CLARK FREE PORT—The Pinoy Gumising Ka Movement (PGKM) has once again assailed the holding of the Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta (PIHABF) in this former US Air Force base.
The PIHABF is set here from February 9 to 12, but the Clark International Airport Corp. (Ciac) said this could be the last hot-air balloon festival in this free port.
PGKM Chairman Ruperto Cruz is now calling on President Duterte to intervene for the sake of the development of the Clark International Airport (CIA), which he promised in his first State of the Nation Address.
Cruz described as “callous” the insistence of the Clark Development Corp. (CDC) and the Ciac to hold the PIHABF at this free port, especially at this time, when more flights are starting to come in to the CIA.
He said it is also both “dangerous and a hindrance” to the development of the CIA to hold the PIHABF here.
Cruz noted that the holding of the PIHABF will require a special permission from the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (Caap), which will then issue a corresponding notice to airmen (Notam) to the CIA affecting normal flight operations at the Clark airport.
Flight diversion and delays of at least two hours are expected to be experienced by airline passengers of the CIA owing to the Notam. The PGKM has, time and again, assailed the holding of the PIHABF here, citing the development of the CIA to attract more flights.
“We cannot compromise the development of the Clark airport just to give way to the hot-air balloon fiesta,” Cruz said.
“There is already a place for hot-air balloons in Lubao, which will not affect flight operations in Clark because it is 33 nautical miles away from the Clark airport. Why insists on holding it in Clark, where normal flight operations will be affected,” Cruz pointed out.
The PGKM chairman also assailed Ciac Officer in Charge Alex Cauguiran for allowing the holding of the PIHABF.
Cruz said the PIHABF is a private entity, and should not be subsidized by government funds.
Outside Clark
HOWEVER, Ciac management has recommended that next year’s PIHABF be done outside Clark.
Hence, this year’s hot-air balloon festival might be the last inside the complex.
Citing the “full support” of Duterte and Transportation Secretary Arthur P. Tugade for the immediate development of the air hub, Cauguiran said his group will recommend the relocation of the tourism activity outside the airspace of the airport.
“While we also subscribe to the objective of the hot-air balloon fiesta to promote local tourism around Clark, priority must be given to the increasing number of commercial airlines at Clark,” he said.
Cauguiran added, “More commercial flights at Clark would mean a limited window of hours that hot-air balloons may fly around Clark free port.”
Airport authorities revealed that the three-year memorandum of agreement entered into in 2014 by the CDC Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta Foundation and the CIA will expire this year.
This year’s hot-air balloon fiesta would not affect any commercial flight, assured Ritche Nacpil, manager for airport operations at the airport.
No balloon will take off until the only commercial flight scheduled to depart at 7 a.m. takes off.
“During the past 20 years that the balloon fiesta was held at Clark, no commercial flight has been delayed due to this event,” Nacpil said.
The Notam that Caap regularly issues during the balloon fiesta “is a standard measure for the information, guidance and safety of all concerned,” he added.
“But, as always, airport operation is the top priority,” Nacpil said.
With Lorenz S. Marasigan