ANGELES CITY – The Pinoy Gumising Ka Movement (PGKM) has accused the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA), its subsidiary the Clark Development Corp. (CDC) as well as the Clark International Airport Corp. (CIAC) of being “bankrupt of ideas” after making a 190-degree turn and again allowing the holding of the hot air balloon fiesta in Clark next year.
The PGKM also said here yesterday that “the hot air balloon signing is nothing but a cover up for their (Clark officials) failure to fully develop the Clark airport.” In Pasay City on Tuesday last week, the BCDA, CDC, and CIAC signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Foundation (PIHABF) for the holding of the hot air balloon fiesta in Clark next year.
The hot air balloon fiesta was not held in Clark this year. Three years ago, Luciano said the CIAC did not join the hot air balloon festival because “we believe that the project is not in focus with the priorities of CIAC which are to accelerate the development of the airport and woo more airlines to fly to Clark.”
But just last month, Luciano seemed to make a 190-degree turn when he said, “Yes we will endorse that (hot air balloon fiesta) subject to the approval of CAAP (Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines) on safety issues and for as long as the events will not interfere with flight operations of our nine airlines in Clark.”
For that, the PGKM branded Luciano has “split-tongued.” “In the wake of the abandonment of the Clark airport by Emirates, and earlier by AirAsia Philippines and the cancellation by other Clark-based airlines of flights to destinations such as Davao, Puerto Princesa, Bangkok and Kota Kinabalu, to name a few, in the absence of new investments at the Freeport, holding a balloon fest which attract thousands of spectators is a most convenient cover-up by both CDC and CIAC for their utter failure to develop Clark,” the PGKM said.
“It seems that Clark execs tolerate the stoppage of flights to Clark just to make room for the holding of the hot air balloon fiesta in Clark and deceive people into thinking that there is much economic activity going on,” it added.
The PGKM has been calling for the resignation of Luciano and Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya for what it claimed as “sabotage to derail the full development of the Clark airport.”
No-fly zone
For this year, the hot air balloon festival was held from April 10 to 13 in Barangay Prado Siongco, Lubao, Pampanga. “We decided to transfer the venue in view of the air traffic situation in aviation-related activities at the Clark International Airport where around nine international and domestic airlines now operate and flying in and out from various destinations around the world,” said Noel Castro, chairman of the newly established Pilipinas International Balloon Festival Inc.
“Flying hot-air balloons at an altitude of 4,000 feet may inconvenience airlines especially if launched during peak hours, thus the decision to move out of the 25-kilometer no-fl y zone for balloons,” Castro added.
Perfect site
Balloon pilots said Barangay Prado Siongco is the perfect site for launching hot air balloons. “This is definitely better than Clark because the conditions are good… wind direction, wind speed and the wide expanse of the staging area,” veteran Korean balloon pilot Steven Kim said, adding that the village ranks among the few sites in the world where the wind conditions are favorable to hot air balloon flying like in Albuquerque, New Mexico in the USA where hundreds of balloonists participate yearly.
Kim said unlike in Clark where the wind is uni-directional or moving in only one direction, the Lubao site has “winds in wide circles.” The favorable wind condition virtually makes balloons float in the air and come back to their take off points, he said.
Balloon pilot Lee Hooper of Lindstrand Asia Ltd. Singapore sent her congratulations “on a superbly organized event, great flying, great hospitality and very professional and safety run. All my team had a great time, and we would be very happy to attend with a few balloons again next year.
I think you put the Philippines on the international ballooning map and proved you can fly balloons in the summer, safely and with great flying.” Ruperto Cruz, PGKM chair said, if this is the case, why insist on Clark for the balloon fiesta?
“The Pinedas have now proven that they can well manage the staging of the hot air balloon festival in Lubao, why compete with them?”
Breaking records
Department of Tourism Director Ronnie Tiotuico noted that the hot air balloon festival in Lubao broke the record in
the number of balloon participants at 35 and the attendance despite what critics claim that Lubao was inaccessible.
Barangay Prado Siongco is about 33 kilometers from Clark but can be easily accessed through the SCTEx and the improved six-lane Olongapo- Gapan road.
During the press conference in Pasay City following the signing of the restaging of the Clark hot air balloon fiesta, PIHABF president Joy Roa said they will be limiting the number of hot air balloons in Clark to a maximum of 30 for safety reasons.
It was noted that previous hot air balloons in Clark could only muster 24 balloonists as compared to Lubao’s 35 balloonists from 18 countries just on its first run. But the PGKM debunked Roa’s claim of safety with a maximum of
30 balloonists citing the mass ascension of about 750 hot air balloons in Albuquerque, New Mexico every October.
In 2000, balloonists reached a peak of 1,019 hot air balloons in different shapes taking to the air which is recorded as the largest in the world.
