Are We a Rich Nation Pretending to be Poor?

The business section of the March 1 issue Philippine Star had a news item entitled “Phil urged hasten airport upgrades.” It cited Malaysia’s Air Asia Chief Executive Request for the Phil. to hurry up the completion, remodeling and improving of all airports so that more foreign tourists will come and spend more dollars. The rest of the article hit me.

Today two Luzon airports serve foreigners, Ninoy Aquino with one major runway and Clark airfield with also one long runway. Then the news says that San Miguel Corporation Ramon Ang is hurrying his New Manila International Airport in Bulacan with four Runways Costing 735.5 billion pesos to be finished on 2027. The Virata Yuchengco group San Miguel, is investing eleven billion dollars (not pesos) to finish Cavite’s Sangley International Aiport with 2 runways serving 75 million passengers a year. The Virata and the Yuchengco are in a tight race as to which airport will finish first.

The Metro Manila Calabarzon has about 20 million residents. Hong Kong Lantau airport, Singapore’s Changi airport, Tokyo’s Narita and Haneda Aiports, Beijing’s 2 airports served the biggest number of passengers yearly in Asia. The busiest aerial regions outside Asia are 1. London with Heathrow and Gatwick, 2. New York with J.F.K and La Guardia, 3. Paris with De Gaulle and Orly, 4. Dubai. In 2024, Beijing will have 3 international airports to handle its 100 million passengers per year. The Philippines in 2027 will have 4 international airports 1. Ninoy, 2. Clark, 3. Bulacan, and 4. Cavite Sangley (Virata Yuchengco). OMG. The cost which could use for more hospitals, seaports, public schools, will be for concrete steel and glass structures. We have outspent America, China, Germany, France, India, U.K., Russia, and Saudi Arabia for city airports. These nations are the richest in the world. Yet their number one city have only 2 airports at most.