What the NAIA chief should watch

The general manager of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport has ordered a study of the video tapes on the gift-giving sprees of Governor Datu Andal Ampatuan to his personnel recently. Reports said that the Maguindanao official distributed cash gifts to airport employees, and they lined up in order to get their share, many leaving their posts to do so. One can hardly blame them, the governor was giving out P1,000 each, and that's no mean “pamasko.”

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Airport manager Alfonso Cusi reportedly said he wants to know who were the employees, said to include security personnel, who deserted their posts to partake of the windfall. At least there is no report that even pilot and flight stewards and stewardesses also left their aircrafts to join the queues. Ampatuan must have given out a lot of money, considering the number of people working at the airport. What was he trying to do – outshine the distributor of those moneybags given in Malacañang?

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But I think Cusi is setting his sights on the wrong incident. Why doesn't he scrutinize, instead, the video tapes on airport workers who are notorious for mulcting arriving passengers, especially from the United States ? I am told those rapacious employees, including the security guards, are still at it, that is, their shameless demands for “Pasalubong”, Pang-merienda” or, now that the Christmas season is upon us, for “Pamasko” as well. Friends who arrived from the U.S. for the MassKara festival told us they, too, were victimized by those mulcters there.

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Last Wednesday, I checked in at the Manila airport and when I ran my bags through the x-ray machine, I noted one of the staff eyeing them. Later she said, “Ma'am, galing pala kayo sa San Francisco (my handcarried bag had SF markings)”. I stared her down and said, No, firmly before she could make a pitch which I would surely report to that assistant of Cusi who responded when I wrote about our experience last year when we flew in from Los Angeles . Nothing happened then, but, who knows? This time I would make sure I got the names fully, as well as the agency. Really, Cusi should not act on gifts willingly and openly given at the NAIA. It's the crooks and swindlers he should be watching instead.

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When music lover Louie Ledesma was about to close his very popular radio program “Among my souvenirs” shortly after it turned silver, or 25 years old, he was besieged by calls and requests from his thousands of listeners to hold on, to keep what they said kept them inspired with their favorite songs all those years. The fans of “Souvenirs” virtually implored Louie not to quit, many of them pledged to support it, no matter which station he would broadcast it from.

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Louie had been airing his special program through Magic 103, the music studio. Every Sunday, his listeners would tune in, no matter where they were, at home, in beaches, or in their cars driving to a party, a picnic. Sometimes he had to extend his time when too many requests came in, and if he mentioned that he needed to stop to eat, food packages would be delivered to his booth in a few minutes! Louie's “Souvenirs” was that popular and enjoyed.

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Unable to resist the pleas of his listeners and, also to go on doing what he loved, Louie moved his program to Station RJ100 where he can now be heard from 9 a.m. to 12 noon every Saturday. Recently, however, Louie had to appeal for help from his listeners to maintain the program, and those who had pledged to support it. Among those he is counting on are the music-loving Sunshine Boys and other groups who want to keep “Among my Souvenirs” going so they can reminisce on bygone days as Louie spins out their favorite melodies. Well, Twinkling hopes Louie gets the help he needs, we will surely miss this unique program if he has to give it up. So, to those who had promised: Please don't forget! By the way, Louie's cellphone is 0906-859-5052.

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This week, the Couples for Christ group led by Dr. Luis and Letty Montero will hold a Christmas party and gift-giving social service for the inmates of the Provincial Jail. The group will join the prisoners from 9 a.m. to 12 noon on Friday and will serve them packed lunches, too. The group has been making visits to the inmates there who now number about 500.*

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