A while back I wrote an article about some of the problems in the area of Tourism in the Philippines, and how I thought they could be addressed. Last week, another problem was brought to my attention, and I think that it is a fairly serious problem with Philippine Tourism.
As anybody who follows this blog probably realizes, my Mother is currently visiting from the United States. She arrived in the Country late on Thursday night, August 16. Her flight touched down in Manila around 11pm on Thursday night. She had a connecting flight to come to Davao at 4:00 am on Friday morning, about 5 hours after her arrival on Philippine soil. By the time she got off the plane, went through customs and took a tram to Terminal 2 at Ninoy Aquino International Airport, it was around 12:30am on Friday morning, so she had about 3 1/2 hours until her flight to Davao.
The tram dropped her off at Terminal 2, and left. There was only one problem – the terminal was closed. She had to sit outside on the sidewalk for nearly 3 hours! And to top it off, it rained for about 2 of those hours. Luckily, the area was covered, but during windy times, her and some other passengers there still got wet. My Mom had 4 pieces of luggage. At one point she needed to use the bathroom, and she simply could not manage lugging around all that luggage. She took a chance, leaving it in the care of some other passengers on the sidewalk while she searched for an open restroom. Thankfully, those people were nice folks and took care of her luggage, but what if they had been dishonest people?
Funny thing is that my Mom said that there were employees inside the terminal who were working, but they would not allow passengers inside the building until nearly time for the first flight of the day (her 4:00 am flight to Davao). Since employees manned the terminal, it’s sad that they could not take a little extra time to offer a place for the passengers outside to sit inside the building where it was safer and more comfortable.
I firmly believe that this kind of thing turns off travelers visiting the Philippines. It seems like the airport authority should do a little more to look after visitors to the Philippines. Based on what some airport employees told my Mom, this was nothing unusual, it was the typical operating procedure for the airport.
i fly on China airkines from seattle and thay arive in manila at 955 am then i can transfer to cebu pacific with no problems ( and its cheaper than PAL)
Bob,
I am sorry that this happened to your mom, but I am sure that this is probably a common occurrence. Remember, my earlier post about why 4 international PAL flights arrive within an hour of each other, use the same common carousel and force people to wait for their baggage for two hours or more? I apologize for being harsh, but the leadership there has to think about the big picture, what’s good for the country and the welfare of those people flying into the country. Set aside clannish or territorial disputes and solve these problems. The country is surrounded by others who’ve solved these kind of problems: South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Singapore, etc.
Bob,
I read this morning that the Manila Airport Authority is going to seek an ISO-QMS certification. Hopefully this will improve things.
Hmmmm! so it looks like we need to do even more homework before coming to the Philippines. That's alright for those of us who don't mind putting in the leg work to achieve this but most tourists want to just enjoy their time they have. After all that's what they spend their money on a holiday for. Or for business people they want to just have the time to conduct business. So it looks to me like you never want to head for Davao City in the middle of the night or early hours of the morning. Thanks for the tip. Hope your mum is ok.
Yep, that's the way it is if you don't fly on the 'national carrier.' If you arrive on PAL and go anywhaere else in the Philippines on Pal, you get to stay in their nice airport, NAIA2, while you wait. But if you come in from an international flight on anyother airline, and your domestic flight is early the next morning, you either find a hotel room for those few hours or wait outside the domestic terminal. It is ridiculous! And to me, it is such an obvious ploy to get people to use PAL over other airlines that we go out of our way to avoid using PAL. BUT, if my elderly folks were coming from the USA, or a couple young ladies wiht little to k now travel experience, I would recommend the 11 hour, non-stop PAL flight from LAX, and a direct transfer to CDO. Pal is the only airline 'allowed' to provide this service, unfortunately.
Hi Laurence – Whatever it takes would be good. It's crazy to have a 66 year old foreign lady sit out on the sidewalk for hours waiting for the airport to open it's doors. That's just no way to promote tourism!
Hi Richard Stockwell – I agree, most tourists would never check to see if the airport is unlocked when booking their tickets. For me, even if they kept the International terminal open and available for waiting, and just take the passengers to Terminal 2 once they open, that would be preferable.
Hi AmericanLola – I should have known this. I guess I actually heard something about this before, but it eluded me. I thought that the Terminal 2 would be open, since she was flying PAL to Davao, but it was not. She was even flying Mabuhay Class on PAL, but sure was not treated as so. You are right, for a foreigner travel, and especially one who is older, flying PAL on both legs of the flight is the right decision to make, even though doing so leaves a bad taste in my mouth, since it is virtually blackmail! Live and Learn, I guess. 😕
But they don't make the international terminal available to people waiting for domestic flights.. We checked to see if we could spend thehours in the Sampangita Lounge, but they close at 10 PM! For this reason, we often come in to International late at night, and book a room, taking a noon flight down to CDO. No point in being in a hurry if it means waiting outside all night!.
Hi Bob:
This seems to be a long term running problem. Customer service. One of John's first articles touched on this and several other readers related similar dissatisfaction with service. I do find it odd that a country where the people are so friendly that there seems to be this perception about service. In this instance with your mother it certainly would appear that more could be done for the travelers. The most serious part of this is the safety issue for your mom and the other travelers. I do not who you would contact, but if I was in your shoes I would try to find someone.
Bob, do you mean that NAIA2 was also closed up for the night? the PAL terminal? I thought they would take their passengers overnight!
Hi AmericanLola – I agree with you 100%. I feel this is a major hurdle for the tourism industry here! My Mom absolutely loves Davao. Imagine, she would go home and brag to her friends on how much she enjoyed Davao City, saw the beautiful sights, visited other parts of the Philippines, etc. I am sure that many of her friends would be considering coming to the Philippines for a vacation. Then, when she tells them how she got to spend the night sitting on the sidewalk in the rain, I bet all thoughts of going to the Philippines will be gone. It's a shame!
Hi AmericanLola – Yes, she flew in on Northwest, then was on PAL (Mabuhay Class) to Davao. From the International Terminal they took her on the airport tram to the PAL terminal, dropped her there, and she sat outside on the sidewalk until nearly 4am, her flight time! I was shocked. I thought that since she was flying out on PAL, she would be able to stay in that terminal! She was not at the old domestic airport.
I think that part of the problem is that most Filipinos and those who 'do' tourism for the country, never travel as tourists in their own country. Most Filipinos have relatives to meet them no matter what airport they arrive in, and they are whisked away to the arms of waiting family.
Surely this is just as important a tourist 'first impression' problem to address as problem addressed the hot pink urinals on the sidewalks of Manila!
Hi Wayne – Sorry, AmericanLola's comments were coming in fast and I overlooked yours! Yes, somebody needs to look into this. Although, from what AmericanLola says (and I believe her) this is just a standard policy.
Hi AmericanLola – I think that is true. They need some kind of tourism ombudsman who would travel around and look out for the welfare of tourists here.
Hi Bob:
No problem. I'm dyslexic and type really slowly. All I can say is WOW. From all of the posts that I have read from American Lola this is the first one that she genuinely seem excited upset about something. She is usually so even keeled. Since that has been the norm and this is what I see now I have the impression that this is a more serious problem than I thought. Since you seem to "know" people there I would find someone in authority and politely become a very squeaky wheel. They will grease you in time and enough effort, I would think.
Bob,
I find what happened to your mom different then when I came last December. I arrived in Manila late at night but when I got to the domestic terminal, I went in and there were alot of people sitting arround waiting for the counters to open to take on luggage. Unless I got there earlier than your mom and they locked the doors after I do not know. Or else maybe they have changed their policy since then. Well anyway, I am glad your mom arrived saflely.
Hi Bob,
Probably giving this problem some visibility would help start a conversation amongst people that could fix the problem. If I were stranded as your Mom was, I'd really rattle some cages, even if it does not bring immediate results. It's bad for tourism and it's not the way to treat travelers, whether foreign or local visitors.
Here's the directory of some DOT officials: http://www.tourism.gov.ph/dot/directory_of_office…
There's also a survey in the DOT webpage. That might help also.
Last, how about writing about the experience to more prominent and widely circulated Manila papers?
Hope your Mom is okay and that she is starting to enjoy her visit.
Best,
-Angie
Hi Bruce – I'm glad that your experience was better than what my Mom experienced. I have no doubt that what she described to me was accurate, and I'm sure you are also accurate. Perhaps there has been a change in policy or something. There was a typhoon that came through Manila that day that my Mom arrived, maybe the airport was closed due to the typhoon, I don't know. If that is the case, it would seem to me that travelers arriving would be more in need of being able to stay inside the terminal because of the typhoon.
Hi Angie – I will be considering what to do. I doubt that as just one person I could have too much impact, but we'll see. Thanks for your suggestions and comments.
Yes, Wayne, I guess this one bugs me. When you live here, you find out how things work, and figure out ways to work around the difficulties. Thinking about those difficulties from a tourism perspective is a little different, I guess. I want people to appreicate the Philippines, but I am then reminded of things that give such a bad impression, things like this ariport problem that is such a pain in the neck, and it really urks me! 🙂 There have been many times I have wanted to write letters to the editor under an assumed Filipino name, but I haven't. Sigh. Oh, and then there is the 'new' airport…
Hi Bob:
I'm very sorry of what your Mom has experienced. You're right, unless huge reforms are done in running the terminals (air, sea, land), Phil tourism will go nowhere. 🙁
American Lola:
The new airport? What do I have to look forward to in February?
I do like the idea of the writing with the assumed name. Once again you experiences are eye openers for me. Thanks A.L.
Hi Bob, Well after having sat on that sidwalk for hours I know exactly how your mom felt. The only positive thing I can add that a security guard one time did offer me a chair inside the terminal if I were to provide some financial incentive. I declined. The only way I fixed the issue was as another alluded was to just spend the night and take out a later flight. Of course you could write another blog on how to find a reasonable, clean hotel close to the airport-its not easy at midnight. I find that I am just repeating what has been said already. Hopefully it will change for the better sooner or later. Ron
Hi Bob,
I am so sorry to hear about what happened to your mom. This is unbelievable! In this day and age, there is no excuse for things like this happening. I don't care if the Philippines is a Third World country. There just is no logical reason for having passengers in transit wait outside a locked terminal! I am enraged! I know how you feel as I don't want this happening to my parents, or anyone for that matter.
I would advise you to seek audience with the Regional Director of the Department of Tourism in Davao. I believe her name is Sonia Garcia. Someone needs to bring this to their attention. This is a real embarrassment!
I believe this is the correct address.
REGIONAL OFFICE NO. XI
Department of Tourism
Door No. 7
Magsaysay Park Complex
Sta. Ana District
8000 DAVAO CITY
Tel: (6382) 221-6955
Fax: (6382) 221-0070 / 221-6798
E-mail: [email protected]
I'd like to know what she has to say about this. Bob, please extend my apologies to your mom for the shabby treatment she received in Manila. I hope this situation gets corrected soonest.
Hi Bob it's very bad for your mother.But you know about the
singapore air lines there is flight fro chicago or other american city go direct to davao.Also from athens there is flight direct for
davao. About the turism of the philippines the service it's no good but I am surprise about thailand every year go vacation many
greek people.
Bob
seriously bad news for your Mum here, i feel sorry for her at the beginning of her trip a bad start, i am sure she is feeling better now and i agree with all the comments but……… well i think the airport reception here in the uk are even worse, manchester is bad but heathrow, my goodness horrible, worse than manila so inflexible and badly planned and in the name of security, rude, inflexible and guaranteed not to welcome visitors
the terrorist threats are blamed over here for the security "inconveniences" and people can understand and put up with that but the position your mum was put under is not acceptable, full stop.
In Jan. we were able to go from international to domestic terminal and stand around for 5 hours. A few benchs were well filled. Other times in the past I waited ouside for flight time. She was lucky to find a bathroom. I found people in line very friendly. I was rather shocked the first time I went there. Also I had some fun with the cab drivers asking for 50 us to go from international to domestic airport. One time thery tried to raise the fair half was there and I started to get out in traffic and he let me out to get another cab at a much lower fare. That was a lot of fun with suitcases in hand! There are many more stories from my seven trips there.
Hi AmericanLola – Things like this airport situation really must be fixed for the Philippines to move into being a tourist country. When word spreads of things like this, few tourists will come.
Hi Robert – I understand your reasoning about China Air. However, if the Philippines allows air connections by other airlines, services should be in place to accommodate all visitors coming in.
Hi Jul – I really hope that the Philippine Government would recognize these problems and address them. I really want the Philippines to succeed in improving the country.
Hi Wayne – I think that AmericanLola is talking about Terminal 3, which the Philippine Government basically stole from German Investors, in my opinion. It is not yet operational, maybe by the time you come it will be though.
Hi Ron LaFleur – I feel in some ways that by doing this, the Philippine Government is basically imposing an overnight hotel stay in Manila. They could be doing this as a way of getting people to spend just a little more money than they would have. It's a shame to do business that way, very uninviting, but it seems that is how it's being done.
Hi Tina – I have sent an e-mail to somebody at the Dept. of Tourism about this, we'll see how responsive they are! Today is a national holiday here, so I don't expect to hear back today. I do appreciate your sentiments, and comments. By the way, no reason for you to feel embarrassment on this!
Hi Aldel – These kinks in the travel system must all be worked out so the country can move ahead! I think that the most comparable country for the Philippines is Thailand. I never heard of these problems happening there.
Hi Zois – You are right, Silk Air (part of Singapore Airlines) does serve Davao, although a lot of extra stops must be worked in to use them, it is also more expensive. But, it is indeed a consideration.
Hi rick – My mom is very pro-Philippines, she loves it here, especially in Davao. This incident was a bump on the highway. It gives a bad impression, but she won't let it spoil her trip.
Hi don merfeld – Sounds like you took a bad situation and turned it into a little fun! Congratulations to you on that! 🙂
To Aldel, re. #24
So you swam in a sea of luggages from 4 international flights? That must have been a challenge identifying your luggage(s). I hope you found them all!
That's why I pick the brightest, most outlandish colors for luggages. Then I put some equally bright outlandish bows on them so that they stand out no matter what. These make them easy to identify…
I never use black or grey traveling cases.
Hi Bob, I just read this story this morning, I am sorry to hear about your poor Mother, I agree at 66 years old, or any age for that matter, she should not have had to be waiting outside a locked terminal.
To be honest, this is something I have not experienced myself in Manila, the only thing I would say is that there is so much lack of facilities at Terminal 1 when you are too early for an outgoing flight, this happened to me on 9th August just a week or so ago, nowhere to sit down, very few seats which were full, I just had to stand with all my bags at the back of the airport, I had a 3 hour wait for my flight to Hong Kong.
Your Mothers experience of course was far worse in comparison since I was in the airport, and to shut the terminal is as others have said a disgrace, it just proves, its a 24 hour airport if the terminal is shut, where in the world, our terminals shut, if you get to see the new Terminal 2 in Hong Kong's Chep Lap Kok international, what a superb terminal, open all night, 24 hours, plenty of exceptionally clean comfort rooms, and on my last visit through on the evening of the 9th, I was able to use the facilities on payment of a small fee, of China National Aviation Corportion's Lounge, I had been pretty tired on arrival after leaving Bacolod City in the morning, I was able to relax, have a shower, which was much needed, and hang around in comofortable facilities for the 5 hour wait for my next flight.
We all know without complaining further that the facilities in Filipino airports compared with other international offerings are worlds apart, I am the last one to complain on this blog, since we kind of accept it dont we, but as you have said, it makes people think twice when travelling to the Philippines, sadly those of us who are connected to this great nation by relationhip, have no alternative than to accept it.
Yes, I was refering to Terminal 3 which has supposedly been finished for abt four (could it be five?) years. Every year they announce it will be opening in March (summer) and again they announce it will be opening in December (Christmas), but it hasn't opened yet. Kind of sad. When it does open, it will already be outdated.
So, in the meantime, I still feel like I am coming home when I walk from the plane into NAIA. It has that smell of damp rubber that means I am home in the Philippines! And by the time I get to to guys singing in the hall, I am smiling, and ready to face the lines for immigration. I love the place, and this is not my first impression, it is what feels (smells, sounds) like coming home.
Hi Pete – I don't think it is asking too much to be able to go inside the airport terminal (especially during a typhoon) and have a seat there.
Hi AmericanLola – I get a kick out of the whole Terminal 3 thing. Last year, they said that it was now unsafe because some wet ceiling tiles fell from the ceiling. I believe that they say things like this in order to avoid paying for the building that was constructed by the Germans. Oh well….
Bob,
I hope you did not take my comment as saying your moms account in Manila was not accurate. I was just telling my experience. I could be the typhoon, the construction, or something else. I do agree they need to restructure policies for the travelers experience.
I am happily supprised that the airport in Davao is much more superior to both terminals in Manila.
Hi Bruce – No, I did not think that you were saying that my Mom's account was not accurate. I just felt that some could construe it that way, and thus, I just explained that it was possible that both accounts were accurate, that's all. When it comes to written communication like this, it is easy to confuse somebody's intention, and I was just kind of clarifying what I felt your thoughts were. Sorry for any confusion.
Hi Bruce – One other thing… when you said that you went to the "Domestic" terminal, do you mean that you went to the old Domestic Airport, or to Terminal 2, PAL's domestic terminal? If you flew to Davao on PAL, you would have been at Terminal 2. Other airlines use the old Domestic Airport. That could have also meant a difference. My Mom was flying on PAL, thus at Terminal 2.
Hi Bob,
I strongly suggest that you follow up your email with a face-to-face meeting with Sonia Garcia. I'm sorry, but stating your case in person to someone in authority has a lot more impact than an email. Hopefully, she'll bring this up to whoever needs to address it. You will be doing them a favor by bringing this to their attention. They should be thankful that you care enough to see that this flaw is corrected. Just my opinion.
Hi Bob:
They stole terminal #3 from the Germans? Could you elaborate.
Thanks
Hi Tina – I hear what you are saying, but I have a couple of things that stay in my mind. First, Sonia Garcia is with DOT Davao, and this happened in Manila. The Davao office has no real jurisdiction over this, and actually probably doesn't care much about it. Secondly, as a foreigner here, I feel it is important to be careful about "complaining" about things. Doing too much complaining can lead to being "invited to leave" the country, and I don't want that to happen.
Hi Wayne – Back in the '90's the Philippine Government entered into a contract with two different companies "Piatco" and "Frapport" which was a German consortium. The contract basically was a BOT deal (Build-Operate-Transfer), Under the contract, the German company would build the new airport, then they would operate the airport (I think for 10 years) in order to earn money to recover their costs and make a profit, then at the end of the operating phase of the contract they were to transfer the airport to the Government to continue operations on their own. The BOT scheme is a common way of building infrastructure in the third world.
Well, in 2002, just as the airport was being completed, the Philippine Government declared the contract to be void, and they confiscated the airport from the Germans. They never paid for the airport, and have locked the German company out, not allowing them to earn money to recover their costs. Currently, this is all in litigation. The Germans have won several rounds of the litigation, but recently (in the past few days) the Philippine Government has won the most recent round.
Personally, I don't feel it is right for the Philippine Government to have foreign companies come in and spend hundreds of millions of dollars, then confiscate the property without paying for it.
We'll see how it all turns out.
Hi Bob:
Yup, that sounds sleazy to me. You comment to Tina sure is a good reason not to be a squeaky wheel.
Hi Wayne – Yeah, for me, any foreign country should be careful doing business here, at least until that situation with Frapport is resolved. Yeah, in this instance, and most instances, I feel it's better to keep a low profile, rather than playing the squeaky wheel!
What a disappointment ! As much as I love the PI when it generally comes to customer service they are in the stone age. The sad part is they usually have ample manpower but not the common sense or training to implement it. Sorry to hear you rmom had to experince this Bob, I know for years I just shake my head in disbelief on the international departing security checks ( all 3 of them!!! ) before boarding to return home. Why they have not figured out that they could check all the passengers ONCE instead of 3 times is still beyond me ! Why when arriving and in order to ground transportation you have to walk ..with all your luggage …to an adjacent building to get taxi ticket then walk back to the curb side pick up is utterly ignorant !
Well, in 2002, just as the airport was being completed, the Philippine Government declared the contract to be void, and they confiscated the airport from the Germans.
AND THEY WONDER WHY NO ONE WANTS TO INVEST IN THIER COUNTRY !!
ONE DAY MILLIONAIRE MENTALITY
Hi brian – I agree with everything you are saying on both of your comments. I want people to be aware that the people who are commenting here LOVE the Philippines. We want the Philippines to be successful. We are not just complaining for the sake of complaining, we are offering our suggestions on what is wrong, and how it can and should be improved.
Bob,
I understand what you are saying. Pointing out flaws to improve the system is not complaining. Sonia, as DOT official in Davao, should escalate this to the national level. After all, she is speaking for tourists coming to her region. If these were Manila-bound tourists, then maybe they won't have this problem.
I am saddened that you feel that, being a foreigner, you can't speak out. I will try to do what I can where I am. If I were in Davao, I would have gone with you to see her. I don't think you should fear "being invited out of the country". You have not committed any crime. You really shouldn't feel like you can't speak out. After all, you're married to a Filipina and have been living there for 10 years. You're more Filipino than you think.
Well, if it makes anyone feel better, I sent an email to everyone on the list Angie posted and recommended that they read this post. if I was in Davao, I would go talk to Sonia, because I think that people who really care, who are also in the right place at the right time, can make a meaningful difference. I am not sure that the DOT (in Davao OR Manila) can actually do much about the inter-workings and red tape of how the air terminals in Manila are run, but who knows?
Re. AmericanLola's comment:
"So, in the meantime, I still feel like I am coming home when I walk from the plane into NAIA. It has that smell of damp rubber that means I am home in the Philippines! And by the time I get to to guys singing in the hall, I am smiling, and ready to face the lines for immigration. I love the place, and this is not my first impression, it is what feels (smells, sounds) like coming home."
I really love the way Luanne (AmericanLola) depicts the Philippines. Her feelings really shine through. There is beauty even in their rawness. Factual, honest, not-all-roses but heartfelt nonetheless, she comes across lovingly. It's a sensitive assessment.
It's the way it is, for now — and it's not *unlike* one's problematic teenage child that you do not know quite how to handle… on drugs, on sex, on alcohol — and yet you cannot separate from the whole child these diseased parts in order to love that child. You embrace and love the whole… yet, never giving up that someday this child will awaken and grow into a beautiful adult.
I always love your perspective, AmericanLola. So beautifully said.
Quoting from "Desiderata" — "with all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it's a beautiful world. Strive to be happy."
Re. #46. ALL RIGHT, AmericanLola!!!! You already made my day. I'm just starting out today here in Calif. and as always I take my daily dose of coffee and Bob's blog to get started.
Yes, indeed, who knows. All it took was one courageous act from Rosa Parks, on Dec. 1, 1955, to redirect the course of civil rights movement in America. The rest is now history.
From one woman to another, AmericanLola, you rock!
All,
This probably only happens to Tagalog speakers, but when departing NAIA airport, attendants ask for tips or pocket change in Tagalog, of course. This happened several times to me after I paid the P500 airport fee all the way thru security. I never paid, but I did ask them how much they were getting paid. P300 a day or a little over $6 a day. Well, this is another topic.
Bob,
Re. #38. "Doing too much complaining can lead to being “invited to leave” the country, and I don’t want that to happen."
I emphatize with you and I can see now where you're coming from. It's really sad to be torn this way and yet having rooted yourself and your family in Davao, I understand this is a very real concern for you.
On the other hand, AmericanLola has taken this further to the next logical step. Let's see what happens now.
The power of blogging and the world wide web might just work wonders here. After all, can the Philippines shut off the rest of the world who will talk about incidents like this? If it's not on your site, it will be discussed elsewhere. Viral communications just can't be stopped.
Even big US corporations have caught on to blogging as a powerful and efficient marketing tool.
AmericanLola said: "It has that smell of damp rubber that means I am home in the Philippines!" To me, that is one the unique olfactory memories of the Philippines. Too bad one of the other smells that is not so unique is the urinal odor near the sidewalks of he domestic terminal! 🙂
Hi Bob, its certainly true, its not too much to ask to let a lady sit down in the airport terminal, sadly on this occasion, hospatility was a little lacking – Bob you opened my mind up to to something, in your comments you spoke about being invited to leave the country, possibly due to too much exposure to complaining.
I had not thought of this, have you heard of foreigners being asked to leave because the complain or more to the point, criticize the organization or infra structure of the country, perhaps organizational skills of the Flipino authorities, can you give us an example of this, I have hearrd myself that some foreigners have been invited to leave the country, or that their behaviour has been the topic of a formal complaint resulting in them being detained by Bureau of Immigration.
Perhaps its something we all have to consider, how far do we as foreign nationals ? may I say ! go when it comes to complaining, of course we don't want to be a party to a society where we cannot exercise our rights to free speech, certainly, you and I both come from countries where our right to complain about our elected leaders and government institutions underpin the very foundations of our democracies, but Bob you have really brought something out here "Is it wise not too complain too publicly, just incase our name gets mentioned in the wrong places – whats your take on that Bob ? or any one elses view for that matter.
Any experiences to share ?
Hi Bob:
A while ago there was a post dealing with the lack of internet facilities in the RP. I can say this, that until things like this do not occur there there is not a real incentive to try having a business that is tourist driven and advertise to people out of country on the net or otherwise. All it would take is one incident like that for to may bad words, to spread to far. Too bad, to.
Hi Bob,
i am sorry to hear about this. That long plane flight in itself can be very tiresome to anyone, let alone a senior citizen. I hope your mom is well rested now and taking advantage of the amenities that come easily in Davao (massages, parlors and great food).
Bob,
I am not sure what teminal it was, I only know it is the terminal for Cebu Pacific.
It's pretty depressing at times, Bob. There's hardly a day goes by that there isn't an article in the paper about some international hotel chain investing in the Philippines … or some other "big money" news … usually replete with some government official or another smiling and taking credit for the coup. I can no longer view such articles without a great deal of cynicism in my mind as to what the potential customers for that investment are going to find when they decide to make a trip here.
The Bureau of Immigration is actively hostile towards tourists and towards its sister agency, the department of Toursim in many ways. Philippine Airlines, in particular, is the most anti-customer service of nay airline I have flown in over 40 years of business and (you should excuse the expression) pleasure flying.
The transit woes at NAIA on those late night transfers such as you mom had to face have been exactly as you described … or worse … for more than 7 years now. Seven years ago the DoT was headed by a fellow name of Richard Gordon who actually spoke about the stranded passengers in the newspapers and assured all and sundry that the issues were being "worked". Dick Gordon is now one of the more influential senators, perhaps the most foreigner-friendly member of the senate, yet not a single improvement in the very issue of stranded overnight passengers seems to have been addressed.
In fact during those 7 years NAIA came prominently "on the screen' of professionals in the air travel world because of the total "cock up" example of NAIA Terminal 3 … built, ready for use and yet unused due to the Philippine government and the contractor being unable to reach an agreement on price/payment/"punch list" issues. termonal 3 will solve the late night transfer issues … so no sense doing anything to mitigate the problem right now, today. For a while…..
The current head of the DoT is a gentleman named Joseph "Ace" Duran. I have no idea what Mr. Duran's thoughts on the matter of tourist maltreatment are, because aside from the aforementioned photo ops, he keeps a pretty low profile indeed.
I normally pride myself on being a positive thinker on these sorts of issues … give things time, there are good people working behind the scenes to make it better, etc. Lately I have reached the point of becoming very positive that it has become difficult indeed to remain positive.
Frankly, if my mom were still with us and able to visit, I'd tell her to meet us in Hong Kong and forget about the Philippines. Saddens me to say that, it really does … but a person really has to really "want" to come to the Philippines and persevere to get in … they certainly won't be welcomed upon arrival.
Hey, thanks Angie for your kind comments on my comments! I really appreciate your comments too!
Hi Dave Starr:
"Saddens me to say that, it really does … but a person really has to really “want” to come to the Philippines and persevere to get in … they certainly won’t be welcomed upon arrival."
It is sad, isn't it? My heart bleeds for my country, too. It seems to be on an extended pubescent stage. When will it get over its growing pains?
I wonder if any of you uses the presidents website and email her of any complaint. Although, this does not mean anyones' email will be answered but who knows one lucky email might be yours.
Hi Tina – I am just a guest here, and to criticize your hose it not good manors. For me, I know that my intentions are to help the Philippines improve, but others may not see it that way.
AmericanLola – Thanks for your effort. I also sent an e-mail, we'll see what comes of it.
Hi Angie – We are in full agreement about AmericanLola! I consider her kind of a mentor, and her husband as well!
Hi Aldel – I haven't experienced that.
Hi Angie – Yesterday I also sent an e-mail about this to the DOT. We'll see what happens.
Hi Rob S – Ha ha…..
Hi Pete – Yes, I know foreigners who have been deported for various things. I can't really go into it here, I hope you understand. But, we are talking about very minor things that are less than filing a complaint with the DOT.
Hi Wayne – I agree!
Hi Macky – My Mom loves Davao. We went to Buda today, and had a wonderful time there too. She is not really into the whole massage/spa type of thing, but this event won't dampen her enthusiasm for Davao!
Hi Bruce – Cebu Pacific is at a different airport, not the place we are talking about. Ceub Pacific is at the old domestic airport, while PAL uses the fancy newer terminal at NAIA (where your international flight arrived).
Hi Dave Starr – Thanks for your comments. I feel like you are pretty well on track.
Hi Mahdy – I've never used GMA's website myself!
It,s very unfortunate that visitors like your mom have to suffer this unnecessary inconvenience. The Philippines really need to be tourist friendly. They shut down the airport terminals from 12-4am to save on electric/labor/operations overhead with disregard for travellers comfort, safety and convenience. I experienced what your mom has experience back in 1997. It was a hot and humid night and we have our small children with us. I will never forget that night. PAL knows this and that is the reason they time their departure to arrive in Manila after 4am. Another advantage with PAL is if you have a connecting flight to Davao within the same day your luggage is claimed in Davao not Manila. There are less passengers claiming luggages and more porters. Customs is also cleared in Davao. For now we can only complain but I have learned to accept this as a fact of life on the Philippines and just adjust to it. PAL has the monopoly of the Philippines skies and airport terminals.
Hi Bobby – Thanks for sharing your thoughts. With the low, low cost of labor here, saving money on labor should not even be a consideration. I understand trying to save on electricity and operations, but the tourist should be taken into consideration, because if you want the people to come back, you must consider their experience that they will receive here.
"The Bureau of Immigration is actively hostile towards tourists and towards its sister agency".
I couldn't agree more. This is by far the worst agency the foreigner will ever face while in Philippines. I was at the Manila BOI recently for exit clearance. First, they tell me they have implemented a new fingerprinting system. And proceeded to fingerprint me. All 10 digets. Black runny ink. Then, when finished, I was holding up my hands and wondering how I was going to wipe my fingers. I asked for tissue, and he looked at me as if to ask why I didn't prepare my own tissue, then out of a drawer, pulls out a used printer paper. What BS is that?
Then, the cashier there shows up 30 min late, making a bunch of people wait, then proceeded to waste another 30 mintues trying to fix the computer, all the while joking and talking with co-workers. Then, after 1 hr of making people wait, without saying saying sorry or anything, says to the people, "ok have EXACT change ready." Now how the hell were people supposed to know exactly what they are charged until they were at BOI and got the bill? The person in front of me got 10pesos less because the cashier didn't have coins. Even the balikbayan next me couldn't help but blurt out "yup, this is definitely Philippines." What BS.
Then, the BOI people try to coerce me to pay extra, probably 500p or so, to get it done faster. This is already after paying the official 500p "express" fee. Of course this is bribe money. What BS.
The face of BOI is the face of Philippines public service. People who believe they have a bit of power act like they are God Almighty.
As long as Philippines doesn't clean up its act, it will always remain the 3rd world dumping grounds for defective, out-of-season goods and defective politicians. I guess this also has its positive side. It makes things cheap for foreigners like me.
Hi IPPL – Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
Re. this comment:
"As long as Philippines doesn’t clean up its act, it will always remain the 3rd world dumping grounds for defective, out-of-season goods and defective politicians. I guess this also has its positive side. It makes things cheap for foreigners like me."
I wonder where most people stand on this… Would you honestly rather have cheap/substandard or expensive/world-class?
I'm not trying to provoke fireworks here but I'm genuinely curious what the majority thinks.
Hi Angie – I have heard this from other foreigners before too – "If things got straightened out to where they worked properly, the place would not be affordable any longer." I don't really buy this argument. From what I hear and see, things work more smoothly in Thailand, yet it is just as affordable as the Philippines. Interesting grab there, Angie!
hi all having just spent atime in davao and manilia having been to dubai singapore and carried on to hong kong and china. the simple reality is as a tourism destin ation philippines is aback water its like going back in a time worp. true things are cheap but basiclly everthing you get is second rate . service is bad boi at the airports feel they are doing you a favour letting you into the country. the manilia airport systems are ajoke but not a funny one poor mrs martin we known how you feel. third trip to phil this year i need abreak from her now