Laguindingan airport update

As we were driving from Marawi City to Cagayan de Oro City last week, my companions and I decided to take a look at the ongoing construction of the Laguindingan airport and we were impressed by the sight of the eight-kilometer or so stretch of highway leading to the airport facility. The highway, undulating like a ribbon, seemed like a dream, and we pulled over to the side and posed for pictures, with the concrete, smooth highway as our backdrop.

I texted Press Secretary Cerge Remonde in Manila who had invited us to witness the laying down of the cornerstone of the project, and he was pleased that we, like many observers, are impressed by what we saw — and we saw only the highway yet, not the buildings being constructed at the end of the highway. 

Upon his instruction, Press Under-secretary Butch Junia sent us an update on the project.

As of October 25, 2009, earthworks, which are about 9 million cubic meters, are more than 90 percent completed, and construction of major buildings such as the passenger terminal, control tower and others, is ongoing. Butch said, “We are almost on the final level of embankment on the runway, and next week, we will start pavement works. We’ve started with pavement works on the apron, and major drainage works are being done. Access road is substantially completed.”

Butch said, “As committed to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, the runway will be completed by end of March 2010. The over-all accomplishment is 52.20 percent, ahead by 8.45 percent as scheduled.”

Laguindingan airport is one of the major accomplishments of the Arroyo administration. Add to this the development of the nautical project, which has facilitated the travel of people and transport of goods from one port to other ports in the archipelago. Some of my friends have told me about how they’re able to travel by private car or bus on land starting from Baguio City and get connected by boat and ferry to Leyte, then by land again to Surigao del Norte much quicker than years before.

Let’s you and I travel down the nautical highway soon and enjoy seeing the Philippines.

Laguindingan airport is something to look forward to, world-class, and spelling economic and social development not only for the people of CDO but the entire Mindanao region.

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We had gone to Marawi for one of my hubby’s official visits and stayed at the Marawi Resort Hotel, which is owned and operated by the Southern Philippines Development Authority. The resort hotel has undergone some face lifting, thanks to the innovativeness of the new manager, Datu Mohammad T. Tanggoti.

The swimming pool is now spanking clean and swimmable, the roads are abloom with flowers, and to save — and earn money for the hotel — Mohammad raises a handful of cows which freely roam around the grounds; party-makers place orders for roasted yearlings, and the kitchen staff excitedly prepare for the feasts, which are likely to include two of the favorites — delicious, hot beef randang and succulent fried tilapia with an excellent sauce.

A portion of land just below the nine-hole golf course is planted to onions, tomatoes, pepper and leafy vegetables for use by the kitchen. “We pay for the vegetables according to market prices, so that’s a little source of income for the restaurant,” said Mohammad, a big-bodied, friendly man in his early 60s who used to manage the Golden Mosque in Quiapo, Manila.

 Mohammad has a commerce degree, major in accounting, and a masters in public administration from Bukidnon State College, so he’s concerned about improving the hotel’s financial standing. There are days when few visitors come to eat at the restaurant like during the Ramadan and other Islamic celebrations, so the coffers are lonely. A future source of income, when completed, is a building for small conventions or meetings. “Later we would like to expand this, and, hopefully, the SPDA board will approve the construction of a hostel which will house convention delegates and visitors at affordable prices,” Mohammad told us.

Things are looking up for the resort hotel. Attracting visitors from Manila is the golf course, which, would you believe, does not charge green fees. The climate, like Baguio City’s, is pleasantly cool.

 Manilans and other visitors need not worry about the peace and order situation in Marawi. There are no killings and fighting among rebel and government military forces there. There’s plenty of the marang fruit in the market as well as ethnic jewelry and garments.

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On another front, people have held the mistaken notion that Asians are less likely to suffer from osteoporosis and that it’s Caucasian women who are afflicted by the disease. The World Health Organization has indicated that by 2050, more than 50 percent of all osteoporotic hip fractures will occur in Asia and that some 10 to 20 percent of people suffering from hip fractures will die within a year of suffering the disease.

Medical journals describe osteoporosis as “a condition that features loss of the normal bone density, resulting in curving spines and loss of height. At its advanced stage, the disease can lead to porous bones that fracture easily — the spine, hips, wrists, and almost any other part of a person’s skeletal system. Called the ‘silent disease,’ it can affect a person’s bones for years and may remain undetected beneath the cover of the skin, until the patient suffers chronic painful disability, and diminished quality of life.”

Osteoporosis, though, is highly preventable, by maintaining a healthy diet of adequate levels of calcium and vitamin D intake as well as moderate exercise and reducing smoking and limiting one’s alcohol intake.

Fonterra has been doing its part in the fight against osteoporosis, spending more than $40 million on bone research and development in the last decade to better understand the disease including 15 human clinical trials on bone health in the last eight years.

Public awareness and education programs are needed to help in the prevention of the disease.

Since 2005, Anlene has been providing free ultrasound bone scans through the Anlene Bone Health Check across Singapore, the Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Australia, Sri Lanka, Taiwan and Indonesia to help educate people about the health of their bones.

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