Busy bodies

Build and they will come.
From merely nothing flying out of the Clark international airport after the cataclysmic eruptions of Mount Pinatubo in 1991, the succeeding secondary explosions that emitted fine volcanic ashes and the dreaded lahar flows—the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport has metamorphosed into one of the busiest airports in the Asian region. Back then, we only had migratory birds visiting the two 3.2-km parallel runways, a contrast when the US military might is felt by the presence of the F4 phantoms lined up in front of the DMIA tower.
One man dared to dream and brought in the first international flights in the desolate Clark airport—Clark International Airport Corp. (CIAC) President and CEO Victor Jose I. Luciano, then posted as EVP of the Clark Development Corp. Thus in October 2003, the first flight of Asiana arrived at the airport and the rest is history.
At the helm of CIAC, Luciano had been relentlessly pursuing important projects for DMIA that will make it the premier international gateway and a vibrant logistics and services hub. No wonder that for four days last week starting November 6, Luciano along with EVP/COO Alexander S. Cauguiran, VP for Finance Romeo Dyoco and VP for Operations and Business Development Bienvenido Manga had been busy attending to groundbreakings and inaugural flights.
On November 6, CIAC broke ground with SIA Engineering Company, in partnership with Cebu Pacific Air for the establishment of a $100-million Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility. Luciano, SIA Engineering Company headed by President and CEO William Tan and Cebu Pacific President and CEO Lance Gokongwei led the groundbreaking rites as well as the time capsule-laying for the multimillion-dollar facility, which was also attended by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
The MRO Facility at the Changi Airport in Singapore is already congested and thus the establishment of the MRO facility in Clark is expected to further improve services at DMIA and make it more viable as the next premier gateway of the Philippines. “The MRO fulfills the vision of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to make Clark a leading world-class service hub in the Asia Pacific-Region,” said Luciano.
“We have always been impressed with the Filipino people. We are excited about Clark,” said SIA Engineering’s Tan.
“A world-class MRO facility at Clark will further enhance aerospace into the Philippines. With SIA Engineering Company’s MRO proficiency, we will certainly develop the local talent pool of aerospace management and engineering personnel. In addition, a heavy maintenance facility in the Philippines will significantly enhance Cebu Pacific Air’s dispatch reliability and engineering quality,” said Gokongwei.
On November 7, another groundbreaking was held for the establishment of the P1-billion aircraft hangar facility of new kid on the block Spirit of Manila. The hangar is capable of handling the Boeing 747-800, Airbus A-320 and the Airbus 380. Spirit of Manila will mount flights to Taipei and Macau and had been also planning to fly to the Middle East to serve OFWs.
On November 8 and 9, Cebu Pacific Air launched its flights to Hong Kong, Bangkok, Singapore and Macau. Residents of Central and Northern Luzon have welcomed the flights, particularly the “Go Lite Fares” offered by Cebu Pacific, allowing families to visit their kin who are working in Asian countries more often.