Cebu Pacific Air President and CEO Lance Gokongwei is assisted by President Aquino in laying the twin-capsule of the PAAT aviation training center during its groundbreaking ceremony at Clark on Tuesday.
With them are DOTC Sec. Mar, Roxas, CDC President and CEO Felipe Antonio Remollo, John Gokongwei and other officials.
Photo by Ric Gonzales
CLARK FREEPORT – Pres. Aquino virtually stamped yesterday his overwhelming approval for the new “It’s more fun in the Philippines” slogan of the Department of Tourism (DOT) as he used the phrase four times in his speech during groundbreaking rites for Cebu Pacific’s aviation school here.
“I hope I will earn my pay from Sec. Jimenez today,” the President said in jest after using the phrase for the third time in his prepared seven-minute speech, with Tourism Sec. Ramon Jimenez Jr. widely smiling on stage.
The President led here the groundbreaking ceremonies for the $50-million Philippine Academy for Aviation Training, Inc. (PAAT), a joint venture between Cebu Pacific Air and the Montreal-based CAE, reputed to be the world’s leader in aviation training.
The rites were also attended by Transportation and Communications Sec. Mar Roxas, Finance Sec. Cesar Purisima, and Canada’s parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs Deepack Obhrai.
The slogan was first presented by the DOT under Jimenez during the Asian Tourism Forum in Indonesia last Jan. 14 and gained both critics and supporters, following the much maligned slogan “Pilipinas kay Ganda” under former Tourism Sec. Albert Lim.
“We welcome CAE to the Philippines. I hope they are not too busy with work to experience for themselves just much how fun it is being in the Philippines. That seems to be repeated too often these days,” the President said.
The President also said that “our highly qualified and talented personnel, a market that is beginning to realize its potential and of course the Filipinos hospitality and light heartedness.”
Again, he added “It is truly as we say, again, more fun in the Philippines,” then jested about getting pay from Jimenez for promoting the DOT’s slogan.
Another time the President used the slogan was when he challenged Filipinos to work hard and excel in what they do.
“It is true that there is more fun in the Philippines but we remain aware that achievements are built on hard work and excellence.”
The President noted that the PAAT would be operational here later this year. “Soon we will be able to train world class pilots here…they (Filipino students) will come here and stand shoulder to shoulder from students all over the world, effectively cementing our position as a hub for aviation training in the Asia Pacific region.”
“In the spirit of the campaign launched by our Department of Tourism, again soon we will be able to say that even aviation training is more fun in the Philippines,” the President said in another endorsement of the slogan.
The President also reported that “right now the CAAP (Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines) is focused on regaining category one status under the US Federal Aviation Administration, a positive outcome or result of the expansion of our airlines capacities
towards a healthier aviation industry, more mobility for our people and ultimately for all of us an equitably more progressive economy.”
“We are also working on liberalizing aviation,” he said, adding that “last year we have seen a liberalization program translate into a very robust growth in both domestic and international air traffic.”
“Likewise the Department of Tourism has hit the ground running in the implementation of our pocket open skies policy,” the President said, noting that in a presentation in the 17th world route development forum last October, the department “put forth convincing arguments for foreign airlines to include the Philippines in their Asian airline route expansions.”
“As Sec. Jimenez has said, selling the Philippines should be as easy as selling chicken joy,” he added.
“We are aware about how gifted our countries is from our natural wonders to the inherently welcoming attitude of our people. Make no mistake about it. We plan to take advantage of this competitive advantage.
Each new job in the tourism industry takes on a multiplier effect, empowering our citizens financial capacity, allowing local businesses to thrive and creating more even more jobs for the rest of our countrymen,” the President said.
The President also noted that “in three generations we have gone from the pioneering flight of Filipino aviators such as the first flight of Antonio Arnaiz and Juan Calvo from Manila to Spain in 1936 and the setting up of our first international terminal in Nielsen Field just one year later.”
“We now have the technology, know how and the skills to train thousands of pilots who will eventually be flying travelers across continents.
Seeing how much progress we have made in such a short time, from celebrating our first flight a little more than 75 years ago to where we find ourselves now, we see how far hard work and commitment can take us in fulfilling our shared dreams,” Aquino said.
He stressed that “in the next four and a half years, I want our country to progress in the same way the aviation industry has done.”
“What we want to do can be stated simply. We want to change the way this country works, we want to improve the lives of our people and we want to put an end to corruption so we can put an end to poverty,” Aquino added.
