ATO imposes gun-carrying rule at Iloilo airport

La Niña arrived just on time and brought hallelujahs on the lips of many farmers of Western Visayas. But while that may have brought relief to the farmers, the rains could have posed difficulties had the Air Transportation Office gone ahead with the planned closure of the Mandurriao airport.

The original proposal to close down the Iloilo City airport was cancelled after the Tuesday meeting of top ATO officials and security officers of Iloilo City, which included acting City Mayor Guillermo de la Llana (Mayor Jerry Treñas is on an official mission abroad).

ATO area general manager Alan Java rescinded on Tuesday the temporary closure of the airport "due to the presence of numerous armed men and security guards" freely roaming in the airport during flight operating hours.

The security officers had recommended the imposition of strict security measures to make the airport a "gun-free area."

That, to a certain extent, relieved the tension in the area following the Friday standoff at the airport between ATO guards and members of the security agency of Bernie Miaque, the Iloilo businessman who was contesting the ATO closure of his parking pay area and other concessions.

Miaque claimed that the Court of Appeals had issued a temporary restraining order against the execution of a regional trial court order for ATO to take over Miaque’s concessions purportedly because the latter had consistently failed to settle his obligations with the ATO.

De la Llana attended the meeting of key ATO and police officials Tuesday which tackled the issue of securing the airport and airline passengers.

Iloilo Gov. Niel Tupas himself said he would talk to ATO’s Java because the proposed temporary closure of the airport could prove detrimental to the entire province and to the rest of Panay.

Land Transportation Assistant Secretary Ricardo Tan also said the Bacolod airport was willing to take on flights to and from Iloilo. Bacolod City Mayor Evelio Leonardia said Bacolod was ready to help handle the additional volume of passengers had Java’s plan pushed through.

Under a new rule, concessionaires at the Iloilo domestic airport must now first secure the approval of the ATO for their security guards to be allowed to carry short firearms.

The new rule covers security personnel of Philippine Airlines, Air Philippines and Cebu Pacific as well as Miaque’s group of companies.

Security men of these firms will be allowed to carry only short firearms and only within their respective areas.

Java also said members of the Aviation Security Group (ASG), the ATO’s civil security units, the ATO-contracted private security guards and those of the concessionaires will be allowed to carry only short firearms.

Security personnel of Miaque’s group of companies may be deployed fronting the Cebu Pacific area and that of Air Philippines but are not allowed to carry firearms, Java explained.

The Regional Police Command, Java said, could field more personnel in the Mandurriao airport if there’s a need, in coordination with ATO.

Java admitted having asked for troops from the Philippine Army to secure the airport last Monday, pointing out that the presence of numerous armed men and security guards in the area constituted a clear and present threat to the security of the airport and the passengers.

To the relief of Iloilo passengers, Java rescinded his Monday’s order for the temporary closure of the airport. Instead, in line with the recommendation of the Airport Security Committee, he decided to impose stricter security measures.

Meanwhile, government lawyers are filing an appeal with the Court of Appeals to have the TRO lifted.

STL standoff in Negros Occidental

Provincial officials will have to thresh out their conflicting stands on the small town lottery with the town mayors and heads of the component cities. And there is the other side to the issue: Bacolod Bishop Vicente Navarra appealed to the local executives not to allow STL because "gambling will only aggravate poverty."

Navarra said he is preparing a pastoral letter on his official STL stand.

The provincial board recently passed a resolution opposing the STL. But the League of Municipalities of the Philippines’ Negros Occidental chapter instead invited the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office to conduct the STL in 19 towns in the province.

The league’s president, Manapla Manuel Escalante III, and secretary-general, La Castellana Mayor Enrico Elumba, said the local LMP chapter is inviting STL after assessing the benefits and advantages it could bring to the general population and to the local government units as well. The STL’s implementation, the league’s resolution pointed out, would redound to the benefit of people who are in dire need of a legal means of income.

Gov. Joseph Marañon has not shown yet how the provincial board’s resolution would impact on the individual decisions of the local government heads and units. But while awaiting clarification on the matter, Marañon said the individual mayors are still free not to allow it should their constituents oppose their decision.

‘Save Calle Real’ project in Iloilo City

May 25 will be a red-letter day for Iloilo City residents. On that day, stakeholders and concerned citizens will be presented a draft of the heritage conservation guidelines for the Iloilo City Downtown Central Business District.

The forum will be held at the Iloilo Grand Hotel and is expected to attract policy-makers, urban planners, architects and stakeholders from the business community and the arts and culture circle.

City planning and development coordinator Jose Boni Penalosa will be the leading presentor of the draft plan.

"Calle Real remains an important shopping destination in the city despite the opening of malls. But its heritage buildings and structures are slowly being cleared out by the forces of natural and human neglect," was how Penalosa summed up his concept.

Penalosa said preserving the buildings will mean preserving them as potential tourist attractions and bringing much-needed income to the city. "Iloilo’s old buildings are testimonies to Iloilo City’s glorious past," he added.

By May 25, Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas may already be in town to bat for what the city planning board has dubbed the "Save Calle Real" project.

Treñas’ UN address

For the record, Mayor Trenas, who is also president of the League of Cities of the Philippines, recently addressed the 14th session of the United Nations Commission for Sustainable Development (CSD). He identified local governments as the key stakeholders in the implementation of policies and programs that integrate social, environmental and cultural sustainability.

Treñas was the lone representative from Southeast Asia.

He took part in the 14th UN convention of international local government leaders under the International Council for Local Environmental Initiative held in New York from May 12 to 17.

Dumaguete’s Rizal Boulevard widening

Both the provincial government and the Dumaguete City government are involved in reclaiming portions of the shoreline going north to widen by 70 meters the picturesque Rizal Boulevard.

According to Juancho Gallarde, the Visayan Daily Star correspondent there, a 50-meter landscaping is part of the 70-meter widening of the kilometer-long boulevard.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources is reportedly assisting the city and provincial authorities in initially preparing the environmental and assessment of the project.

Rizal Boulevard, one of the principal attractions of Dumaguete City, attracts tourists and ordinary citizens, especially students, because of its peaceful ambience and the cool sea breeze. The place is also picturesque, with various food and arts and cultural offerings luring visitors.

Well, my hats off to the Dumaguete and Oriental Negros authorities for a project that is sure to draw more visitors to Dumaguete City.