Almost 3 years ago during the Race Briefing of the 1st Taklang Damulag 100-Mile Endurance Run (TD 100) in Fort Magsaysay, I mentioned about having a choice of preference in ultra marathon distance race for a runner. I intimated that a runner must be able to experience a road and a trail ultra race but I went further to suggest that at a certain point in one’s running career, an ultra runner or ultra marathoner must be able to specialize and concentrate in only ONE kind of an ultra event.
This is the very reason why I started to organize the first TD 100 in Fort Magsaysay and the rest is history. For the past two years, only 10 runners have earned the most-coveted TD100 Silver-Gold Buckle.
Going back on my topic. I recalled that I was “baptized” into the world of ultra running with my first ultra race which was the Bulldog 50K Trail Run in Malibu, California. Much to my delight to come up with a trail run in the Philippines, I had some reservations in trying to discover some trails in our mountains and outside Metro Manila. Instead, I took comfort in the conduct of an ultra marathon race on the road. Thus, the Bataan Death March 102K Ultra came into being.
However, my love for the trails was still in my mind and being assigned in Fort Magsaysay during my military days, I made some meetings and coordination with my former Command/Unit which is based in the said camp which resulted with the 1st TD100 Endurance Run.
It was a satisfaction on my part after the first TD100 event was conducted. Local runners have now a choice of being an ultra runner and be able to test his/her limits of endurance in running. For a road ultra, the BDM 160 serves as the goal. For a trail ultra, the TD 100 serves also as a goal.
I firmly believe that these ultra events serve as “jumping boards” for the local runners to prepare them for more challenging ultras abroad. They are more accessible and more economical rather than having your first “hundred” in another country.
As an advise to the younger runners, you have to try what it takes to be a road and trail runner. But in your later part of your running career when you have the speed and strength, I highly suggest for you to go outdoors and into the mountains and concentrate on the trails.
You have been running and hiking for almost 6 hours along the mountain trails and then suddenly you made a wrong turn to a trail that is not a part of the course and then after running for about 400-500 meters or a few minutes from the turn, you realize that you are lost. You begin to panic and feel frustrated. You make a decision and you seem to be confused. In reality, you don’t know what to do!
Such situation always happen in a training run in the mountains which could be easily corrected and solved by other runners within the group. It is also a situation that happens in mountain or ultra trail races.
I always say that it is a normal occurrence when a runner gets lost on a trail during a race and there is no need to complain to the Race Director/Organizer, most specially in ultra distances. In truth, the runner himself/herself should be blamed for his mistake of being lost on the trail.
In my experience as a trail runner, I have followed “common sense” practices for me not to get lost along the trail and if ever I would be lost, there are also suggested things that should be done.
The following are the “preventive measures” to avoid being lost on the trails and suggestions to correct the situation:
1. Don’t attempt to go alone on a trail that you are not familiar with. Register in the Barangay Hall and get a “guide” if you are new to the place.
2. Run with a group and make sure that somebody in the group is familiar with the trails in the area.
3. Inform your family, relatives, and friends about your activity and always make sure that you bring your cell phone with you.
4. You should orient yourself in the place by knowing where are the North, South, East & West directions. Look around and find structures or key terrain features (hill peaks, mountain peaks, forested areas, grassy areas, water falls, creeks, rivers, sea shore, fences, highway or main roads) in relation to the directions. In short, you should know basic orienteering & map reading.
5. If you are in a training run with a group, make sure that you can keep up with the pace with the runner in front of you. Keeping pace with the runner in front of you means that you could see his/her back every turn of the trail.
6. If ever you don’t see the back of the runner in front of you, you can start shouting at the said runner to warn him that you are lost or tell him to slow down. Don’t be ashamed to shout the guy in front of you or to the rest of the group. It would be a smart idea to always bring a whistle in your trail runs.
7. If you are in a middle of a pack and you took a wrong turn and notice that you are lost, you have to re-trace you way back to the exact point or place where you made the wrong turn. Stay calm and don’t panic. Take a deep breath, rest, hydrate and take some food while waiting for the other runners who are running way behind you.
8. If you can not wait for the other runners behind you to arrive, observe your surroundings and try to find out the right trail by looking on the marks of soles of running shoes on the trail. If you can’t see any marks of shoes because the trail is covered with grass, follow such trail for a few meters and you might be surprised that it could be the trail that would lead you to the rest of the runners.
9. In an “out and back” and “loop” courses, find time to observe your surroundings on the first half of the course even if it will make you slower in your pace. Find time to appreciate the beauty of the outdoors and try to absorb them to your mind. On your way back to where you have started, the things that you observed on the first half will come in handy if in case you think you are lost on the trails.
10. If you are joining an ultra trail race, it is highly recommended to conduct a recon of the course by simply walking/hiking through it. Take some pictures of places where there are turns or physical and/or natural features which you can see along the route like streams, rivers, waterfalls, bridges, unusual plants/trees, grasslands, big rocks, rock formations, huts/houses, uphill & downhill sections of the course and most importantly, establish your own “marker” every 10K of the route.
Take Note Of Waterfalls, Whether They Are Small Or Not, Along The Trails
11. In a well-marked trail race or run, shit happens. Surprisingly, markers or ribbons are altered or stolen by locals or people within the neighborhood, mostly by kids who make fun or play with them. Sometimes, there are also (front) runners who would remove them as part of their “collection of souvenirs”. There are instances also that markers are improperly placed along the route. The worst scenario is when these markers become wet due to rains or inclement weather that the color becomes the same with the surroundings, most especially during nighttime.
12. If there is a website of the ultra trail event, study the details posted and confirm/validate them in your recon/walk-through along the course. Some runners would laminate the data of the trail course printed on a piece of paper and had it handy in their pockets or in their hydration vest.
13. If you don’t have the luxury of time to conduct your recon, look for blogs of finishers of this race and you will find a lot of information that would help you to familiarize yourself with the course and event.
14. If you have friends who have finished this race, try to talk to them or contact them through e-mail or through the Social Media platforms. Ultra runners are very helpful to “newbies” when it comes to getting their experiences in finishing the race.
15. You might also consider joining a friend who trains with you in an ultra race to be a participant of the event. Having a partner in training and in a race is more comforting than running alone.
16. Lastly, if you are not well-trained or prepared for an ultra trail race, don’t make an attempt. You will be wasting your hard-earned money and effort.
During my stay with my family in Los Angeles, California, my “playground” for my trail running are the mountain trails of Griffith Park; Verdugo Mountains; Echo Mountain, and Mt Lukens Trails. My daily runs vary from 7 miles (11K) up to 15 miles (24K).
Typical Trail In My Playground In CaliforniaClean Trails With Bench
The trails are usually wide, clean and dusty. I usually meet hikers and daily cyclists on their mountain bikes on these mountain trails. The elevation varies and very challenging but you don’t have any problems of big rocks, river/stream crossing, or big stones paved along the trails. But because of the nature of the landscape which is considered as desert environment, the place is hot during their summer season and I usually bring a lot of water for my hydration needs. Seldom you could see any streams or rivers or any natural feature where there is free-flowing of water.
Photo Of My Legs On California Trails
There is no advantage of using a specific trail shoes on these mountain trails. I have observed on most hikers/runners on these trails that they are using road running shoes. Sometimes, I use road shoes on these trails and they give me the much needed traction on these trails.
The picture above shows the accumulation of dust that would stick on the back of my legs after my daily workouts on these trails.
As compared to my “playground” in the Philippines, the trails are usually mixture of single-track and slightly wider ones that could accommodate our local wooden sled pulled by carabaos and sometimes, the popularly known “All-Terrain Vehicles” (ATV). The single trails are the results of carabao’s and cow’s established route to the hills and mountains where they could eat grass and some trails would lead to water sources where they could drink or submerged their bodies during hot weather. There are also trails that are established due to the movement or flow of water from the peak of the mountain or hill during the rainy season.
Seldom you could see a well-maintained and well-established trails where the ground is flat, clean and dusty. Single track trails are sometimes covered with grasses and most of them cut through in the middle of tall grasses or what we call “cogon” grasses on the sides of the mountains.
Sticky, Slippery & Muddy Trails Of The PhilippinesAnd Lots Of River/Stream CrossingsWorst Scenario….Landslides!Muddy Trail
During the rainy season (June-October/November), these trails are muddy, slippery, and sticky. It is very appropriate to use trail shoes to prevent one from sliding forward or worse, falling on the ground with your butt.
Streams would suddenly become a river with a strong current during rainy season. It is necessary to run with a companion or bring a rope which can be tied from the point of entry to the river to the other side and used as a “bridge rail” where one could hold so that one will not be swept by the strong current of the water.
It is expected that the muddy soil on the trail would stick on the soles of one’s shoes and would cause you to slow down in running. The added weight of the mud on your shoes would replicate your workout in the gym where your legs would be lifting an addition weight of about 3 pounds. This is one of reasons why I love to run on sticky/muddy trails—it will slow you down but your legs will benefit added weight as if you are doing your strength training in the gym.
There are lots of water streams where one could cool-off their tired legs or simply a good source of water for hydration needs.
But during the dry season, expect these muddy trails to be as hard as an asphalt/paved road but the unevenness of the ground would be very much beneficial in strengthening the smallest up to biggest muscles, tendons, and ligaments of your legs.
Back Of My Legs After Running A Mountain Trail In The Philippines
Thanks to the streams/rivers that I have to cross as I would easily wash my legs before I finally end up with my daily workout.
Now, if you ask me, which one is better—-running in my “playground” in California or in the Philippines? Both are good and the variety of trails works well with me. I would run on the trails in California with a faster time in covering a certain distance but definitely, running the trails in the Philippines would take me a much longer time in covering the same distance.
The most important thing in trail running is one’s ability to appreciate the outdoors, breath unpolluted air, enjoy the scenery and beauty of the surroundings, the challenge of unevenness of the trail, the variation of elevation, “engagement”/talking with the locals, and the joy of running with friends.
As I have announced in my previous post that I am joining the “One Million March” to Luneta Park, I arrived at the Starting Area in front of the Philippine Army Officers Clubhouse at 5:30 AM yesterday even if it was raining. I was joined by the Pascua Family with Retired Master Sargent Pascua from the Philippine Army and his son and daughter. The whole family was using minimalist sandals and Aumel, the son, finished 1st Runner-Up in the latest Fort Magsaysay To Dingalan, Aurora 65K Ultra Marathon Race.
BR With The Pascua Family @ The Starting Area
We left the starting area at 6:10 AM. Walked for about 400 meters towards the Pedestrian Gate of Fort Bonifacio and as soon as we hit Lawton Avenue and posed for a group picture in front of the PA Tarpualin, we were on our way to Luneta Park
Posing In Front Of The Philippine Army Tarp
Graciano “Totoy” Santos, one of the “famous” ultra runners and member of the Philippine Association of Ultrarunners (PAU) was able to catch up with the group after 30 minutes of our run.
The group run through the Lawton Avenue on a westerly direction going to the Domestic Airport until we reached Roxas Boulevard. As soon as we reached the intersection of EDSA and Roxas Boulevard, we were met by Eric and Jessie. Eric is also a ultra marathoner who lives in Metro Manila while Jessie came all the way from General Santos City, South Cotabato (Mindanao). Jessie is an avid reader to this blog and he told me that he was inspired to be involved in running through the posts I’ve published in this blog.
Running Along Lawton AvenueIn Front Of The Philippine Navy/PhilippineMarines’ HeadquartersAt The Vicinity Of Camp Villamor/Headquarters Philippine Air ForceIn Front of the NAIA #3 AirportIn Front of the Cultural Center Of The Philippines (CCP)
On the last 3 kilometers to Luneta Park, we were joined by more ultra runners: Mar Marilag, Benedict Meneses, and CJ Paran. These runners are finishers of the Bataan Death March Ultra Marathon Race and PAU members.
Ultra Runners In Action
We reached our destination, Luneta Park’s Kilometer Post #0, in 1:50 hours for a distance of 13.5 kilometers. The time was 7:50 AM. The only time that we took some short walking breaks was when we had to cross major street intersections like Roxas Boulevard, EDSA, and Buendia Avenue.
Picture With Ultra & Non-Ultra Runners @ Luneta ParkWith Ultra Runner & Blogger Father Picx Picardal
As soon as we reached Km Post #0, we had some “photo-ops” with some celebrities and runners and sharing of stories with the rest of the group.
We stayed at Luneta until 9:35 AM and more people and marchers started to arrive at the Park. As we started to go back to where we started, we were met by more people going to the Park which forced us to just walk the first 1-2 kilometers of our run back to Fort Bonifacio.
Going Back To Fort Bonifacio
It was only when we were approaching the Headquarters of the Philippine Navy that we started to run! Mar Marilag, CJ Paran, Benedict Meneses and Eric joined us but later went on their way to reach their offices and their final destinations.
Taking It Easy Back To The Starting Area
Instead of re-tracing our route to the Park, we decided to turn left at EDSA and reached the Pasong Tamo Avenue where we had to turn right and be able to reach Lawton Avenue. CJ Paran who works at the Office of the City Mayor of Pasay was kind enough to escort us in his turf. At the corner of EDSA and Pasong Tamo, we took a brief break to drink some ice cold Coke for our last 3-Kilometer push to the Finish Line!
Back At Lawton Avenue
At 11:30 AM, we reached our Finish Line and congratulated ourselves for a successful and safe 27K LSD in the busy streets in Metro Manila. It was Graciano Santos’ recovery run after finishing a 50K Ultra Race the previous day and my recovery run also for running along the mountain trails with ultra friends in my “playground” for almost 9 hours the previous day.
A Pose In Front Of Fort Bonifacio/Headquarters Philippine Army
The task has been done for the day—-To keep us counted for the “One Million March”! This event was created and organized through one of the Social Media platforms, Facebook, and as a Social Media user, this is my simple way to be a part and contribution to the objective of the event. Whether the event reached the targeted number of participants of the event or not, it has already sent a message that Social Media is very powerful tool in uniting the people from different sectors of the society in the country. The event was a success!
(Note: This was written and posted for possible News Story in any of our country’s Media Outlets. PLEASE SHARE. Thank you!)
After 35 years, a Pinoy Ultrarunner was invited and successfully finished the Badwater 135-Mile (217 Kilometers) Ultramarathon Race which is globally recognized as “the world’s toughest foot race” where 90-100 of the world’s toughest athletes—runners, triathletes, adventure racers, and mountaineers, are invited to compete against each other and to survive the elements, elevation and extreme hot temperature of the Death Valley Desert in California, USA.
Badwater Ultramarathon, simply known as “Badwater 135” is a “by invitation only” race where a five-member committee selects 100 of the best endurance/ adventure athletes worldwide to compete in this event. This race is considered as “the holy grail of running” due to the extreme conditions of the route and the environment. For the first time in its race history, Philippines’ Flag/Colors will be displayed on its official website and function areas due to the successful finish of a Pinoy Ultrarunner.
Benjamin Gaetos of Eagle Rock, California finished the race in 44 hours 8 minutes 7 seconds after starting from Badwater, Death Valley, which marks as the lowest elevation in the Western Hemisphere at 280 feet below sea level, on a non-stop run to the Finish Line at the Mt Whitney Portals with an elevation of nearly 8,300 feet above sea level. Popularly known as “Ben Gaetos” among ultrarunners, he endured the hot temperature reaching up to 130 degrees Fahrenheit and the course cumulative vertical ascent of 13,000 feet that covers three mountain ranges in the Death Valley Desert and a cumulative descent of 4,700 feet. The race was held last July 15-17, 2013 and it usually starts on the third Monday of July every year, few weeks after the start of Summer Season in the United States!
He finished with a ranking of 64th Finisher out of the 81 runners who crossed the Finished Line within the prescribed cut-off time of 48 hours. For the past editions of the race up to 2010, the cut-off time was established at 60 hours. But due to the distance, elevation, and the extreme hot temperature of the course, even the best and toughest ultrarunners would succumbed to dehydration and foot blisters. With a reduced cut-off time, more pressure was on the shoulder of each of the participants. Fifteen runners declared themselves as Did Not Finish (DNF) in this year’s edition.
This year’s 36th edition of the race was joined by 97 runners from 25 countries, the most number of international runners to participate, to include the United States of America. For the first time in the history of the race, Philippines was represented in the person of Ben Gaetos. Two other Southeast Asian ultrarunners, from Malaysia and Singapore, were also represented for the first time in this race. Seow Kong Ng of Malaysia, finisher of our country’s BDM 102 Ultra Marathon Race and Taklang Damulag 100-Mile Endurance Run, successfully finished the said race.
Ben Gaetos At The Staring Line
Out of the 97 runners, 48 runners are considered as Badwater “veterans” and 49 runners are “rookies”/”first-timers”. Ben is one of the “rookies” for this race but he is an accomplished ultrarunner for having finished almost 60 ultra running events to include 100-mile runs, 100K races, 50-milers and 50K runs. Ben is also a Finisher of the BDM 160 and 102 Ultra Marathon Races where he finished the BDM 160 Ultra in less than 24 hours.
In this year’s race, the runners consist of 74 men and 23 women. The Overall Champion Award went to Carlos Alberto Gomez De Sa of Portugal with a finish time of 24 hours 38 minutes 16 seconds. The Lady Champion went to Catherine Todd of Australia with a finish time of 29 hours 55 minutes 29 seconds with a ranking of 11th overall finisher.
Valmir Nunez of Brazil still holds the course record with a time of 22 hours 51 minutes 29 seconds which he set in 2007. On the other hand, Jamie Donaldson of Colorado, USA still holds the women’s course record with a time of 26 hours 16 minutes 12 seconds which she set in 2010.
Ben Gaetos Being Paced By Balmore Flores (L) & Rafael Covarrubias (R)
At the age of 56, Ben Gaetos said, “The mountain ranges near my house in Eagle Rock, California had helped me with my strength and endurance in preparation for the race. The hot weather in California and regular sessions of “Sauna” since February of this year had also given me the confidence and acclimatize to the heat in the Death Valley Desert”. Ben had also a good familiarity of the route as he had served as a member of the Support Crew and Pacer for the Badwater’s Past Champion Jorge Pacheco and top ultra runner Badwater Finisher Adalberto “Flaco” Mendoza in 2010.
Ben, in an interview with him, said that he had been to, as far as, Las Vegas Red Rock Canyon Park and at the Death Valley Desert for some practice runs weeks prior to the race event for him to acclimatize with the extreme heat in the desert. And most of the time while he was doing his heat training in Palm Desert, Palm Springs and Twenty-Nile Palms in California, he would be stopped by the roving California Highway Patrols and he would be asked with these questions: “Are you lost?”; “Where are you going”; “Where did you leave your car?”; “Are you out of gas?”; “Do you need help or a ride?”. The funniest thing that he relayed to me was that, he was suspected to be a terrorist running in the desert where he had to give his hydration pack and bottles for inspection to the CHP Officers.
Ultra Runners In Action
Constantly running for 135 miles on the white line on the left edge of the asphalted road along CA Highways 190 and 136, Ben complained of swollen ankles on his last 35 miles to the finish line. “I slowed down with my pace before I reached Lone Pine with my swollen ankles but I never thought of quitting the race. I know my ultra friends back home in the country expected much from me as my participation and finish would be a significant part in the history of ultrarunning for the country. I will not fail my friends and my country”, Ben Gaetos said after he was awarded with the Badwater’s Medal & Buckle at the Mt Whitney Portals.
The White Paint Line On The Left Edge of the Road. 35 Miles To Go!
“My successful finish in the 36th Badwater Ultramarathon would not be possible without the help and assistance of my Support Crew and Pacers led by my Ultra Coach Nancy Shura-Dervin, a Badwater Ultramarathon Finisher, who patiently bandaged my feet on the night prior to the start of the event. The bandage made by Nancy on my feet prevented me from having any blisters during the run which had been the culprit of numerous DNFs of runners in this race”, Ben said. Filipinos based in the Los Angeles area have also served as members of the Support Crew/Pacers of Ben.
Bandaging of The Feet By Nancy Shura-Dervin
A Runners Circle (ARC) Specialty Store in Glendale, California owned by Pinoy runners & triathletes Joe Matias and Derek Lee Biesheuvel is one of the major sponsors of Ben Gaetos’ participation to the 36th edition of the Badwater Ultramarathon.
Ben Gaetos is presently working as an Architect of the Los Angeles City Government’s Department of Public Works and he is humble not to mention openly that he is the main/chief architect of the newly constructed bridges/overpass/underpass and parks within the City of Los Angeles. It is worth mentioning also that he also a part of the team of city architects that made the latest transformation and reconstruction of the famous Echo Park Lake in Los Angeles.
Ben Gaetos is a regular donor of Bald Runner’s Donate-A-Shoe Project for the past 5 years where he would send Balikbayan Boxes of used shoes from California. He is also a Contributing Writer to the Ultrarunning Magazine for his Race Reports in Ultra Events. His Race Report in the BDM 160 Ultra was featured in the said prestigious monthly magazine last April 2012.
Ben Gaetos’ parents are from the Province of La Union and he was born in Santa Ana, Manila. He graduated from the University of Santo Tomas with Bachelor of Science Degree In Architecture. Ben is a full-blooded Ilocano! He is married to Josie Manila and have only one daughter, Paula.
Ben Gaetos Showing His BW Medal & Buckle
When I asked if he is going to do the race again in the future, he immediately replied, “Never Again!” “But I will continue sharing my experiences to all Pinoy ultra runners and ready to help by being a Pacer or Support Crew if they intend to join 100-Miler events here in California”
(Note: All pictures were taken & copied from Benjamin Gaetos Facebook’s Wall)
For the past weeks, I have been outside of Metro Manila traveling from one airport to another. I usually take Cebu Pacific and PAL Express flights as I could get promotional prices for these local flight carriers. By taking these carriers, one has to use the new Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3.
Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 (Google Pictures)
Let me tell my readers my observations about the airports that I’ve used in my travels to the Visayas and Mindanao for the past weeks.
On the first week of this month, May, I went to Bacolod City to coordinate with the conduct of the 1st Negros Occidental 73K Ultra Marathon Race among the Provincial Government and the AFP units in the area. Since I was using the Cebu Pacific flight, I had to check-in at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 for its first flight for the day, arriving thereat at 4:30 AM. I usually take a taxi ride from my place in Manila to the airport.
Long Line of Passengers Before The Entrance of the Terminal (Google Pictures)
The usual sight is always there—long lines of passengers trying to enter the airport even if there are two entrances at the Departure Area where the X-ray machines & metal detectors are located. I think there is something WRONG here. Why do you have to place an X-Ray machine & metal detectors for the passengers and baggage just at the entrance of the airport? In my trips abroad, I don’t see any X-Ray machines/Metal Detectors for passengers and baggage right at the entrance of the terminal/airport. Most of these X-Ray machines are located inside the airport or at the terminal’s lobby or sometimes, each of the airlines have their own X-Ray machine and personnel operating such equipment.
The air conditioning system inside the airport/terminal was not working. I thought it was just a temporary situation when I went to Bacolod City but on my next trip to Mindanao after one week, the air conditional system was still not working. For a new airport, it is surprising why its air conditioning system is not working. I really don’t know the reason why the airport authority and its management are allowing this thing to happen. It is summer time and it is annoying to be perspiring inside the airport while standing in line in front of the check-in personnel. Are they minimizing the cost of electricity? Is the management incompetent that they don’t care about the welfare of their customers?
I am glad that the bus that ferries passengers from the terminal to the plane are air-conditioned ones as it gives comfort to the passengers once they leave the terminal.
I am not complaining if there is NO free Wi-Fi in the airport. I am still the conservative type of passenger waiting for boarding at the airport reading a book or a magazine. You can count with your fingers among hundreds of passengers at the boarding area on those passengers reading a “printed” book (hardbound or paperback). What you see now are passengers using their SmartPhones to take pictures and update their Facebook account/s. Some just simply play games on their phones and iPad/Mini-iPads but sometimes I could see people who read books on their iBooks & Nooks!
In Bacolod City, the new airport in Silay, Negros Occidental is very nice but it is very far from Bacolod City. I have only one complaint though. The air conditioning system was not working at the arrival area. Since my “contact” in the area was able to fetch me with a vehicle, I was not able to experience what it is like to commute from the Silay Airport to Bacolod City. I hope there are vans, UV Express, and taxis available at the airport for the tourists and other arriving passengers.
New Bacolod-Silay Airport (Google Pictures)
In Kalibo Airport, there is no change since I had my last trip here five (5) years ago. With additional international and local flights, the boarding area and the air conditioning system are still the same and I could hardly feel the cold air with the jam-packed passengers waiting for their respective flight. Although there is a second floor in the terminal area, the space is filled with stores, cafe and convenience stores. The passengers who don’t have seats at the boarding area have to go to the 2nd floor to wait for their boarding calls. There is a need to improve and expand the terminal with the increasing number of local and international flights due to the increasing number of tourists and visitors to Boracay Island.
Kalibo Airport (Google Pictures)Entrance To The New Kalibo International Airport (Google Pictures)
At the Lumbia Airport of Cagayan De Oro City (Misamis Oriental), it is still the same airport that I’ve been going through while I was still in the active military service. It was raining when the plane touched down and my shoes were wet when the rain created a small flooding at the tarmac as I approached the terminal. The baggage carousel is still the same small one where one has to wait for a longer time for the baggage to reach the carousel. The boarding area is still the same where some of the passengers would stand to wait if there are two flights about to take-off in few minutes between each other. Although I was in the comfort of the VIP Room at the departure area, the rest of the passengers were contended with the weak air conditioning.
Lumbia Airport, Cagayan De Oro (Google Pictures)
Airports are supposed to be the “mirror-image” of the place where the airport is located. However, it does not mean that the airport terminal should be warm, hot and humid like our climate but at least, it should be comfortable to everybody. There should be enough space, seats, and a reliable working air conditioning system so that passengers would not be perspiring/sweating while waiting in line in flight counters. It is very frustrating to see passengers sitting and lying on the floor to sleep inside the terminal.
The airport authority and management should not be trying to save power/energy to run those air conditioning system because each of the passenger is paying a terminal fee to address such cost to include maintenance, security, and toiletries in comfort rooms. Aside from its collection of terminal fees, the Airports have an appropriated budget for their Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses under the Department of Transportation and Communications. If I am not mistaken our International Airports in Metro Manila are the top clients of MERALCO (Manila Electric Company). (I am just wondering if our NAIA Terminals are up to date in the payment of their electric bills to MERALCO!)
Here comes the worst part if you are arriving in one of the Airport Terminals in Metro Manila. There are NO Bus Lines or Bus Transportation Lines that pick-up arriving passengers in front of the Terminals! Before when we had only ONE Airport Terminal, we had the so-called California Bus Lines and Love Bus which would pass along the airport’s terminal and whose route would go along the Metro Manila’s main streets and cities. Once you reach a Commercial District or City within Metro Manila, that’s the time you flagged down a Taxi and the driver would bring you to your final destination.
Airport (Yellow) Taxi (Google Images)
Those travel arrangements from the airport once you arrive in Manila are gone now. At present, it is either you get the services of a Rental Car, Airport Taxi, or from a regular Taxi. Obviously, the Airport Taxi (cars painted in yellow) is very expensive. I don’t use such transport service for obvious reason. If you intend to use the services of a regular Taxi (mostly colored/painted white), you should be smart and practical. It is suggested that you proceed to the Departure Area and make an Exit thereat and try to flag down those taxis that just dropped incoming passengers at the terminal. The drivers will not be choosy as they need a passenger once they leave the airport instead of nothing. Problem arises when you take the last flight inbound to Manila if you are coming from local destinations. Obviously, most of these last flights would arrive at the terminal at the same time and it would result to a longer line of passengers waiting for the regular taxi to arrive. Patience is needed in this kind of situation.
For those foreigners who would like to join our ultra races in the provinces (Luzon area) and choose to arrive in one of the airports/terminals in Metro Manila, Car Rental is the best option. But be careful. Be careful with those “fake” and/or “off duty” MMDA traffic enforcers as they might be attracted with the color of your skin and un-Filipino facial features. These notorious “fake” and/or “off duty” traffic enforcers would flag you down as you leave the Car Rental or a few blocks away and tell you that you can’t drive in our country without a Philippines Driver’s License. That is not true! You can use your country’s Driver’s License for a 30-day stay in the Philippines. If the traffic enforcer does not believe you, tell him that you are a friend of “Bald Runner” (Retired Major General Jovenal Narcise of the Philippine Army). If he still does not release you, then prepare to haggle for the amount of money you have to give for his coffee/snacks.
If he releases you after giving him some cash, then I would say, “Welcome to the Gates of Hell”.
Bald Runner
You must be logged in to post a comment.