveling public from careless carriers like Zest Air. CAAP should address the issue of Zest Air's use of these Chinese-made planes w/c I repeat, has not even been certified as airworthy by the U.S. Federal Aviation Authority. Sure the carrier's not going to fly to the U.S., but isn't the Philippine government supposed to promote the use of international regulations and airworthy standards in the country? After all, even our airports' safety is rated by the FAA.

So what is CAAP waiting for them to actually address this Zest Air problem? That another crash happens and passengers die? (Knock on wood!)

This is a video of another MA-60 of Zest Air which undershot the Caticlan runway in Jan. 2009:



Btw in a web site of worldwide aircraft disasters, there is only one crash on record of the MA-60, and that distinction belongs to Zest Air. (It hasn't been updated yet for the last Thursday's crash.) So obviously, that plane wasn't made for the short and rough Caticlan runway. Indeed, there are some extremely brilliant people on Zest Air's staff who don't know sh** about planes and Philippine runways. I know who they are but let's see if Gen. Giron can guess da who.

* * * *
BTW, I checked the background of Gen. Giron, and he did lead a colorful life apparently. Accdg. to several sources he is an "Enrile boy" just like Gringo Honasan and Red Kapunan and played a prominent role in the People Power revolution of 1986. A former officer of the Philippine Air Force, Giron's wife reportedly "stopped Gen. Tadiar from bombarding Enrile and Ramos in Camp Aguinaldo" during the People Power revolution in 1986." Giron was a member of the military advisory council of the presidentita when she became concurrent secretary of defense.

With such a background, let's hope he implements more courageous regulations to protect the flying public.

Zest Air na naman!

AT about 10:30 a.m. today, I received a text message from a media colleague telling me that another MA-60 plane of Zest Airways overshot the runway at the Caticlan Airport, the gateway to Boracay. Mercifully, no one was hurt. Strangely enough, none of the online media sites carried the news. Strange ano? Or tanga ba to even wonder there's no news about it?

(Zest Air owner Fred Yao)

Another strange thing, despite this being the second landing accident of Zest Air in less than 6 months, the gov't-run Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, which replaced the inutile Air Transportation Office, hasn't grounded the airline. The CAAP pala is even more inutile than CAB. Or maybe it's because they're afraid of Zest Air's owner Fred Yao of the Zest-O fame, who is reputedly very close to the presidentita? Hmmm. (Click here for photos of the first crash in Jan. 2009, and the story in Manila Standard.)

CAB didn't even bother to lift a finger to investigate the airline, still called Asian Spirit then, flying w/o insurance last year, the now infamous Ipis incident, and didn't ground Zest Air despite the first incident of undershooting the runway resulting in injuries.


Now, this is an appeal to the riding public: Just bec. an airline offers cheap flights, it doesn't mean you should jump at the chance. Check out the background and track record of the airline first before making that final booking and reservation. Don't take chances w/ your life and with the lives of your loved ones. It pays to google. In cyberspace, there are a number of bloggers who've written about their travails of riding in this or that airline. It pays to be well-informed. And yes, the life you save may be your own.