Petty corruption inside the DFA?

Last Tuesday night I was invited to a dinner by Tourism Educators And Movers (TEAM) Philippines chairman Bobby Joseph, who met with the Cebu Chapter of the Network of Independent Travel Agencies Association (NITAS), and the only good news that Bobby Joseph reported to the Cebuanos was that the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) finally extended the deadline from June 30 of this year to June 30 of next year.

This issue was about the processing of passports through the use of accredited travel agencies, which was the practice for ages, where there were few complaints. Somehow, the DFA wanting to comply with the curse of President Manuel Quezon…”To run this country like hell” decided to change this system and now the queues have become so long that people have to line up early in the wee hours of the morning just to get their passports.

All this means we have a respite of another year. So why can’t the DFA leave things as they were, where there were no complaints? Again I’d like to reiterate that old American saying, “If it ain’t broke…don’t fix it!” In our column last Thursday, we gave you a litany of sins inside the DFA. Well, the NITAS Cebu Chapter members also had their complaints list.

This maybe a small or petty change…but when you’re inside the DFA offices and suddenly you lack an affidavit that needs a notary public, one will be provided for you at a convenient price of P300 bucks. But we learned that such an affidavit would only cost around P50 for the notary public or P150 for a complete document outside the DFA. So the NITAS members are asking… who is making a handsome profit inside the DFA?

Call it a coincidence that last Wednesday, Malacañang spokesman Edwin Lacierda admitted that corruption “remains pervasive in some levels of government despite President Benigno Aquino III’s Tuwid na Daan policy of transparency and honesty. We recognize that there are still some levels of corruption but the people have seen that there is a consistent fight against corruption under this government.” Perhaps the problem stems from the fact that Lacierda can say these things with a straight face… just like a poker player.

Come on Mr. Lacierda! It’s been three years since P-Noy came into power…by now your student government should have learned a thing or two on how corruption works in this country. And your best example is happening right before your very eyes at the DFA, where they are creating a bureaucratic mess when there was none in the past?

Lastly, the NITAS Cebu Chapter complained to me that in Bohol Province, the municipality of Bien Unido has become a passport-processing center for the whole Province. This came as a shocking surprise to many travel agencies many of whom were asking, “Since when were local government units (LGUs) authorized to compete with travel agencies?” Mr. Lacierda, I dare you to honor me with a reply on their queries.

*      *      *

Finally, some good news from the Aviation front… when I was listening to the World Tonight the other night that the European Union had partially lifted the air ban on Philippine Airlines (PAL), thus allowing the national flag carrier to resume its flights to Europe come September. Wow! The last time I travelled to Europe via PAL was a trip I made to London in mid-90s and indeed, this is very welcome news.

This piece of good news was reported no less by European Union (EU) Ambassador Guy Ledoux during a formal announcement of the lifting of this air ban before PAL President Ramon Ang and Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) Director William Hotchkiss. Accordingly this air ban was officially lifted yesterday.

PAL president and CEO Ramon Ang immediately responded with their plans to fly to Paris, London, Amsterdam and Rome sometime in September or October. These were old routes that PAL used to service a long time ago. In truth, the EU merely responded to the ban issued by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) against Philippine Air carriers due to safety concerns. But in fairness to PAL, it always had a well-established standard in its operations, whether inside or outside the cabin.

In my book, lifting the air ban on PAL benefits the European Union countries especially at these times that Europe is in a recession. Lest you have already forgotten, Tourism is the biggest revenue earner for most European countries and whether they like it or not, Filipinos, thanks to our Overseas Foreign Workers (OFW) travel a lot to these destinations. When KLM pulled out of the Philippines a year or so ago, trips to Europe have fallen into the laps of Mideastern airlines like Qatar or Etihad. Of course, we know that Cebu Pacific Air is also planning its long haul route to fly to Abu Dhabi. 

*  *  *

For email responses to this article, write to [email protected] or [email protected]. His columns can be accessed through www.philstar.com.