NAIA: From worst to worse

By Erwin Tulfo

DEAD SHOT

NINOY Aquino International Airport (NAIA) authorities must be licking their wounds. The country’s gateway to the world has been dislodged from being the worst airport in 2011—only to land as second worst this year.

From a bright perspective, the mean feat probably deserves a muffled applause. Or even a tiny “hurrah.” For all its worth, it means that the NAIA has improved a tad. Although of course, there’s still gigantic room for improvement.

For refreshers, “The Guide to Sleeping in Airports” ranked NAIA as the worst airport last year. Voters didn’t mince words in explaining why. Many likened NAIA to a bombed out ruin, a cattle yard only worse. And of course, who could have ignored the filthy toilets?

Frommers, an online travel guide, was kinder. It listed the NAIA’s Airport Terminal 1 as only second worst next to New York City’s JFK Airport Terminal 3. Apparently, NAIA flunked this year’s judge’s standards for cleanliness, services, on-time departures, navigation and the ease of getting to and from a city’s center.

Knowing Pinoys, this piece of news may not be that devastating. Many must even be chuckling at the thought that we have proven to be a notch better than Americans.

Ever resilient, many of our kababayans probably find it amusing that we have beaten the most powerful people in the world in the cleanliness test.

I believe that Transportation Secretary Mar Roxas should not be faulted for NAIA’s slip. His great mind has been working to improve the country’s premier airport. A silent doer, he has done a lot already in giving NAIA a major facelift.

Friendliest

It is this amazing ability to find humor even in the face of criticism, and amid adversity, that Filipinos are well-loved abroad. Just recently, the Expat Explorer Survey 2011 ranked the Philippines as the 8th friendliest country in the world.

This isn’t news at all. Filipinos’ hospitality is legendary. Our warm culture dictates that others’ well-being comes before one’s own comfort and safety.

The Filipino cooks and maids of the ill-fated Costa Concordia proved this once again. And with spine-chilling effect.

As passengers scrambled to get off the doomed ship, the Pinoy crew stayed behind to make sure nobody was injured. Waiters, cooks and stewardesses were even caught on amateur video going around and calming down frightened women, children and men. All along, the captain had already jumped ship.

A French tourist even recalled how the Filipino crew roped themselves together to help hundreds of passengers get down the lifeboats.

Our lot has ended up as crooks, psychopath maids, drug traders and swindlers in several parts of the globe. Yet acts of spontaneous heroism such as those exhibited by the Costa Concordia crew still makes me proud to be a Filipino.

It also fills me with pride to know that countless expats want to make the Philippines their second home despite the negative publicity.

Tourism Sec. Ramon Jimenez is right. It’s really more fun in the Philippines.