‘Boutique airline’ takes wing, offers frills at affordable fares

Skyjet's 94-seater BAe 146-200 takes off from the runway of Basco Airport. 

A NEW airline is taking wing to serve premium tourist destinations in the country by offering passengers the full service of a legacy carrier at affordable fares.

Magnum Air (Skyjet) Airlines is launching its first scheduled service by flying to Basco, Batanes, on December 14, just a month after the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (Caap) granted the carrier its airline operator certificate (AOC).

In an exclusive interview, Dr. Joel Mendoza, Skyjet president and CEO, said the airline’s flights to Basco will initially be three times a week—Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. The flight will take only 70 minutes on the carrier’s jet plane, a British Aerospace System (BAe) 146-200, which can carry 94 passengers and 3 tons of cargo.

Skyjet will also be flying from Manila to Busuanga in Palawan (four times a week), beginning February 15, 2013; to Caticlan, the gateway to Boracay Island, in March 2013; and is considering to fly to Surigao City, Surigao del Norte, a jumpoff point to the country’s surfing capital of Siargao.

It is also mulling to fly next year to Virac, Catanduanes, and Catarman, Northern Samar. While not considered premium tourism destinations, Mendoza said these destinations are currently underserved by air services, despite the huge demand for travel there. “We are a boutique airline,” Mendoza explained.

Dentist-turned-airline operator Dr. Joel Mendoza.

“We are small but what we offer is the full service usually found in legacy carriers, like snacks, comfortable upholstered seats, quality passenger reservations and check-in systems, etc. We are not low-cost, but we are affordable. We’re bringing back the frills in flying.”

A one-way fare to Basco will cost about P6,000 per person, “but we will be offering promo fares during the lean season,” according to the Skyjet CEO. He said that Batanes residents will also get “special Ivatan fares.” October to June is usually the peak season for travel to Batanes.

Skyjet’s fleet consists of two BAe 146-200 jets, the same planes used by the British royal family, British Airways, Lufthansa AG and a number of other European airlines.

“We give premium to safety, comfort and convenience,” Mendoza said. He added that the BAe 146-200 is the only plane that has been certified to take off from and land at the Basco airport, which has a steep runway slope of 4.5 degrees, owing to Batanes’s general rolling terrain.

Most commercial airplanes are certified to take off from and land at airports with a maximum runway slope of only 2 degrees, or runways which are almost flat. If a plane will have to operate in an airport with a runway slope of more than 2 degrees, the aircraft manufacturer’s engineers need to meticulously test the plane in that runway using its own pilots, before certifying that the plane can safely operate there.

In the case of Skyjet, BAe engineers wrote a new aircraft operating manual instructing pilots on the procedures to take off and land specifically in Basco. The Caap thereafter approved this after conducting a “proving flight.”

“The BAe 146-200 is specifically made for short landings and takeoffs. It specializes in [operating in] unpaved runways so we can assure passengers of ease in landing even in smaller airports,” Mendoza said.

All Skyjet’s pilots are Filipinos who have clocked in 10,000+ of hours specifically on BAe146 Series planes, he added. These veteran pilots flew for City Jet, Lufthansa and other airlines. “This increases the safety and reliability of Skyjet’s flight operations,” Mendoza said.

According to Skyjet’s certificate of public convenience and necessity granted by the Civil Aeronautics Board, the carrier is allowed to operate charter services for domestic and international routes, regular scheduled service for domestic destinations and cargo services.

A dentist by profession, Mendoza is also a director of the Batanes Cultural Travel Agency, which has been selling travel packages to Batanes since 2007. “I just want to promote Batanes as a cultural tourism destination that will help create more jobs for the Ivatans. Having a direct air transport service to Batanes will also allow the locals to visit Manila,” he said.

Capitalized at P50 million, Skyjet has been registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission since September 2005. Its chairman is Telesforo Castillejos, former governor of Batanes, while its director of flight operations is Capt. Antonio Buendia, a veteran commercial pilot and former president of Philippine Aerospace Development Corp.

(This piece originally published in the front page of the BusinessMirror, Dec. 6, 2012. Photos courtesy Dr. Joel Mendoza)

Tiger Airways completes purchase of 40% of Seair

SINGAPORE-based budget carrier Tiger Airways has completed the purchase of a 40-percent stake in a Philippine aviation firm, Southeast Asian Airlines, for $2.5 million.

In a disclosure statement filed on Tuesday morning at the Singapore Exchange, Tiger Airways Holdings Ltd. said it would also lend $40 million in working capital to Seair over a five-year term.

On Monday night Seair officials and their lawyers from the Romulo Mabanta Buenaventura Sayoc & de los Angeles Law Offices hammered out the final details of the Tiger Air investment with the latter’s lawyers from the Angara Abello Concepcion Regala & Cruz Law Offices.

The meeting took place at the AccraLaw’s board room in its building at The Fort, Taguig City, and started at 5 p.m., ending past 10 p.m., according to sources.

At the meeting, elected chairman of the board of Seair was Koay Peng Yen, chief executive officer of the Tiger Group. Other members of the board are Patrick Tan, Chris Ward, Tomas B. Lopez, Geraldine Olivares and Olma Inocentes. The sources said the board seats “may be expanded to nine.”

Appointed new president and chief executive officer was Patrick Tan, Seair former vice president for marketing, and chief operating officer, vice Avelino Zapanta.

Patrick Tan, newly appointed president and chief executive officer of Seair. (Photo courtesy Patrick Tan)

“This deal represents a significant step forward for Seair and will allow the airline to continue its tremendous growth and job-creation drive for Filipinos, bringing increased prosperity, highly-skilled jobs and tourism to the country,” newly appointed CEO Patrick Tan said in a separate statement.

He added that Zapanta, who was “instrumental in helping Seair grow into the airline that it has become today, will continue to share his expertise and wealth of experience in his new position as senior adviser to Seair.”

Zapanta has contributed over six years of his career to bring this transaction to a close and secure a proper succession with the appointment Tan as Seair’s new chief.

According to Tiger Air’s disclosure statement to the SGX, “The purchase price of $7 million, which was agreed with the sellers, has been reduced by the liabilities determined in a due diligence review. The investment will be held through Tiger’s wholly owned subsidiary Roar Aviation II Pte. Ltd.”

The BusinessMirror sources said shares of co-founders Iren Dornier, a German pilot, businessman and scion of the historic Dornier aviation family; and Greek-American Nikos Gitsis were the ones purchased by Tiger Air. The rest of the Filipino shareholders led by Lopez will continue to hold their investments in Seair, representing a 60-percent stake.

Seair is helping promote the Philippines as a key tourism destination in Asia by painting two of its Airbus A320-232s with the Department of Tourism’s new campaign slogan “It’s More Fun in the Philippines.” (See “Seair takes ‘more fun’ to the skies” in the BusinessMirror, August 13, 2012.)

In its disclosure to SGX, Tiger Air said it “is committed to supporting the working capital needs of Seair, including pre-existing liabilities, with shareholder loans of up to $40 million. The loan tenure will be five years.”

The logo of Seair Inc.

Koay Peng Yen, chief executive officer of the Tiger Group said, “Together with our Philippine business partners, our immediate focus will be on scaling up the business through network expansion, building a strong customer base and establishing the airline’s brand presence.”

He added, “The Philippines has tremendous growth potential and we welcome the opportunity to be at the heart of it.”

Tiger said its investment in Seair is the Singapore firm’s second joint venture. In January 2012 Tiger bought 33 percent of Mandala Airlines of Indonesia. “The acquisitions are in line with Tiger’s strategy to expand and develop its business in the region.”

Seair will be adopting Tiger’s LCC (low-cost carrier) business model that includes “offering value fares to domestic and international destinations within a five-hour flying radius of the Philippines.”

Established in 1995 in Clark, Pampanga, Seair was one of the pioneers in the local aviation industry flying to Caticlan, Aklan, the gateway to Boracay Island and picking up a few of the missionary routes, which flag-carrier Philippine Airlines was forced to abandon when it underwent financial rehabilitation.

Under a strategic partnership agreement with Tiger, Seair is leasing two A319-200s and three A320-232s. “More aircraft will be progressively added to build Seair’s network,” as per Tiger’s disclosure to SGX.

Still branding itself as the “fastest flight to Boracay,” Seair now flies to Bacolod, Cebu, Davao, Iloilo, Puerto Princesa, Tacloban, Batanes, and Kalibo, while its international routes are to Hong Kong, Singapore, Bangkok, and Kota Kinabalu, and flying out of Clark.

The local airline is currently expanding its network domestically and internationally, and aims to fly some 2 million passengers this year.

According to its website, Seair has over 350 employees.

Former Seair president Avelino Zapanta will be retained as adviser to the flag carrier. He is currently helping set up another airline affiliate for Seair.

Established in 2004, Tiger Airways’ majority shares are held by Singapore Airlines Ltd. (32.84-percent) and Dahlia Investments Pte. Ltd. (7.37 percent). It currently has a fleet of 34 aircraft, mostly Airbus A319s and A320s located in Singapore, Australia, Indonesia, and the Philippines.

Operating from Singapore and Australia, Tiger Airways’ network extends to over 30 destinations across 12 countries in the Asia Pacific region.

In fiscal year 2011, Tiger recorded a loss (after tax) of S$104.3 million, a reversal from the S$39.9 million it posted in FY 2010. The loss was attributed to disruption in services due to the ash cloud in Chile, the suspension of the carrier’s operations in Australia due to a “violation of procedures,” and higher fuel prices, according to its annual report to shareholders.

Tiger was listed on the SGX in January 2010.

(This is the unabridged version of my piece which was originally published in the front page of the BusinessMirror, Aug. 15, 2012.)

Seair takes ‘more fun’ to the skies

Seair flight DG7792 (registered as RP-C6320) taxis toward the Budget Terminal of the Changi International Airport in Singapore, after arriving from Clark, Pampanga. Seair operates a once daily flight between Clark and Singapore. This aircraft was delivered to the airline just over a month ago as part of its partnership agreement with Singapore-based budget carrier Tiger Airways. This is one of the two Airbus A320-232s which sports the Philippines’s new tourism slogan “It‘s More Fun in the Philippines,” and is a way for the carrier to help promote the country as a key destination in Asia, officials said. (Photo courtesy Andre Giam/Jetphotos.net)

NOT only is it more fun in the Philippines, but apparently, it’s also more fun to fly one local carrier, as well.

Two Airbus A320-232s of Southeast Asian Airlines are now sporting the “It’s More Fun in the Philippines” slogan, an initiative of the carrier to help promote the country as a key destination in Asia.

A photo of one of the planes repainted with the slogan and taxiing on the runway of the Changi International Airport in Singapore has been making the rounds of the Internet via the Facebook account of Tourism Paradise Philippines, a local travel guide web site.

Nikos Gitsis, Seair co-founder and incumbent vice chairman of the board, confirmed to the BusinessMirror the new livery on the carrier’s planes. “Two of our new Airbus A320s assigned to the international routes [are sporting the slogan]. Those two are doing the Singapore-Hong Kong-Bangkok-Kota Kinabalu routes [from Clark International Airport in Pampanga].”

Gitsis even reposted the “fun” plane photo on his Facebook wall on August 7, 2012, captioning it thus, “Seair is [a] pioneer in many ways—This is another first for us!” He disclosed that he hasn’t actually seen the planes yet because they’re in Clark. The A320s were leased from Tiger Airways Inc., which had purchased a 32.5-percent stake in Seair in February 2011 for $6 million. The Singapore-based low-cost carrier plans to raise its stake in Seair to 40 percent, paying up an additional $7 million for the additional shares. (See, “Tiger Airways eyes bigger pie of local carrier Seair,” in the BusinessMirror, April 18, 2012.)

“It’s been 17 years in the making,” said Gitsis about the carrier’s “long amazing struggle” in the local aviation industry. “But when I saw that pic [of the repainted plane], it all makes sense.” Established in 1995, Seair is a pioneer in the local airline industry, one of the first to fly to Caticlan, Aklan, the gateway to Boracay Island, and other missionary routes that had been earlier abandoned by Philippine Airlines.

(Nikos Gitsis, co-founder of Seair)

For his part, Tourism Assistant Secretary Eugene Kaw disclosed it was Seair “which came up with the idea [of using the slogan for its plane], and approached us.”

He said the Seair team met with DOT officials regarding the proposed use of the slogan “some three to four weeks ago…. They’re going to do it for free and DOT agreed, on a non-exclusive basis.”

By “non-exclusive,” this means other local carriers such as PAL, Cebu Pacific, and Zest Airways can use the slogan on their respective planes as well, if they also make a request to the tourism agency.

Kaw explained that Seair “shouldered the cost of the painting. No charge to DOT also for the placement,” adding that “it will be for an international flight as per our discussion. ”

He added that Seair had actually planned to use the old DOT slogan hatched under the term of former Tourism Secretary Alberto Lim, but this was eventually scrapped after the slogan was ditched following massive outcry from tourism stakeholders. “They’ve [Seair] allotted the space for it since ‘Pilipinas Kay Ganda’, but got deferred,” Kaw disclosed.

Meanwhile, the photo of the Seair plane sporting the “fun” slogan used by Tourism Paradise and Gitsis was taken from Jetphotos.net, a photo web site dedicated to aviation enthusiasts. The plane photo was captured by Andre Giam, a member of the Ninervictor Spotting Group, a group of aviation enthusiasts in Singapore.

In his caption of the plane photo posted on Jetphotos.net on August 5, 2012, Giam said: “DG7792 taxiing toward the [Changi] Budget Terminal after arriving from Clark. Seair, based in the Philippines, operates a once-daily flight between Clark and Singapore. This aircraft was delivered to the airline just over a month ago (leased from Singapore based carrier—Tiger Airways). First photo of Seair’s A320 in the database. Last but not least, this particular aircraft carries a special quote in order to promote Philippines as a ‘better’ holiday destination among the Southeast Asian countries, which says ‘It’s More Fun in the Philippines.’”

As per the photo, the plane sports a registration number of RP-C6320, with Serial Number CN 5194.

With its strategic partnership with Tiger Airways, Seair is currently expanding its network domestically and internationally. It recently acquired, via lease, from Tiger two A319-200s and three A320-232s. The carrier is targeting to fly 2 million passengers to its international destinations this year.

(UPDATE:) The Seair plane sporting the logo was inaugurated this Sunday morning, Aug. 19th, after the inaugural flight of the carrier from Manila to Davao. On hand was DOT Secretary Ramon Jimenez Jr. Will post the photos once they're in.

(My piece was originally published in the Aug. 14th, 2012 issue of the BusinessMirror. Photo of Nikos Gitsis from Routes News.)

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.)

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.)

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.

Airlines respond to growing demand for online bookings

ALL over the world, major international airlines are responding to the growing demand for customers booking and paying for their tickets via the Internet, and are, thus, beefing up their online-transaction capabilities by redesigning and offering promotions on their respective web sites.

All representatives of airlines interviewed for this piece—Philippine Airlines, Singapore Airlines, Emirates Airlines and Northwest Airlines— also predict stronger growth in Internet bookings, especially in Asia and the Pacific as computer penetration and usage rise.

Todd Anderson, director for marketing and distribution of the Minneapolis-based Northwest Airlines, said in a telephone interview that for Asia-Pacific, the reservations made via its web site (http://www.nwa.com) “generally vary by market and by country…between 2 percent and 35 percent [with Singapore on the higher end of the scale]” accounting for total bookings by the airline. The rest of the bookings are made via travel agents and general service agents (i.e. accredited ticket agents).

(Click here for the rest.)

But hus gona clean da toilet?!?!

IN the tradition of the now dead Chikkatime (sniff!), I leave you a couple of cute tidbits to tide you over the long weekend.

DA hu is this Senator who had an all-access pass to the Beijing Olympics, and who couldn't help but brandish his VIP ID to anyone who cared to talk to him or listen to him? Talk is this Senator – whose escapes from trouble are legendary – was able to secure the VIP pass from a colleague – an NPA (nonperforming asset) – who was originally assigned the ID but for some reason, didn't want to watch the Games. (Kasi siguro wala si Pac-man sa boxing team...sad.) Anyway, Mr. Senator Olympics seems to have no moral issues swiping the VIP ID from his colleague, even if he too is known as an NPA in the august body.

DA wat is this airline that is so cheap these days, it just uses only soap and water to clean its toilet bowls in its remaining planes that are flying (at the last count, it was just two), than the usual hygenic toilet duck-like chemical used by most airlines? Why only two planes? My little squirrels tell me that the rest of the fleet has been grounded, the planes cannibalized for spare parts, as the airline cuts down on its maintenance budget. Also, two of its jets have been pulled out by the lessors because airline management refuses to pay its debts owed to the leasing company. Speaking of maintenance, I also hear that the airline no longer has an experienced crew in the shop, disgusted with the way the management has been cutting corners. Most have left for Singapore for better-paying jobs. Also, its veteran pilots have flown the coop for more professionally-run airlines here and abroad. As a fellow journalist likes to remark: "But hus gona clean da toilet?!"


(Inside the NAIA-3. Photo from www.skyscrapercity.com)

DA hu is this Cabinet Secretary who was supposed to have said of his little colleague in the presidentita's family, reportedly also trying to cash in on the NAIA-3 terminal opening: "Ang tagal ko nang drinibble ito, ang lagay sya ang makikinabang?" Veterans of government contracts say that a lot of money is sure to be made from the approval of permits to concessionaires (stores, shops, boutiques, food stalls, etc.) who plan to set up in the terminal. Eased out of the NAIA-3 squeeze play, little colleague was not to be outdone. He instead got a very lucrative contract recently signed during the presidentita's recent trip to China. Aba, iba na pag paborit ni Ma'am noh?

Have a great weekend y'all!