Expect more
Korean golfers

Yesterday, the first Zest Air Chartered flight from Korea landed at the Silay-Bacolod Airport early in the morning.

Former Rep. John Orola, Jr. said the first flight landed at the Silay-Bacolod Airport at 2:20 a.m. after making a stop at Cebu where the arriving passengers were subjected to immigration processing. They had landed at the Mactan Airport three hours earlier.

The next chartered flight is arriving on Sunday and the Koreans will stay at L’Fisher Hotel and Sugarland Hotel in for three days, reports said.

They added that Mode Tour Network, Inc., organizer of the Zest Air Chartered flights for Korean golfers, had decided to cancel eight flights after Immigration Commissioner Ricardo David, Jr. denied the request of Bacolod Mayor Evelio Leonardia to provide immigration services at the airport. David cited manpower and equipment restrictions.

Leonardia, as reported in Bacolod media, had earlier said that the Department of Tourism was willing to loan to Bacolod-Silay Airport its computers with passport re mechanism. The David, however, denied the mayor’s request, the reports said. They added that Orola said he will meet Monday with members of the SKAL International Bacolod, National Independent Travel agents Associations, Tourism Educators and student of the Philippines and other civic organizations to for them to come up with a manifesto of support for the Bacolod position on the issue of the immigration agents and the need for the equipment.

It was also reported that Orola said David is not supportive of the position of Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez, Jr. of promoting more tourist arrivals in the Philippines. Orola said Bacolod already has the approval and support of Customs Commissioner Raffy Biazon who approved the landing permits and health personnel made available for the quarantine requirements of arriving tourists, the reports added.

We hope that Bacolod folk send their wires and digitalized messages to David to convince the latter to be more cooperative with the administration tourism industry promotion program.

***

Vice Gubernatorial candidate Mervin Ibañez, chairman of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan’s committee on Health, expressed yesterday his concern over the need to review how to extend the service of some 100 hospital workers for at least 10 working days.

In short, because of their refusal to approve this year’s budget the members of the SP virtually closed the door to pay the fourth tranche of salary increases of the provincial government’s 2,335 employees.

The Commission on Audit rule states that if the 2013 provincial budget is approved after this month, the payment of the fourth tranche of salary increases of capitol employees will not be retroactive to January, according to Governor Alfredo Marañon, Jr.

Ibañez, on the other hand, is seeking a way out to keep the 100 hospital workers to be able to service hospital patients, reports said.

Ibañez, incidentally, is a physician and knows the vital need for the services of medical personnel to poor people, especially during this period of financial difficulties.

There are 100 hospital workers of the Teresita Jalandoni Provincial Hospital and it was pointed out that the number of dengue cases have increased tremendously for this year and there is urgent need for the 100 hospital workers, Ibañez said.

That’s what I had earlier said before. Don’t play around the welfare of government workers. They have nothing to do with the partisan positions of their bosses.

The problem with throwing them into the political game is that you lose their loyalty as is happening now with the loss of their badly needed bonus and rate hike adjustment.

Envez ganar, perder. Compadre, hay que abandonar…*

back to top