Laguindingan International Airport Has Opened for Business

The largest and the first ever in Northern Mindanao, the Laguindingan International Airport has officially opened on June 15, 2013. The event is a milestone in the history of Northern Mindanao and the cities of Cagayan de Oro and Iligan. Personnel of the old Lumbia airport move its equipment and facilities to the new airport which will serve the airline passengers of the region. Lumbia airport is turned over to the Philippine Air Force which will use it for its flight operations.   

                                                                                                                             

A flagship project of the Cagayan de Oro-Iligan Corridor Development Project (CIC), the new airport was conceptualized in 1991 during the term of the late President Corazon C. Aquino. The CIC was envisioned to develop a growth area in Northern Mindanao with the cities of Cagayan de Oro and Iligan as hubs of economic activities. The plan for the airport was started during the term of President Fidel V. Ramos. On January 10, 2006, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo led the ground breaking ceremony for the start of its construction.

The newly finished airport sits in 4.17 square kilometers of land at Barangay Moog, Laguindingan, Misamis Oriental. It has a 2.1-kilometer long and 45-meter wide runway. A 4.4-kilometer, four-lane access road connects the new airport to the Laguindingan national highway. It is 46 kilometers from Cagayan de Oro and 61.9 kilometers from Iligan. The airport is equipped with the most modern facilities. However, for the meantime, the airport will operate under the Visual Flight Rule (VFR) because the Instrument Landing System (ILS) which will enable the pilots to land plane at night and in poor visibility is yet to be installed. 

                                                                                                                                                                       

The construction was undertaken by Yooshin Engineering of Korea, Schema Konsult Inc. of Ortigas Center, Pasig and Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction Company, the general contractor of the project. Cost of the airport which was funded by the Philippine government and foreign loans was 167.09 million US dollars or 7.853 billion Philippine pesos.    

On April 18, 2013, the Department of Communications and Transportation (DOTC) announced that the opening would be postponed to June 15 instead of April 30, 2013 because the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) received request from airline companies to postpone the transfer after the summer peak season because the April 30 opening would require cancellation of several booked flight tickets.

Business groups from Cagayan de Oro such as the Cagayan de Oro Chamber of Commerce Foundation Incorporated voiced their concern and opposition to the “premature” opening of the airport citing safety reasons since the new airport has yet to install the ILS which means that the airport could operate only during day time. They also added that the lack of night flights could mean losses in billions of pesos. But aviation authorities said that the problem can be dealt with by increasing the number of flights during the day. And that the airport can operate safely without the ILS. The Mactan International Airport in Cebu operated without ILS for 3 years.

CAAP Director General William Hotchkiss and Secretary of DOTC Joseph Emilio Abaya assured the public that the airport is safe for the aircraft and passengers. They added that the Laguindingan Airport is safer than  Lumbia Airport because of the ideal ground elevation of the former. They said that Lumbia is difficult to land during extreme weather because it is on a mountainous ground with an elevation of 183 meters or 601 feet while Laguindingan is situated at a coastal area with an elevation of only 190 feet above sea level which makes it easier for a pilot to land a plane even in an unfavorable weather condition.    

                                                                                                                             

President Benigno Aquino III inspected and inaugurated the airport on June 11, 2013. He was met by notable personalities such as Governor Oscar Moreno, the newly elected mayor of Cagayan de Oro City, Archbishop Antonio Ledesma and Manila-based business Tycoon Jaime Zobel de Ayala. With the president were DILG Secretary Manuel Roxas III, DOTC secretary Jose Abaya and other presidential staff. The landing of the presidential plane at the airport’s runway is a tacit assurance from the president himself that the airport is indeed safe for airline passengers.

Remaining navigational aid equipment is expected to be installed within this year and that by early 2014 the airport will be capable of accommodating bigger planes for international flights such as an airbus with a seating capacity of 300 passengers. The volume of traffic in 2012 in Lumbia airport is about 1.4 million of passengers. The new airport at Laguindingan has a terminal that can accommodate 1.6 million of passengers annually. Another terminal will be constructed to accommodate the influx of more passengers in the future. The Laguindingan International Airport will surely boost tourism and economic activities of Northern Mindanao with the city of Cagayan de Oro having the lion’s share of the economic windfall that comes with the opening of the new international standard airport. 

Agutayan Island, Jasaan, Misamis Oriental

One of the least known tourist destinations of Misamis Oriental and Region 10 is Agutayan Island in the town of Jasaan which is about 28 kilometers from the capital city Cagayan de Oro. The island which is about 5 kilometers off the town’s coast is within a government protected marine area that also includes underwater coral reefs that are sanctuary and breeding place of different sea creatures such as giant clams, giant sea turtles, and species of small and big fish. The marine protected area is about 3 hectares which is delineated with buoys that are connected with lines.

The sandbar island is the most prominent scene within the surface of the marine sanctuary. It is crescent shape and is about 5,000 square meters in area. The cream-colored sand surrounding it and beyond creates clear and turquoise water in its vicinity. The island is ideal for people who take pleasure to bask or swim in the sea water during the hot summer days or in any season of the year when the weather is calm. Visitors of the island should bring along with them foods, water, tents, umbrellas or towels or clothes to protect themselves from the hot sun because the island has no vegetation and is uninhabited.    

           

Because of the diversity of marine life in it, the government protected marine sanctuary has become the Mecca of scuba divers, snorkelers and swimmers. Fishing however is prohibited in the protected marine sanctuary. And there is a maritime post a few meters from the island to watch over the reefs from poachers and illegal fishers. The post also serves as a lighthouse during the evening.

From Liyang Beach or the fishing village of Bobuntugan in Jasaan the island can be reached within 20 minutes by local motorized boats which can be hired at a reasonable price.  

Related posts:

The Del Monte Pineapple Plantation in Bukidnon, Philippines https://lapasan-myblognoel145.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-del-monte-pineapple-plantation-in.html

A Taste of Nature at Initao-Libertad Protected Landscape and Seascape in Misamis Oriental https://lapasan-myblognoel145.blogspot.com/2012/08/a-taste-of-nature-at-initao-libertad.html

The Divine Mercy Shrine of El Salvador, Misamis Oriental https://lapasan-myblognoel145.blogspot.com/2014/09/the-divine-mercy-shrine-of-el-salvador.html

Mangima Canyon https://lapasan-myblognoel145.blogspot.com/2013/11/mangima-canyon.html

Philippine Midterm Election 2013: President Benigno Aquino III versus Vice President Jejomar Binay

President Aquino

Even though President Benigno Aquino III and Vice President Jejomar Binay are not candidates in the upcoming May 13, 2013 Philippine mid-term election, both of them are spearheading the campaign of their party or coalition’s local and national candidates all over the country. Aquino is campaigning for Liberal Party led coalition Team Pinoy while Binay is campaigning for the opposition coalition UNA. The struggle of the two highest officials of the Philippines in this campaign period to make their candidate win in the election is a prelude for the things to come in the 2016 Philippine Presidential Election. Vice President Binay has already expressed his desire to run as president in the 2016 election. President Aquino on the other hand will not be vying for that position because he is given only one term of office under the Philippine Constitution.

Senatorial candidates of the president under the Team Pinoy coalition have been leading in the surveys conducted by different public opinion polling bodies. In a recent survey 9 out of the 12 senatorial candidates of the president have a big chance winning in the election. UNA candidates are expected to win at least 3 senate seats.  

The result of the midterm election is crucial for President Aquino because after the election he will be already in the second half of this term. If majority of the mayors, governors, congressmen and senators who win are members of his own party, the Liberal, or the administration coalition, then he will have a majority of members of congress and local officials who are supportive of his policies and programs. An overwhelming win by the administration party will make the president stay strong for the remaining years in his office despite the fact that he is ineligible for reelection.                                                                                                                 

The president should come to terms with a Supreme Court (SC) that is filled with majority of justices who are appointed by a former president who is his political adversary.  The president supported and signed the Reproductive Health (RH) Law. However, the petitioners against it successfully got a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) from the SC suspending its implementation.  The SC’s issuance of TRO on an administration sponsored law is a reflection of the state of relationship between the executive and the judicial branches of government.

A win by the opposition coalition UNA of the majority of the elective positions in the government in the election bodes no good for the president. It is a scenario on which he will become a lame duck president. Majority of the members of congress and the heads of local government units will gravitate towards a figure which they will see as having the best chance to become the next president. In that kind of situation the president will be hard put in pursuing his policies and programs that may result in unsatisfactory performance and his unpopularity to the people. It will also be difficult for his anointed candidate to succeed him win against an opposition candidate who has the support of the majority of incumbent national and local officials who are candidates in the next presidential election.

Vice President Jejomar Binay’s bid for the 2016 presidential election will be surely boosted by a win of UNA candidates. However, his early pronouncement to aspire for that position has put him under the scrutiny of many people, and some issues that came out are negative. There are allegations that he and his family have amassed unexplained wealth while in office. And there is also the hot issue of political dynasty. Members of the vice president’s family hold different elective offices all at the same time. His son Jun-jun is running for reelection as Mayor of Makati, and so is his daughter, Abigail who seeks reelection as a representative of Makati. Nancy, the eldest daughter of the vice president is running for senator.  

It is believed that President Aquino will choose as his successor Department of Interior and Local Government Secretary Manuel Roxas III in 2016. A resounding win of the president’s Team Pinoy in the midterm 2013 election and his good performance in the second half of his term will boost the chance of his anointed one to become the next president of the Philippines.

Philippine Election 2013: Churches or Religious Leaders Should Refrain from Endorsing or Opposing the Election of Candidates

The Philippine election is just around the corner. Since the country gained independence from the United States, it has been the practice of some churches through their priests or religious leaders to endorse or oppose the election of candidates for public office. At present, some priests of the Catholic Church are endorsing or opposing the election of some senatorial candidates over the Reproductive Health (RH) Law. People are also expecting that within several days the Iglesia ni Cristo (INC), a minority but strong and solid sect will publicly announce its endorsement of senatorial bets. Members of this sect are known for voting as a bloc during election.

Despite the fact that RH Bill is already a law, the Catholic Church is still fighting against its implementation. It also vows to oppose measures on matters that promote abortion, gay marriage and other social issues. Filipinos look up to their religious leaders for moral guidance and spiritual enrichment. Because of that role the church has been at odds with government leaders who were dictatorial and corrupt. A case in point is the role played by the church in denouncing the Marcos regime for its violations of human rights and other excesses. Most people however are averse of the church interfering on their right of suffrage or of priest engaging in partisan political activity. Partisanship during the election may involve telling the members on whom to vote during the election or telling the voters not to vote for some candidates especially if it is done through the pulpit or publicly through the radio and other media. There is no issue if a religious leader expresses his voting preference in a private and personal forum or in a private conversation with his flock, friends and acquaintances.                                               

The involvement of religious leaders in partisan political acts, and the practice of politicians in seeking the help of a religious leader to boost their candidacy are not good since it may bring about undesirable consequences. Politicians who think that they win because of the help of a church through its leaders will be beholden to them so that they may not make policies or enact laws that are detrimental to the interest of that religious group. In return the religious group may turn a blind eye to the inefficiency or the abuses of the powers that be.

If religious leaders can really make politicians win an election because of their hold on their members, then they are a force to reckon with in the Philippine society. Politicians would not dare to cross their path lest they lost in the election. Under these circumstances said religious leaders can exert its influence or pressure on officials in the important branches of the government which are the legislative, executive and the judiciary. In exchange of their votes and other support, these religious groups can also put their members in high positions in the government because of their power and connections. As a result, the principle of the separation of the church and the state will be undermined because religious leaders can influence the affairs of the government behind the scenes.

To improve the Philippine electoral process, legislators should pass laws prohibiting religious leaders from endorsing or opposing the election of candidates during election or from engaging in activities that are politically partisan. Religious groups which insist to engage in partisan political activities should be stripped of their tax-exempt status.

A Sense of Deja Vu in the Ambush of Mayor Ruth Guingona

Just a few days before the mid-term Philippine election on May 13, 2013, the convoy of Mayor Ruth de Lara Guingona was ambushed in the evening of April 20, 2013 by about 50 communist rebels. The incident happened after the mayor had gone to the village of Alatagan to crown the winner of the fiesta’s local beauty pageant.         

Mayor Guingona belongs to the prominent de Lara family whose patriarch Vicente de Lara was a former congressman and governor of Misamis Oriental. The park at the provincial capitol was named after him.

On the convoy’s way home, the insurgents tried to stop the first vehicle by setting up a bamboo roadblock. Sensing danger, the driver managed to break through the armed men by ignoring them and by speeding up the vehicle. However, the vehicle where the mayor was on was impeded by the road block.  That vehicle was fired upon with rifles and grenade launcher. The communists however were not able to get close to the overturned vehicle because the police escorts exchanged fires with them. During the firefight the driver and one of her bodyguards shielded the mayor from the bullets which cost their lives. That extraordinary act of loyalty saved the life of the mayor although she suffered from bullet and shrapnel wounds in her arms and feet. After she and her companions were rescued by reinforcing troops, the mayor was airlifted by a chopper to Cagayan de Oro, and she was later confined at the CUMC Hospital. The doctors pronounced her condition as stable.

In a statement the CPP/NPA leadership of Northern Mindanao took responsibility for the incident and apologized to the mayor and her family. It said that the higher leadership of the regional NPA did not order the action of its armed men. And what happened was its men’s own initiative in instantaneously reacting to a certain tactical situation in the field. It alleged that it was the escorts of the mayor who fired the first shot.  It also said that the mayor violated the NPA’s own policies of the election gun ban, that the mayor entered the NPA controlled territory without first asking permit and that she brought along with her police escorts. However, the escorts of the mayor refuted the CPP/NPA’s statements and asserted that what really happened was an ambush.

In the aftermath of the ambush different sectors condemned the incident that was perpetrated by the CPP/NPA considering that the mayor is already 78 years old and that she is not a candidate in the election. She is already in the third and last of her term as mayor, and that she is not seeking anymore another elective office. President Benigno Aquino who happened to be in a campaign sortie in Cagayan de Oro and Misamis Oriental made a brief visit to the mayor in the hospital on April 22, 2013. The president who is the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces vowed to go after the perpetrators and bring them to justice.

The attempt on the life or the killing of a wife of former high government officials of the Philippines is not unprecedented. Mayor Ruth de Lara Guingona, the wife of former Vice President Teofisto Guingona Jr. is a victim of communist terrorism. The most prominent victim was Aurora Aragon Quezon, the wife of the late Manuel L. Quezon, the first president of the Philippine Commonwealth. On April 28, 1949, the former first lady was on her way to the opening of Quezon Memorial Hospital when her convoy of 13 vehicles was waylaid and ambushed by about 100-200 communist rebels along Baler-Bongabong Road. In that incident the former first lady and her daughter “Baby” were killed.

The murder of the well-loved former first lady boomeranged to the communists because many Filipinos were outraged of the act. Ramon Magsaysay who was appointed as defense secretary and later elected as President of the Philippines dealt a death blow to the growing menace of Communist insurgency which during its height nearly captured the national capital of Manila. The social reforms that he instituted restored the people’s faith in the government, and his aggressive military actions against the armed communists who were also called the HUKBALAHAP effectively crushed the communist rebellion in the Philippines in the early 50’s.

A March for Life and for Clean, Honest and Orderly Election

On the afternoon of April 20, 2013, members of the Knight of Columbus of Cagayan de Oro and Misamis Oriental marched from Vicente de Lara Park at the provincial capitol building to Plaza Divisoria passing through main streets of Cagayan de Oro City.

The march was a show of Knight of Columbus members’ support for the conduct of free, honest and orderly May 13, 2013 mid-term election. It is also their expression of solidarity with the Catholic Church in opposing government policies and issues that will affect the morality of the faithful. A simple program was held at Plaza Divisoria. The speakers included Atty. Macudi Agus, Master of the 4^th degree; Atty. Proculo Sarmin, 8^th Division, NLRC commissioner and Monsignor Elmer Abacahin, President of the Cagayan de Oro Press Club.

The speakers deplored election anomalies such as vote buying, vote selling and cheating. They also touched on the Reproductive Health (RH) Law, abortion, divorce and same sex marriage. The Knight of Columbus being the defenders of the Catholic faith were urged to support the Catholic church in its stand on those issues that undermines the faithful‘s moral and spiritual fortitude.  Although Reproductive Health Bill was already signed by President Aquino into law, the petitioners against it successfully got a restraining order from the Philippine Supreme Court thus suspending its implementation.

Although the gathering was aimed in discussing present political and social issues, it was however non-partisan. It did not specifically mention or endorse any name of a candidate for the election. But the members are enjoined to take heed on the Catholic Church guidance on the ideal traits of a candidate. These include being pro-life, pro-people, pro-God, pro-environment and being patriotic.

Can Facebook Help Candidates Win in the May 2013 Philippine Mid-term Election?

With less than a month for the May 13, 2013 Philippine mid-term election, local and national candidates are now in the homestretch of their campaign to win an elective office.

In this election, candidates spend huge amount of effort and money to carry out their activities that include shaking of hands, speaking before a crowd in a public stage and the pasting of posters in places where it is allowed to be done.                                   

The advent of the internet and the availability of social networking service site like Facebook and Twitter have made it possible for new comers and least known candidates to enhance their electoral campaign by the use of said internet sites. Candidates must however adhere to the terms and policies in using site such as Facebook since any violation can result to the banning of their account.                                                                                                                                                                      

A candidate who has an account in Facebook can make his political programs known to his friends and he can also create his own group or join other groups to maximize the number of persons he could interact with. An interesting post or topic can generate many “likes” or comments from friends and other users.

In the local level, the political landscape is usually dominated by incumbent politicians. The unscrupulous ones are wont to keep their position as long as they can because with it comes power and more money. They are derisively called traditional politicians or “trapo” whose greed is hidden in the name of public service.                                                                                                                                                                           

In a society where most of the voters belong to the “D” and “E” classes or the poor and less educated, the results of the election are always swayed in favor of the incumbent and moneyed politicians. Some astute local executives subtly establish a system of political patronage where the poor looks up to them as “benefactor” but all the while exploiting them for their political advantage.  These politicians even go to the extent of buying votes to win an election. As a result, politicians are elected not because of their integrity or competence, but because of their cunning to win election by all means. This flawed political process gives rise to social maladies like the proliferation of political dynasties and corruption because politicians have to recoup what they spent in the election.

The internet with its social networking sites such as Facebook is a tool that can help minimize the excesses of some politicians during a particular period such as election. Users can share to his friends in Facebook a report from other media such as newspapers, and they can also post blogs, photos and videos related to an event. What is good about it is that the access of Facebook is for free.                                                                                                          

Through Facebook people can seek information regarding the qualification and track records of a candidate. A positive or negative report on him can generate favorable or unfavorable perceptions or reactions. Some of the hot topics during this period are on political dynasty and corruption. Some candidates consider the latter issue as a sort of “mudslinging”. However, in a country where corruption is believed to be pervasive, it is a very valid election issue. Candidates should be a fair game to the attack so that they can refute it or clear their name before the public with regards to negative reports or allegations.

Some candidates however downplay the importance of Facebook in influencing the decision of the voters. They say that most of the Facebook users come from the middle income and upper classes of the voting population. And those belonging to classes “D” and “E” who comprised the majority of the voters do not have access of the Internet and therefore have no Facebook account so that the use of the site will only have a minimal effect on the result of the May 13 election especially at the local level. The claim maybe correct since incumbent local candidates who are flooded with negative post and bad comments at Facebook seem to be still widely and warmly received by the people especially the poor.

Facebook alone will not make a candidate win because of the many other factors that are involved in winning an election. But Facebook will certainly be of help to a candidate at the national level because of its wide coverage. At the local level Facebook will also be of help but to

a lesser extent. Local candidates therefore should exert more time and effort to reach out to the poor to win their hearts and minds in this coming May 13, 2013 mid-term election.