So what did I learn today? Some reporters told me that the freaking breakdowns in NAIA are actually a form of sabotage. Some dark forces are pushing Transportation Sec. Jimmy Bautista out of office because they are after his chair. Imagine, you can have all the kickbacks in the world, in true Marcosian fashion. For example, this unsolicited proposal to rehab NAIA is worth PHP 267bn—even a small fraction of that is already a huge kickback.

It’s because Jimmy Bautista (or we call him JJB) came from the private sector so his propensity for corruption is less. He was also part of the consortium that wants to rehabilitate NAIA and as the former CEO of PAL, he knows how much of a headache NAIA is for airlines. In all of my interviews with him, he never said that the NAIA rehab will not push through…it’s just there are other hands that are pulling strings… the Finance dept is favoring the Bulacan Airport of San Miguel. People behind the scenes are trying their best to sabotage NAIA so Bulacan Airport or Sangley Airport would no longer have to compete with the primary gateway.

But I certainly would not want to drive all the way north to fly abroad from Bulacan.

I trust the reporters—they have good sources.

Some friends like L attended the presscon, so finishing articles was a bit of a challenge because we always end up talking and talking, laughing, and crying. By past 5 pm, we called it quits and no freaking story is worth being left behind at the hotel.