Manila, Dirty again!

By GEMMA CRUZ ARANETA
August 31, 2009

Last Sunday evening, I received this email from a school friend I have not seen for more than a decade now, Nelly Lichauco Fung, born in Santa Ana, Manila, and resident of Hong Kong since her marriage to Kenneth Fung in the 1960's. Nelly's father, the late Ambassador Marcial Lichauco, was one of the most illustrious Filipino diplomats.
Nelly's message: " I am sorry to trouble you with this but I don't know who else to write to! For many many months now, the ladies toilet in the departure area near Gate 7 at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport has not had proper running water. For some time I ignored it, but last time I asked the attendant (who fills water from the taps into a huge water receptacle and then buckets the water) and it has been going on since the beginning of the year – maybe even last year! I come to Manila almost every month and I am surprised to see no improvement – it is (1) unhygenic and therefore unacceptable and (2) the last impression that many travelers have of the RP!! It is pretty disgraceful. I don't know what the state us of the men's room or other toilets in the departure area...I do hope that you can get to rectify the situation. All the best."
During the Estrada administration, the Department of Tourism (DoT) embarked on a "clean restrooms" campaign because all the surveys showed that one of the major turn offs, aside from traffic congestion,was the state of our toilet facilities in frontline areas like airports, bus terminals and restaurants.
I was then Secretary of Tourism and my call did not fall on deaf ears. Mr. Oscar Reyes of Shell (Phils.) Was the first to respond with an efficient plan of upgrading the restrooms of all Shell stations along the tourism highway; Petron quickly followed suit. Mr. P. Alvarez of Pantranco bus line also upgraded restrooms in pit stops and provided both Asian and Western type toilets.
We at the DoT were relentless in our campaign, bringing to the attention of local government officials toilets that were "pretty disgraceful," to use Nelly's words.
Happily, to this date, Shell, Petron and other gas stations, the majority of restaurants and commercial centers in our tourist destinations have acceptably clean restrooms which can only mean that people are beginning to appreciate hygenic toilets which are essential to tourism. But shame on the NAIA airport authorities for their dirty restrooms!