GOTCHA By Jarius Bondoc (The Philippine Star) Updated November 26, 2010 Many were stunned when Tourism Undersecretary Vicente Romano resigned and took blame for the “Pilipinas Kay Ganda” fiasco. That’s because he showed delicadeza, rare among government appointees today.
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The Makati fuel pipeline mess has shifted from plugging the leak to punishing the leaker. First in line is the operator of the 117-km Batangas-Manila underground tube. Environment officials are fining First Philippine Industrial Corp. P24.2 million — P200,000 a day for 121 days of spewing fuel into the aquifer of Barangay Bangkal. FPIC also was ordered to clean up, or else pay another P100,000 a day.
Residents of West Tower Condos noticed seepage in their basement parking July 12; FPIC declared the leak sealed November 10. FPIC took so long to own up to the mess because allegedly misled by consultants that the pipeline was intact. Although it thrice shut down since July, FPIC’s 15 test bores beside and around West Tower showed no trouble. Only on October 28 did UP geologists find the culprit farther away, beneath the Magallanes interchange. Being only 18 perilous inches above, the span could have stressed the pipeline, although FPIC’s report of five grain-size holes indicates metal wear.
FPIC has since apologized, and vowed recompense if fault is found. But expectedly it will contest the fine. If the P24.2 million is due to seepage volume — 180,000 liters in the West Tower basement — FPIC can cite reports that it was 95-percent floodwater. It may even argue that poor construction caused the leaching, making West Tower liable. Residents evacuated due to choking gasoline and diesel fumes trapped in the parking.
Last Friday’s ocular inspection by Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri revealed that the lowest two of four basement levels are submerged in floodwater. The next level was knee-deep in stinky slime. Whether the wall is cracked or not waterproofed can only be determined once the basement is drained. Until Friday, building administrators had disallowed FPIC and government engineers from technical inspections.
Thirteen-year-old West Tower sits on swampland. How the 22-story structure got the nod of environment officials and the Makati city engineer in 1997 is a mystery. Investigators may find certain officials and agencies at fault.
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At the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, press releases are called “praise relief” for good reason. Recent CAAP notices make it look like director general Alfonso Cusi is the only person who can get Philippine aviation upgraded in the eyes of the world. Some stories window-dress the criticisms against Cusi. Like, “he has succeeded in blah-blah-blah despite being a shipping man whose experience in aviation is to run the country’s leading Manila International Airport.” Others skirt the issue, such as his being the previous admin’s midnight appointee, by pounding on his predecessor’s inability to tame inefficient, corrupt personnel.
In truth, however, the inept and extortionate are still there, preying on, among others, private company pilots who are renewing licenses. The vaunted topnotch MIA still lacks the necessary landing system. And Philippine aviation remains downgraded and blacklisted worldwide.
In 2007 the US Federal Aviation Administration had demoted the Philippines to Category-2 due 89 basic deficiencies. Foremost was that the agency in charge of aviation then was run by political appointees. Though faultless, Philippine carriers were barred from opening new routes to or expanding existing ones in America. Congress rushed the creation of the CAAP, but the Category-2 rating remains despite Cusi’s advertised skills.
Last year the UN International Civil Aviation Organization noted “significant safety concerns.” The rating landed the Philippines alongside Angola, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Congo, Djibouti, Kazhakstan, Guinea-Bissau, Malawi, Rwanda and Zambia. Both the US-FAA and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency take guidance from the ICAO. The EU-ASA banned all Philippine carriers from flying to Europe starting last March.
The EU-ASA audited CAAP’s personnel, services and equipment last October, and flunked it. This week the ICAO postponed indefinitely the inspection scheduled for December. Both times Cusi said the reason was the appointment by transportation higher-ups, without his consent, of seven new deputies and assistants. In the same breathe Cusi’s “praise relief” states that, because of his management savvy, he has fired up the morale of in-fighting CAAP personnel. So it’s incongruous that seven potential helpers supposedly are blocking his work, unless theirs is in the nature of watching out for fund shenanigans.
All this is happening while Cusi is paying seven ICAO consultants $15,000 (P700,000) a month to help him learn the ropes. But press releases won’t upgrade Philippine aviation. Real work and hardware will. Still lacking at the Manila airport, for one, is the all-important instrument landing system (ILS) for hazy or stormy weather. Cusi has said several times that it has been fixed since August. Pilots know better that it functioned for only a day-and-a-half, then conked out again.
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“We love the truth provided it enhances our position. We hate the truth that threatens our self-deception.” Shafts of Light, Fr. Guido Arguelles, SJ
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E-mail: jariusbondoc@workmail.com
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