BIZ BUZZ: Naia-to-PITX parking migration

Following the sharp increase in parking rates at the new Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia), many vehicle owners who are fond of using the airport terminals—especially for overnight parking—have had to find a new sanctuary.

Whether they are real passengers in need of parking space for a few days while out of town or workers based in the airport area, many of the parking “regulars” seem to have relocated to the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX).

READ: Naia parking rate hike jeered; SMC-led group explains

“What we noticed is that our volume of parkers went up after the Naia’s parking policy had changed,” Megawide Construction Corp. CEO Edgar Saavedra told Biz Buzz.

PITX may not be the nearest option for these “migrants.” Depending on the route, Megawide’s bus terminal hub is about 3 kilometers (km) to 6 km away from Naia. But those car owners take solace in the massive cost savings relative to the new parking fees at Naia.

Overnight parking fee at PITX is fixed at P300, just a quarter of the P1,200 fee at Naia. PITX also offers a fixed daily parking fee of P50, while Naia charges P50 for the first two hours and P25 for every succeeding hour.

READ: Airport watchdog says Naia fees hike is ‘cash grab’

San Miguel group-led airport concessionaire New Naia Infrastructure Corp., which had taken over Naia operations in mid-September, jacked up the parking fees precisely to free up space for airport passengers and discourage nonairport users from clogging the area.

It came as a surprise, but the Megawide group welcomes the windfall. —Doris Dumlao-Abadilla

Dennis Uy’s sky-high dream

After building a fiber broadband empire, tech tycoon Dennis Anthony Uy is on the quest of conquering the sky next. And he wants to do this alongside local carriers like Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific.

“It is better we partner with these airline operators. So they will benefit,” the Pampanga-based businessman said.

Uy is referring to his P29.82-billion unsolicited proposal, through Comclark Network and Technology Corp., to upgrade and operate the country’s air navigation facilities.

Submitted just earlier this month, the goal of the proposal is to facilitate smooth operations of the airlines by modernizing the air traffic system. To recall, the country’s aviation facility stopped operating on Jan. 1 last year due to a power outage, leaving thousands of passengers stranded and disappointed.

Uy explained that an efficient air traffic management system would result in fuel savings, translating to less spending and even less carbon emission.

But for now, the project remains up in the air pending a regulatory review.

Will Uy reach his sky-high dream? Let’s see! —Tyrone Jasper C. Piad

Still ‘drawing’: PH link to Asean grid

Without energy interconnectivity with Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) peers, it seems like the Philippines can relate to pop star queen Taylor Swift’s gut-wrenching lines: “You’re on your own, kid. You always have been.”

This was one of the concerns that Ronaldo Ramos, chief operating officer of AboitizPower Thermal Business Group’s Operated Assets, raised during a recent forum in Malaysia.

Talking to key energy officials from public and private sectors in the region, the Filipino executive said the challenge in connecting thousands of islands, with some of them still off-grid, mirrors the current situation of the local power sector in the Asean grid plans.

Ramos said the Philippines remains “farther away from the rest of its neighbors.”

“Up until we get support from other Asean neighbors, we’re on our own,” he said.

The Asean Power Grid has only six bilateral interconnections operating—linking Singapore and Malaysia, Thailand and Malaysia, and via Thailand to Cambodia, Lao PDR and Vietnam.

The map he presented showed broken lines, referring to planned transmission lines that could finally connect the Philippines to the regional grid. And just like the widely used word of Filipinos—the plan may sadly remain as a “drawing” without any concrete action in sight. —Lisbet K. Esmael