The least, the lost and the last

I was putting up the Christmas tree this morning and thought about blogging the holiday season. With all the work that's been swamping me, it took me awhile to get into the mood of putting up the lights and ornaments.

I will veer away from the political and showbiz scenario that's been driving the Filipinos into a frenzy from the momentum of Christmas.

The TV stations have their jingling cheers, the Ayala triangle has all the lanterns adorning the warm humid air, the tiangges (a.k.a. bazaars) are back with the holiday sales and midnight madness, the malls are decked in garlands and sparkling glory, and Santa Claus is in warm and humid Manila! While I have nothing against all the festive preparation, I cannot help but wonder why we're all mired in this commercialism.

I guess the main reason why many of us, adults and children alike, look forward to the Christmas season is the bonus and 13th month pay, the exchange gifts and the toys to open on Christmas day, the feeding frenzy of parties and the wild abandon of using the holiday season in order in to indulge in gluttony. Some say that it's that "once a year" that good tidings and cheers are shared by all because of Christmas. And that's what saddens me - that the meaning of Christmas gets lost in the material celebration and the commercialism that has gone into creating an artificial sense of "joy to the world" among people.

I've always been a believer that everyday should be Christmas day. Every day should be a new year - turning new leaves in the chapters of our lives. Every day should be Valentine's day - celebrating the true meaning of love found. Every day should be mother's, father's or grandparent's day - giving due respect to those who matter most. Every day should be your last and that doing good should not be reserved for an occasion and that an occasion should only serve as a reminder that our doing good is worth the celebration.

To most of us who have more "blessings" in life - a roof over our heads, food on our table, people to love and care for us, a family to celebrate occasions with, a good and fulfilling job that provides us with the comfort of life and health - every occasion becomes a vibrant celebration.

But there are those who celebrate Christmas in make shift homes under a bridge or children who wander in the streets on a rainy Christmas day selling sampaguita and singing some carol of good cheer or those who are abandoned by parents or children who wake up each morning hoping that someone would make each day a Christmas day or better yet, a better day for them. Those who are terminally ill and would probably see this as their last Christmas season.

The needy, the hungry, the sick, the thirsty.

We don't really care much for them because we get mired in the thwarted true meaning of Christmas from all the commercialism that's been shoved into our throats. Somehow, somewhere, the meaning of Christmas has become tiring and routine that each year, that many of us have become callous in finding the real meaning of the holiday season. We reason out that because we work hard year in and year out we need to get "rewarded" at the end of the year for all that hard work.

Has business really slapped us in the face and made us look at Christmas in a different way?

Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" sends home the true message of Christmas even in modern times - the way that we should truly celebrate. In the character of Ebenezer Scrooge, we see the lives of people who come and go our way. It's changing our lives in the spirit of doing good and sharing with those who need us most that matters. It's that life changing experience of having done something that cannot be repaid in material values but also in sharing goodness to others that makes the spirit of Christmas come alive.

Each year, instead of buying trinkets and gifts to my friends, I simply donate the money to a foundation or a charitable institution that will create an impact on the lives of others. And I sign the gift in their name. And that my "grown up Christmas wish list" would be that some day, somehow, the blessings I have received in my lifetime would have been shared well with the least, the lost and the last.

Wouldn't it be a greater joy if we all paid it forward?

Happy holidays my readers!


[My all time favorite Christmas song - My Grown Up Christmas List by Kelly Clarkson]

Eksena!

I have nothing against Gloria getting medical treatment for whatever is ailing her today. Whether she gets it in the Philippines or in some other God-forsaken country is beyond me.

What peeves me is the fact that the Arroyos (and all the entourage including that woman called Horn) has the temerity to make a scene (or as Leila de Lima puts it - EKSENA!) in order to gain ground for sympathy among the underdog-loving Pinoys. Their first attempt to leave the country for a supposed medical check-up and treatment in Singapore last Tuesday ended up in a media cavalcade which has become the talk of the town, surpassing the Ramgen murder and Pacquiao fight stories.

For whatever it is worth, let me give my personal opinion as I, an ordinary Filipino citizen, see it:

1. The Arroyo camp insists that Gloria is in pain. You could see from the pictures or the newsfeed that she's wrapped around that thingamagig around her head, neck and body, making her look like little Frankenstein. With that said, I don't think that I would want to travel to Singapore in that contraption via Hong Kong. It would mean that I would have to fly 2 hours to Hong Kong, wait an hour or two at the Chap Lep Kok airport for the next departure from Hong Kong to Singapore which would be a longer route (in terms of both miles traveled and time spent on a cramped airplane - even on Business Class).

Yes. She and husband Mike A. were on a flight to Singapore via Hong Kong that fateful Tuesday night. Watdfuk was that Horn woman talking about when they were drumming up sympathy for Ate Glue! They think that we're all idiots born yesterday! If they needed to go to Singapore, there are direct flights from Manila to the Lion City without having to go through Hong Kong.

There are 4 direct daily flights for Philippine Airlines and Singapore Airlines from Manila to Singapore:
SQ915 departs 0810 and arrives 1145, SQ 917 departs 1415 and arrives 1750, SQ 919 departs 1710 and arrives 2045, and SQ 921 departs 1900 and arrives 2235. PR 0511 departs 0600 and arrives 0930, PR 0503 departs 0720 and arrives 1055, PR 0501 departs 1510 and arrives 1855, and PR 0505 departs 1935 and arrives 2315. Both Philippine Airlines and Singapore have BUSINESS CLASS services on their aircraft.

I did not mention Cebu Pacific because it's a budget airline and has not business class cabin. I don't think the Arroyos (who've been used to flying on chartered planes or on first/business class) are willing to fly a budget airline. For every one's information though, Cebu Pacific flies directly 3 times daily from Manila to Singapore on flights: 801 leaving at 0625 arriving at 0900, 805 leaving 1325 and arriving at 1655, 803 leaving at 2030 and arriving at 1235.

2. The major concern of the senators and some congressmen is that with the defiance of the justice secretary and the President of the Philippines on the TRO (temporary restraining order) of the Supreme Court, a constitutional crisis may emanate. We all know, however, that majority of the sitting justices, including the Chief Justice were all Gloria appointees. And while Renato Corona may be parrying all accusations of bias towards him and the Supreme Court, deciding arbitrarily and quickly for and on behalf of the WLO (hold departure order) for Gloria and hubby, it cannot be denied that justice indeed is not only blind but serves only those whose interests need to get payed back. With so many cases pending in the Supreme Court, what was the rush to address this case? After all, isn't she and her husband getting the "best" of care from the highly touted JCI-accredited center for excellence in health care called St. Luke's Medical Center? And excuse me when I trample the media that Gloria has a rare condition of hypoparathyroidism. Duh?!?! If our endocrinologists in the country can't fix the problem, that's an insult to the hoards of endocrinologists in the Philippines. It is not rare, it is just not common. And there's a difference in this term in medical parlance. The Arroyos, are lucky that they are filthy rich and are already afforded the level of health care matching their life style.

3. Karma is a bitch! That's all I can conclude from this EKSENA! I've always wondered how fondly Ate Glue and company flew in and out without tiring from her trips abroad during her term as president (or did she really steal the presidency and therefore was NOT our legitimate president during her term?). Whatever it was, you could tell how well coiffured she was with matching designer outfits and flying and dining in first class restaurants. There was never a complaint from her nor her doctors about neck pain, was there? During her term as president(?), her annual physical exams were always "perfect"! The stress and pressures of running a country is not an easy one. It behooves me that one year into her more laid back life, she has "suffered" from these unexplainable aches and pains and illnesses. Is is mere drama or is it karma?

4. Joker Arroyo had said that de Lima is ignorant of the law. Talk about big time ignorance. His first name befits him. Once upon a time, his opinions were well respected. But respect is earned. And you can lose respect as easily as you've earned it. For a joker in the midst of the senate, I just lost my respect to this guy. You know that when he opens his mouth now, it's only when his former boss - Ate Glue - is in trouble or that when he has tirades against the current president, PNoy. He's now simply a noise in the gallery. And Miriam - who takes her seriously? She said on TV that she wanted to commit suicide by slashing her wrist! From a woman who has been the humor in the senate, go ahead - make my day! (Now you know why suicide runs in the family and it's no surprise her son took the path of least resistance by committing suicide.) Seriously, while Miriam has a mouthful to say and more often than not makes sense, her tirades are not taken seriously because of mental flipflop. These two make more "eksena" in the senate than anyone else I could imagine. It makes the mental ineptness of Lito Lapid look like a harmless kitty cat.

5. And as all (if not most) lawyers are - it's all about money. You could get the best lawyers if you had the cash and the Arroyos are awash in that. And so they defend their clients to death. After all, they get heftily paid, even if justice looks the other way or is beheaded. It is without doubt that some of the seats that are occupied in Congress by the Arroyo clan are vacant - with Iggy in London for medical care, Gloria on leave for health problems and Mikey - uhmmm, this guy is on tax evasion charges and is leaving for the US for some sort of seminar and talk. I mean gimme a break - Mikey is representing the marginalized sector of security guards! Watdfuk is he going to talk about in the US of A?

As I see it, the Arroyos are all out in their "eksena" to make the Aquino government look bad and gain sympathy to them. While the Aquino government has its faults, seriously, impeachment for not allowing the ex-president to go out of the country for treatment is a bit cockadoodledoodoo even for lawmakers! Come on, gimme a break - she stole the presidency not ONCE, but TWICE! What greater crook was there in history of Philippine politics! All you need is to recall the atrocities and excuses during the Arroyo regime and that in itself would have told you that it's payback time.

As they say in politics - "weather weather lang yan". But take the Pinoys for short-term memory. How easily we even forgot the Marcos atrocities that we even put their families back in the limelight by electing the children and his wife to governmental positions. Susmaryosep! Only in the Philippines!

And like all telenovelas evolving in either Philippine business, politics and showbiz - "eksena" - happens to be the trend of becoming famous after being infamous.

As long as this kind of charade goes on, don't worry about not getting out of the box - we will remain a third world nation and the exodus will continue. After all, the Arroyo drama is as downright pathetic as it gets.

Philippines Worst FSP and Credit Card Program...

And the winner is.....

Rustan's Credit Card, FSP and Discount Card

You gotta hand it to this Tantoco owned high-end store. They wouldn't have made it to the top of the riches if not for the scheming, raunchy, thieving lousy FSP, Discount Card and now - Credit Card program.

First is the FSP that expires! They don't tell you that it has expired. Sadly, I had to find out when I got to the counter that my FSP2 had expired 2 weeks ago. I asked if I could get whatever I earned in the FSP2 card. The answer was a cold NO! Well thank you for not informing me that the program was about to end. Thank you also for not being considerate, considering that after all, I am a frequent shopper! With their FSP2, you could even hardly get any rebates unless you were spending more than P1M a year to make that FSP program worth your while. When FSP started a few years back, it was more convenient and should I say, more rewarding.

The FSP2 program substituted the original one with more buying in exchange for rebates. Aside from that, the FSP2 is to put it bluntly, one helluva lousy program. You pay a fee to join and you can't even credit consignment sales or purchases from other Rustan's SSI (store specialist stores) to the FSP2! You needed to buy all that junkyard cheapy items at Rustans to get credit.

Their Discount Card is as pathetic as well. You get discounts only for regular items and 10% if paid in CASH! And some of the SSI stores (Gucci, Prada, LV, Bulgari, Hermes, etc) stores are not included. Lacoste, Marks and Spencer, Armani Exchange have their own frequent shopper program and discount card. WATDFUK were the ingenious idiots thinking?!?! Well, they were thinking that they could scam the stupid Pinoy into paying for a discount card but not being able to use it (so many X items or consignment items in the store, so it's not applicable as well).

Finally, is their credit card. When I got a Citibank Credit Card for Rustans when the program started, it looked like a good buy - concierge service, some freebie goodies and services, 3% rebate on Rustans items...and then the other perks just vanished. At P5000 annual dues, this just wasn't worth it! The rebates were also restricted to only SOME SSI affiliates of Rustan's. The concierge disappeared. I had to queue just like the rest and well, there were no more free goods. And each time I attempt to discontinue my card, Citibank offers waiver on the annual fee as long as I enroll my pathetic utility bill. As a Citibank client, I suggest that Citibank stops badgering or encouraging people to stay on the Citibank Rustan's Credit Card or risk losing another client. Even if Rustan's Corporation is far wealthier than I, karma will catch up on sleazy businesses like these eventually.

Strike 3, for Rustan's and congratulations for being the worst FSP/Discount Card/Credit Card program in the Philippines. My advice to all my readers - don't renew your FSP, don't get a Rustan's Credit Card, and finally, don't even bother with the discount card. They serve no purpose in your life!

My advise to everyone who plans to get a Rustan's Credit Card, or even sign up for the FSP or discount card program...read the fine details in print. An stay clear, very very clear from Rustan's promo programs. Believe me when I say that this is one program that has no purpose at all except to scam the Filipino buyer. Shame on the Tantocos!

It's about time we fly right

All my bags are packed and ready to go...

November is here and I'm quite sure that we've all planned some vacation of sorts for the upcoming Christmas holidays. Some of us spend the holiday season in some other province or country - just to get away from it all. As my niece puts it, we all need a vacation!

I won't blog about destinations but about airlines and flying.

1. I don't really mind flying on economy class so long as the flight is less than 4 hrs. Anything above that becomes quite uncomfortable, so to speak, and I would prefer flying on business class if my budget (or airline miles) will allow it. Seriously speaking, long hauls (more than 4 hours) on economy becomes uncomfortable not only because of the time differences but also because of the level of comfort. In short, why does one want to arrive at his or her destination looking like part of the baggages when you can arrive there in comfort? After all, even the flight itself should be part of a vacation! There's really no better way to fly on long haul flights than on business or first class.

2. You'll have to contend with the seat mates on the plane. Unfortunately, you can't choose the person who sits next to you. I had the unfortunate experience of having an autistic child sit at the back of my seat in one of my flights from Bacolod on Philippine Airlines. The young boy was seated beside his nanny while his grandfather sat on business class. Aside from the fact that he was making several wailing sounds throughout the whole flight, he kept kicking my seat in the 1 hr flight. I simply put on my iPod and drifted into la-la land. When the flight stewardess approached me to ask me to remove my iPod because we were landing already, I whispered to her that I'd slap her if she forced me to remove it. After all, it was all that was keeping me sane from the 1 hr kicking from the poor kid seated behind me. If the airline was going to allow these neurodevelopmentally challenged kids on board, they should place them all the way to the back of the plane where they would have no passenger to harass!

3. Then there's a flight I took going to Cebu the other month. Because it was business, I was allowed to fly on Mabuhay Class. It was when PAL had a bad strike because of retrenching some PALEA employees. I didn't actually mind the in-flight service. I was irked about the fact that the woman behind me was playing Bejeweled Blitz at full volume. It was downright irritating! The bitch was either deaf or dumb! And the flight attendants didn't give a care in the world that her gadget was open during take off and landing!

4. Of course, you'll have to contend with the various types of passengers seated beside you. Those that have body odor...gosh...imagine having to breath the same air as these people. People who are overweight (I mean really obese) should pay for more than one seat, or should be mandated to sit in business class. You can hardly move and breath in your seat or even get up to pee, especially if you're seated in the middle or on the window area. Airlines should leave the bulkheads for the disabled and NOT for those carrying babies. When you're flying on economy, please use the bathrooms reserved for your section. Children (and at times adults) usually zip in and out of the economy area so that they can use the bathrooms reserved for those in the business class section. Don't forget to flush the toilet or lift the toilet seat (if you're a guy) so that the next passenger who uses it isn't inconvenienced or dies from seeing all that sh*t floating in the toilet bowl. A little consideration in an airplane goes a long way.

5. When checking out the flights for your destination - check on line before booking with your travel agent so that you know more or less how much it's going to cost you. Check all available airlines so that you get the best time for your planned destination as well as reliability and frequency of on time service with the particular airline. You can also check for the kind of services the airline provides as well as read reviews of the airline on various websites based on the experience of various customers. Don't forget to enroll in frequent flyer miles and start collecting them. Believe me when I say that it pays off to be enrolled in a frequent flyer because you can get your next flight either free or upgraded from all the traveling one does.

6. A budget airline IS NOT necessarily a budget airline as it claims to be. For example, I was checking for the fare for Cebu Pacific from Manila to Seoul for a certain date and I found out that while the flight going to Seoul cost me about P5780 only, the return flight was horrendous at P17000!!! Which ended up more expensive than the round trip that Korean Air or Asiana Airlines was giving for the same dates! Be warned of supposedly low cost airlines!!! Why is it that the local airlines (Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific) end up being more expensive than foreign airlines? Seriously! It's more expensive flying on our local carriers from Manila to most destinations of the world than flying the flag carrier of other airlines!

Maybe you all have a story or two about your own vacations. I have friends in the travel industry business and they can help you decide by giving you pros and cons on your next journey. Sometimes, the travel agent can even give you fares much lower than purchasing on line! With the internet at our fingertips, you can always verify their claims so that you're abreast of what you're purchasing.

Remember - that it's the journey that counts!

Of relationships and I dos

It is human nature, regardless of age, to seek for relationships.

Whether it is found in some dark alley or casual/formal introductions or from adopting parents or, in this day and age - online - the bottom line is: it is human nature to seek for love, even in the most unexpected places or circumstances.

I am sure that each of you have stories about love found and love lost. The circle of life dictates that as long as we breath, we attempt to find the Shangrila in our lives. Is there really one? Can we really find happily ever afters? Is there a relationship that has a love ever after ending?

Even married couples, in spite of vows to love and to hold, in sickness and in health till death do them part have storms that come along their way. Perhaps because of the contract they are attached to or for the sake of the children or conjugal properties and investments, they attempt to work out the differences in spite of the odds that come their way. Some manage to stay together, but there's quite a hefty number that prefer to go their separate ways - in search of new relationships.

What draws people together to form a relationship?

There are two drawing points. LOVE is one of them. This four-letter word seems to be widely used and, often time, abused. Of course, for some, the more intimate part called SEX is usually the first reason to get attached. Yet the latter usually dissipates more quickly than love. People in search for a wham-bam-thank-you-Sam will perpetually be in search of relationships that find no meaning except the exercise of their libido. Whichever it is, having the best of both worlds would probably be the perfect scenario. But the strongest bond is that of LOVE.

Unconditional love allows both parties to grow. Each may falter somewhere, but because there is real love in a relationship, it will allow each person to understand the shortcomings that come along the way. After all, no one is perfect. And with that said, it's always a good reminder that when relationships begin to falter, one should remember how a relationship started and where it is at today. Often times, we forget to assess how the relationship began. It is ironic how many of us forget this.

Every relationship is a work in progress. It's based on promises made with the one you've fallen in love with or exchanged "I do". And while promises made are meant not to be kept, there are those that are. Strangely, we often times don't know the person whom we enter a relationship with. While some people lay their cards on the table as you get to know one other, there will always be skeletons in the closet with others. Eventually, these are discovered and while we sweep them under the rug at times, more often than not, there are more dirty or dark secrets revealed WHILE you're in a relationship that lead to a state of misery.

So now you're in a Catch 22 scenario. You can't get out of it or you're in too deep or you're miserable with a BUT! It's strange that we begin to dwell on WHAT IFs and WHYs and WHY NOTs. One party wishes that the other party would just bolt the relationship to end all misery.

We forget that the reason why, as human beings, and as human nature dictates, that we continuously search for relationships because we search for happiness. I am willing to bet that once upon a time, you were both happy, without a care in the world. That many of us had sworn to even beat all odds. Oddly, when push came to shove, we shoved more than we pushed.

Relationships are built on trust, loyalty and understanding. Without the three there would not be a reason to be together. Whether the relationship is one of friendship or two people in love or even an adopted child or family, the three fundamental instruments of maintaining a sustaining and durable relationship without finding fault in every single act should be considered.

It is easy to move in and out of a relationship. After all, finding what makes you happy is the most important goal in life. But this is a selfish outlook on life. It's only fair that while we try to find our happiness, we take into consideration the happiness of others as well.

After all, even the "happily ever afters" began with "once upon a time".

Memories of Boston

There's a Beatles song entitled "In My Life" that has the lyrics:

"There are places I remember
All my life, though some have changed
Some forever not for better
Some have gone and some remain
All these places have their moments
With lovers and friends, I can still recall
Some are dead and some are living
In my life I've loved them all..."

My trip to Boston was in reality both business and pleasure. The American Academy of Pediatrics was holding its Annual Meeting here. This was the business part. After my training in the US, I frequently came home to Boston annually, until 10 years ago. My last trip to Boston was in 2001. I wanted to reminisce the old times and see the places that I remembered so vividly. The autumn season was the best time to be in Boston. This was the pleasure part.

I arrived on a balmy Thursday evening. Spent the night reminiscing the Copley area and Friday registering at the convention and attending the morning sessions before driving off to Maine in the afternoon. The fall foliage was not at its peak yet but you could see traces of it on the way.

Harvard Square. Beacon Hill. Fenway Park. Faneuil Hall. North End. South End. Boston College. Cambridge Circle. The Boston Public Gardens. The Charles River. Chinatown. Traveling by the T. This was how I remembered the days I would spend those lonely days and nights in Boston during my fellowship training.

Of course, time had changed many of these places. The Prudential is now one chic shopping mall but nothing could beat the high end stores on Newbury St. housed in the cement and brick walls that highlighted the architectural beauty of Boston. The Trinity Church at the heart of Copley Square reminded me of the grand architecture that made this building a landmark of Back Bay. The reflection of the church on a cool Sunday morning against the grand John Hancock Tower was the perfection of combining the architectural design of the old against the new. It was this landmark that made me fall in love with Boston. Even the Boston Public Library had a new look with the center of the library housing a fountain and an area where tourists and students could relax in the ambience of its grandeur.

The Hynes Convention Center has been home to many conventions but the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center replaced the former, in that it's bigger and more state-of-the-art. There are several hotels that have been built but several boutique hotels now stand side by side in amenities and luxury if you plan your trip to Boston.

No other city in America has as rich a heritage in history, culture and architecture as Boston. Aside from the Ivy League schools - Boston University and College (it has recently merged with Tufts University), Harvard University, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology to name a few, it is home to the Berkelee School of Music as well. The city of Boston has a young and elite crowd - perhaps owing to the fact that there are many distinguished schools in the area.

On my flight out of Logan airport, I felt a twitch in my heart on how much I missed this place, which became my second home far away from Manila during my training days. With so much memories still in place, like a newfound love that I left, Boston will remain a part of me.

PAL in transition

I had to go to Cebu to give a talk last Thursday.

The week before, I was skeptical on the flight arrangements on Philippine Airlines. The strike had practically put most of the flights on PAL to a standstill. The outsourcing plan of PAL was already approved by both the Department of Labor and Employment and of course the office of the President of the Republic of the Philippines. At least 2,600 employees of PAL had to go. They were spinning off most its ground staff and call center to other companies. The latter were also owned by PAL erstwhile owner - Lucio Tan.

When the employees who would be losing their jobs went of strike, both PAL and the riding public ended up losers. According to PAL, they have lost $3M - $5M a day in revenue losses. While PAL was giving chit chat excuses for their massive losses, the riding public was inconvenienced. PAL provided profuse apologies both in media and in flight. They are, according to PAL spokespersons, in a transition phase.

On Thursday, October 6, I had taken the 1245PM flight to Cebu for my talk. When I walked into the NAIA 2 terminal, it was like a ghost town. Only flights to Cebu and Davao as well as International Flights were flying out of NAIA 2. There was very little queue. On the Mabuhay Class lane, it took me about 10 minutes to get my boarding pass. I was tapping my fingers at the counter because the guy at the other end was taking forever. He kept looking at my ticket, then back to the monitor, frowned, back to my ticket, back to the monitor, frowned, then back to my ticket...I had no check in bag. Just myself. After all, I was coming home after my talk on the 1020PM flight. After 10 minutes, he gave my boarding pass but NO apologies for his taking gazillion years to process a boarding pass. I counted sheep - taking into account that PAL was in a transition phase.

At the security check in, the guard reminded me to remove my shoes. While I know that, there were no more baskets for shoes. I always remember that there's a basket for shoes. My Prada bag had to go into the dirty carousel? OMG! My bag was more expensive that the life of that pathetic guard and there were no baskets! Besides, the guy that went ahead of me DID NOT take off his shoes! I told the guard that the guy in front of me did not take off his shoes, so why is he asking me to take off mine? And my Prada bag had to go inside the dirty carousel. Where the hell were the baskets? He just shrugged. Counting sheep and taking into account that PAL was in transition...

Boarding was on time. We were only 6 on Mabuhay Class and the guy at the counter had to put someone beside me on the A330-300 plane. Watdfuk?!?!?!! We could have one seat each on business class and the section would still be spacious! Anyway, it was a good thing that the foreigner just sat somewhere else. He too, was scratching his head and wondering why the hell we were all being put seat together. And don't give me that crap that it provided balance to the airplane. The guy at the check in counter simply didn't know what he was doing. Then the automatic announcement went on - that PAL was apologetic for any inconvenience because they were in a transition phase....

In the middle of the flight, they served snacks. I was used to the original trays that PAL provided for Mabuhay Class customers. The old snack trays provided a bit of chic presentation for the crappy meal they served - some fruit salad, a cup for coffee or tea, some glasses for water or juice, a warm snack in the form of pizza or hors d'ouevre of mini sandwiches and some utensils to boot. This time, the stewardess came out with a tray for herself and started handing out beef calzone (that looked greasily deadly) and a roll of Goldilocks mamon. No tray, just put it on your tray. No white mantle gracing the tray table. She asked me if I wanted water or cola. I said a diet cola. She came out with a glass filled with cola, that looked so diluted that I said, I'd take the water instead. The guy on the other side of the plane was still yacking on his mobile phone while the plane was taxing on the runway. The flight attendants were noisily yakking away on the gallery and no one bothered to ask the guy on the mobile phone to turn it off. One of the flight attendants voice was so loud I wanted to stand up and ask him to shut the f*cK up! We were on the runway for about 20 minutes waiting for the plane to take off. And I could hear the attendants yakking yakking yakking away. There ought to be a requirement that the flight attendants do not talk to each other discussing their pathetic lives while the plane is waiting to take off. It's plain irritating.

We arrived at the Mactan International Airport, 5 minutes off schedule, which wasn't bad. Overall assessment for PAL was dismal. I had to remind myself that they were in transition.

Transition is a terrible and sordid excuse for inefficiency. PAL should have prepared for this. It is a reflection of poor management skills. While my heart bleeds out for the displaced employees, I think we need to see the outsourcing of PAL from the passenger's perspective.

First, I know that the revenues of PAL have been declining over the last year. The question is - WHY? Was it because of the large work force? Or are the top honchos getting more of the pie than what PAL was actually making? PAL management was copying the Cebu Pacific model where most of the ground staff and call center areas are outsourced. Fine. But PAL is not Cebu Pacific.

The airfare tickets of PAL, whether on economy or business class are far more expensive than the tickets on other airlines in the region OR in the world. I speak from experience. When my family and I had our annual Christmas vacation in HongKong 2 years ago, we took Cathay Pacific. The economy class ticket was cheaper by $40 per head on CX than on PAL. Last year, when we had our Christmas/New Year break in Singapore, we took Singapore Airlines. The economy class ticket was cheaper by $35 per head on SQ than on PAL. And these were all online rates and bookings! Flying to the US, the fares on PAL are also more expensive on business class than what Delta or Korean Air had to offer. And the flight carriers of other airlines are by far much better in terms of class of service, amenities, food and comfort than PAL. So why the hell would I want to fly PAL? If there's another airline that would take me from point A to point B offering a cheaper fare and YET better service, I'd just take the other airline.

Second, PAL and Cebu Pacific are not co-equal. In short, it's like comparing apples and oranges. You get what you pay for. CebuPac is a no frills airline. You know that it's an all economy budget plane. You know that meals on board should be bought and are not free. You know that extra baggages are paid for. What you see is what you get. That's why it can offer a lower airfare than PAL. But PAL has a business class that is 3x more expensive than the regular fare! And it's regular economy fare is more expensive than CebuPac. Why scrimp on the customer then? You cannot charge something more expensive for the same quality of service as a budget airline. After all, PAL has Air Philippines, it's budget airline that supposedly competes with CebuPac. In short, if I wanted to fly on a plane that would offer a no frills flight at the no frills fare, why would I want to pay more for it? Then everyone would just settle and fly CebuPac.

Finally, the possible solution to the financial woes of PAL are most probably internal. They need to hire more intelligent people to run the business. If PAL is losing out on its domestic flights to CebuPac, then PAL should shut down all its domestic flights and simply convert half the PAL carriers to AirPhil. Offer all domestic flights as a no frills flight. End of story. If PAL is losing out on its international flights, it should probably review why its airfares are far more expensive than other airlines. Of course, many of the foreign airlines are subsidized by their governments. Because PAL is privatized, there will be no government subsidy. But even on a simple frequent flyer level, PAL offers the worst kind of redemption because it has no other global alliance. So you're really stuck with a raw deal. Even HSBC has pulled out of an exclusive PAL mileage program because Lucio Tan's Allied Bank offer a better exchange for peso spend on ABs credit card. A program like this - where only Lucio Tan will profit - will eventually fail and fall flat on its face. In order to prop up the sales of PAL and lower its airfare, it should sit down with the Department of Tourism and other government agencies in helping PAL be the face of Philippine Tourism. And someone has to give in (especially Lucio Tan). Otherwise, its doom is inevitable.

Being in transition is a lame excuse for inefficiency and poor management. It doesn't placate a lousy customer service. PAL has had its financial woes for the longest period of time. It has never understood the airline industry.

It is time the government look deeper and understand further why PAL is turning out to be the Philippines Lousiest Airline. It may be sunset soon for Asia's supposedly sunniest airline.