To CAAP: Bring nation back to Category 1

Over the weekend, we got some good news when we learned that the Department of Transportation & Communications (DOTC) finally awarded thee multi-billion peso Mactan Cebu International Airport deal to the winning bidder, the Megawide/GMR group. Of course, as expected, the bad news we heard was that Sen. Serge Osmeña III filed a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) against the DOTC. In so doing, the majority of Cebuanos would be up in arms against political dinosaurs like Sen. Serge whose political plans are no longer aligned with the needs of the people of Cebu.

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I got a press release from the Tourism Educators & Movers Philippines (Team Philippines) led by my dear friend, Robert “Bobby” Joseph who questioned the executives of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) for meddling in an issue that they know nothing about.

I couldn’t believe my ears when I heard this report…, which brought Bobby Joseph to issue a statement, which goes, “The CAAP should focus on aviation safety and security and how the Philippines can return to Category I.” Let me add that the CAAP still has to fix the Laguindingan Airport in Cagayan de Oro. The agency that handles 5th Freedom Rights is the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) and I fully agree with Sir Bobby that CAAP should just focus on bringing the country back to Category I which they have failed to secure in the last three years under the Aquino regime.

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Over the weekend my big bike group, the Easy Riders of Cebu, rode to Zamboanga del Norte (ZaNorte) via Dumaguete City to join the 20th Annual Convention of the National Federation of Motorcycle Clubs (NFMC) in the Philippines. This is an annual event that is rotated every year from Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao and I’ve only missed two conventions because I was out of the country. How things have truly changed in the last 20 years because motorcycling in this country has become mainstream.

This year’s host club was the Dapitan Brotherhood of Bikers with its president Rep. Bullet Jalosjos who according to our by-laws becomes the President of the Bike Convention for the year. It was the first time for Zamboanga del Norte (ZaNorte) to host the Annual Big Bike convention and I’m glad that we came because there is so much that ZaNorte has to offer. Their river cruise, a Fantasy Land the biggest outside Metro Manila… and a Boulevard along the sea that reminds us of the days when Roxas Blvd was still called Dewey Blvd. This is a must-see destination place in Dipolog City.

What came as a big surprise was when we arrived at the Ariana Hotel, Dipolog’s newest hotel, I didn’t know that it was owned by Mrs. Armi Garcia, wife of former DOTC Sec. Jesus “Sonny” Garcia and chairman of SunStar Daily, who met us at the hotel lobby. This 36-room hotel with an Olympic size swimming pool has rooms that could put to shame even the best 5-star hotels. The Ariana Hotel raises the bar of excellence in the hotel industry in Dipolog.

I was riding with the Easy Riders Club of Cebu, led by president Ed Gonzales, Lito Garcia, Anton Perdices, Cheling Sala, Art Tudtud, Tony “Chico” Lozada, Bernard Alegrado and John Domingo. Our old friends, the Mendezona brothers, Iñaki and Johnny together with Ramon Saquin and Dino Urquiaga played host to our group as they live very near Dapitan.

In fact last Saturday we travelled to the residence of Mr. John Roemer in Sindangan two hours away towards Ipil. Mr. Roemer was one of the “Thomasites,” those teachers who came on the S.S. Thomas to educate Filipinos. He is the grandfather of Iñaki and Johnny Mendezona, who left the Philippines 30 years ago and returned to ZaNorte. 

Last Saturday evening was my first time to visit the Dakak Resort as the gala night of the convention was held there. There were 71 motorcycle clubs who joined the convention, one of the biggest Big Bike conventions as attested by my good friend, Manolet Lamata, chairman emeritus of the Thunderbugs Motorcycle Club who started the Big Bike Convention. As Dapitan Brotherhood of Bikers’ Rep. Bullet Jalosjos revealed to me, there were more than 2,500 registered participants in the convention.

We also learned from former DOTC Sec. Sonny Garcia that world famous professional Golfer Greg “The Shark” Norman was in Dakak over the weekend to supervise his Greg Norman designed golf course being planned there. When that Greg Norman golf course pushes through, Dakak could be part of the Asian Golf Tour. With their successful hosting of the 20th Big Bike convention, let me say that ZaNorte is primed to be part and parcel of the major Tourism destinations in the country.

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