Our reputation as a country is at stake at the airports

Published March 7, 2023, 12:05 AM

by Manila Bulletin
“Revenge travel” is real and crowds are heading to airports to
start their journey to local or international destinations, eager to
enjoy the tourism spots that were out of reach during the
pandemic. That dream vacation, however, could instantly turn
into a nightmare even before one step inside a plane.
In recent news and on social media, Filipinos have expressed
disappointment and dismay over how our main airport
terminals are being operated. Travelers missed their flights not
because they were late or lacked documents, but they were
delayed by the long immigration lines. Some netizens even
claimed that there were hundreds of people in the line, with
only three immigration counters open.
This incident has reached the Manila International Airport
Authority (MIAA), which vowed to address this predicament.
In a statement by MIAA general manager Cesar Chiong, he said that the “MIAA is working with the Bureau of
Immigration (BI) to ease congestion of departing passengers at the immigration counters at the NAIA,
particularly at Terminal 3.”
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“We are getting the commitment from the BI to increase their manpower even before the surge of passengers
comes during the peak hours of the day, in order to arrest the build-up of passengers,” Chiong said. “The
processing time is critical here. If we can increase the processing rate of our immigration channels for each
passenger, they should not have to wait too long even if the queue grows.”
MIAA also said that it has “requested that airlines open their check-in counters earlier, as arriving passengers
who are unable to check-in right away add to the queue.”
Anticipating the surge of vacationers as April soon rolls in, and as summer brings with it a throng of incoming
and outgoing travelers, the MIAA has said that it is “looking for ways to alleviate the issue as much as it can.”
In the statement, Chiong said that there will be new e-gates for departing passengers. “In addition to the existing
electronic gates, or e-gates, installed by BI for arriving Philippine passport holders, MIAA is also advocating
for the installation of new e-gates for departing passengers in order to reduce travelers’ processing time even
further.”
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Last December, MIAA noted that it had removed the initial screening checks at terminal entrances to facilitate
passenger entry. By mid-year, MIAA is “preparing to roll out more improvements in immigration processing,
including a physical re-laying out of Terminal 3 to make room for more immigration counters, and the
reassignment of terminals, which aims to turn Terminal 2 into all-domestic.”
It is comforting to know that there are improvements to look forward to with our airports and how the MIAA
recognizes the improvements that it has to implement. The MIAA and everyone involved with our airports’
operations should be aware of the consequential “optics” — it takes one long line at the immigration counter,
one incident of theft by airport personnel, or an operational oversight to taint our country’s image as an
“investment haven” or a “tourism paradise.” Our reputation is at stake.
At this point in time, we couldn’t risk having unreliable airports, especially as our country recovers from the
pandemic and as businesses are in need of tourism revenues. Will our airports become a tourism enabler or a
tourism deterrent? The lines will soon reveal.
5.7 magnitude earthquake rattles
Romania, 2nd in 2 days
An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.7
rattled Romania, the second tremor of similar
magnitude to shake the country in 24 hours
ByAssociated Press
February 14, 2023, 11:21 PM
3:23
On Location: March 7, 2023
Catch up on the developing stories making headlines.

BUCHAREST, Romania -- An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.7 rattled Romania Tuesday, the second tremor
of similar magnitude to shake the country in 24 hours. No serious damage was reported in either case.

The quake on Tuesday occurred at 3:16 p.m. in Romania's southwest Gorj County at a depth of approximately
40 km (25 miles), data from Romania’s National Earth Physics Institute shows.

The quake was reportedly felt in the capital, Bucharest, and the northern city of Cluj in the north. Social media
posts showed supermarket products that had purportedly fallen from their shelves during the quake.

Local emergency authorities in Gorj County said in a statement Tuesday that they didn't receive any calls
related to the earthquake and that no damage or casualties were reported.

It was the second earthquake to hit Romania’s Oltenia region in as many days. On Monday, an earthquake with
a magnitude of 5.2 was reported also in Gorj County at a depth of 13.2 kilometers (8 miles).

Aftershocks above magnitude 3 followed both quakes.

 Rome wasn't built in a day, but they
sure had strong concrete
March 6, 202312:10 AM ETTranscript

Inside the Roman Colosseum. The central arena was

originally covered by a wooden platform.
Berly McCoy/NPR

The Roman Colosseum is a giant, oval amphitheater built

almost two thousand years ago. Despite its age and a 14th century earthquake that knocked down the south side of the
colosseum, most of the 150-some foot building is still standing. Like many ancient Roman structures, parts of it were
constructed using a specific type of concrete. Scientists and engineers have long suspected a key to these buildings' durability is
their use of this Roman concrete. But exactly how this sturdy concrete has contributed to the architecture's strength has been a
mystery to researchers across the globe.

A team of interdisciplinary researchers recently discovered a potential answer to why these ancient Roman buildings have been
able to weather the test of time while many modern, concrete structures seem to crumble after a few decades.
The answer: self-healing concrete.

The material has three components: limestone, volcanic material and water. For years, architects and historians have speculated
the volcanic material is what makes it strong — which it does. But it does not explain the material's self-healing ability.

What the researchers found was that the self-healing properties might simply be a serendipitous manipulation of chemistry. The
limestone in the concrete is likely the secret.

When the ancient Romans made mortar, they heated up the lime to turn it into a substance called "quicklime" – a very reactive
chemical sibling to limestone. And, because they introduced water to the quicklime during mixing, the heat it produced set up a
chemical foundation that could strengthen the concrete later.

When tiny cracks start to form later, the quicklime stops them from becoming bigger. When it rains, the lime reacts with the
water to recrystallize as various forms of calcium carbonate, quickly filling the crack or reacting with the volcanic ash to "heal"
the material.

For materials scientist Ainissa Ramirez, this new understanding of ancient Roman concrete is a welcome discovery.

"This is one way that the material can be greener," says Ramirez. "It's sort of like a message in a bottle. The Romans made the
material. We had to kind of figure out how they did it so that we can make better materials — and then, you know, in turn, be
better stewards of our environment."