The Paris Air Show 2011, where is the Philippines?

By DANIEL ESCUREL OCCENO, danielocceno@gmail.com
June 20, 2011

Americans criticizing the development of the Philippines with comments like: Where is our manufacturing prowess in this year's Paris Air Show considered the world's largest and oldest aviation showcase of big time manufacturing? The remark is to imply the Philippines cannot be a leader of the world if it cannot compete with corporations like Boeing in Seattle, Washington.

The implication is that native-born Filipinos should let the American government takeover the country because the Americanos are taller, more brilliant, better looking, and have better schools. It reminds me of the Vatican for centuries of arguments written in history books I needed translated.

I will not lose sleep over it because Cebu Pacific bought “37 new Airbus jets worth $3.8 billion in the nation's biggest-ever aircraft order so it can expand across the Asia Pacific” and it was because of a mostly tourism industry economy generating the revenue to afford brand new manufactured overseas products.

I doubt rational Airbus executives will criticize the Philippines as a country of poverty heading for nowhere when the private corporations in the archipelago are capable re-ordering more of their aircrafts for commercial use because of profits, not government taxation revenue. It would be an economic indicator of anticipated future growth in the economy of the Philippines.

After the Cold War, Airbus concentrated on manufacturing for shorter distance engines and smaller aircrafts. It gave the Philippines an aircraft manufacturer to trade with since the country needed a domestic tourism and domestic business travel to develop the overall economy.

A little bigger, the new orders of Cebu Pacific are for venturing to neighboring countries, creating more trade for the future growth development of the Philippines while trading within Asia, closer to home.