A TOTAL of 84,635 people have been affected by typhoon Quiel (international name: Nakri) in the northern Luzon regions, with six reported dead, the national disaster management council said as of Nov. 10. Four of those who died were in Cagayan, the most affected province. The provincial government has already declared a state of calamity, which would allow the release of emergency funds. Relief operations were continuing for those in evacuation centers as well as those at home in still flooded areas. Quiel exited the Philippine area on Saturday but the affected provinces were still experiencing rains as of Sunday due to the tail-end of a cold front, according to weather bureau PAGASA. Four of those who died were in Cagayan, two due to drowning, another from electrocution, and another from a collapsed wall caused by a landslide. The two other fatalities died in a landslide in Kabugao, Apayao. The Department of Public Works and Highways reported 56 roads and 10 bridges affected, which were still mostly not passable over the weekend. Damage to crops in the largely agricultural regions have yet to be assessed.

SHOPPING MALLS in Metro Manila will move their opening time to 11 a.m. starting today, Nov. 11, as part of the traffic alleviation measures for the Christmas and New Year holidays. Mall operators agreed to the adjusted time, which will be in effect until January 10 next year, following a meeting last month with the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA). Additional private security personnel will also be deployed to manage the anticipated increase in vehicles going in and out of mall parking areas, which cause traffic gridlock along public roads. There will also be no mall-wide sale events on weekdays during that period. MMDA General Manager Jose Arturo S. Garcia, Jr., in a statement after the Oct. 22 meeting, said with more than 100 shopping malls in the capital, these are considered “traffic generators during the holidays and delaying their operating hours by an hour could help ease the traffic situation.” Other measures that will be implemented include the suspension of road reblocking along EDSA and C5 for projects involving utilities, except in cases of emergency. Work for ongoing government flagship projects, however, will continue. “Traffic is already bad and we expect it to get worse as the number of vehicles increases daily,” Mr. Garcia said.

AN AIRPLANE operated by South Korea’s Asiana Airlines (020560.KS) bound for Singapore made an emergency landing in Manila late on Saturday due to an engine problem, a company spokesman said. The Asiana Airlines’ Airbus 350 plane took off from Incheon in South Korea with about 310 passengers on board and landed in Manila after one of its engines failed, the spokesman said on Sunday. No one was injured in the incident, he said. — Reuters

THE ILOILO International Airport, one of only two Philippine airports voted among the 20 best in Asia in an online survey, has actually been operating at double its capacity.

Department of Tourism-Western Visayas (DoT-6) Regional Director Helen J. Catalbas said while they toast to the recognition, it also highlights the need to fast-track the airport’s expansion.

“It ranked number 18 because it’s crowded, but once we expand, who knows we can further improve our rating,” she said in an interview.

The government-run airport, located in the town of Cabatuan about 30 kilometers from Iloilo City, ranked 18th in the the 2019 survey of airport guide and resource site sleepinginairport.net.

The other Philippine airport that made it to the list at number 16 is the Mactan Cebu International Airport, managed by private firm GMR-Megawide Cebu Airport Corp.

“Now, the airport seems okay because we are just starting with our MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences, exhibitions) promotions, but as we go on with our campaign, more people will go to Iloilo. That is the reality, so if we want to have more tourists we need to expand our airport,” Ms. Catalbas said.

The Iloilo airport, which opened in 2007, was designed to cater to 1.2 million passengers a year, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines. In recent years, the airport has been handling 2.4 million passengers annually.

“Our airport already reached its passenger capacity, eight years ago before the target,” the DoT official said.

CAAP Iloilo Terminal Supervisor Art Parreño said there has been no recent update on the proposed airport expansion.

“We don’t have any information as to the realization of that, but how CAAP wishes that the project will be pursued,” he said in a phone interview.

In June, CAAP granted an original proponent status to the unsolicited proposal submitted by the Villar Group of real estate magnate Manuel B. Villar, Jr.

The proposal has been forwarded to the National Economic and Development Authority for evaluation and approval before undergoing a Swiss challenge.

Mr. Parreño said the expansion plan is particularly needed for the passenger terminal building.

“The passenger terminal building that we have right now was constructed to cater to domestic operations… We expanded to Hong Kong and Singapore destinations and now more and more airlines are offering new domestic destinations like the new Iloilo-Clark destination offered by Air Asia and Cebu Pacific,” he said.

Ms. Catalbas said the airport’s readiness to handle more passengers is a key component to the “Meet you in Iloilo” campaign, a P50-million program specifically targeted to promote the city as a MICE destination.

“We need all new facilities as addition to the capacity of Iloilo City as it poises itself to be a top MICE destination in this part of the country.” — Emme Rose S. Santiagudo

EIGHT AREAS in the Mindanao towns affected by last month’s triple earthquakes are now covered by the government’s Free Wi-Fi for All program, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) reported on Sunday. The latest to get the internet connection was the municipal gym in Magsaysay, Davao del Sur, which serves as the command post for the relief operations. The seven other Wi-Fi hotspots are in Cotabato, the hardest hit province with the earthquakes’ epicenters in its town of Tulunan. These are at the following: municipal halls of Tulunan, Makilala, M’lang, and Kidapawan City; Cotabato’s Amas provincial capitol; JCX Complex in Kidapawan City, where the Mindanao Development Authority set up a command center; and the Kidapawan office of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). “With the recent earthquake that wreaked havoc in the southern central part of Mindanao, continuous efforts are being made by the DICT’s Free Wi-Fi for All Program in order to provide for information and connectivity needs of people in affected areas,” the department said. Over 257,000 people have been affected by the earthquakes last Oct. 16, 29, and 31, with magnitudes ranging from 6.3-6.6. Of the total, more than 56,500 are in 75 evacuation centers, as of the Nov. 10 update from the national disaster management council. There are 31 confirmed fatalities from the three earthquakes, with two still recorded as missing from a tremor-triggered landslide in Davao del Sur.