Over 1000 residents in Metro Manila and Northern Luzon lost their lives during and after the 2009 Typhoon "Ondoy" and Typhoon "Pepeng"! Hundreds of them would have been saved if the government agencies, organizations, passenger and cargo shipping, other companies and industries, and some individuals had purchased, maintained and prepared at all times the rescue and passenger hovercaft transportation. Many of the Filipinos and foreign residents in the country including some of the politicians, movie, TV, music and sports celebrities, business persons, other professionals and groups can afford to buy the amphibious vehicles in addition to their one or two cars in their garage.
Through their headquarters located in foreign countries, some of the charitable groups like the International Red Cross, World Vision, United Way International, the churches and missions of the Roman Catholic and Protestant denominations, and other religious organizations can certainly secure the ex-military or surplus amphibian vehicles. They can park them in the strategic and disaster-prone areas, maintain and keep them ready to save the people who need assistance or help in the next natural catastrophes. Since about 94% of the 100 plus million Philippine population profess to be Christians, they all need to "be prepared" for the Great Tribulations!
Passenger, rescue hovercraft & amphibious vehicles are indispensable in R.P.
First top reason why we Filipinos need the hovercraft, amphibious vehicles as as well other modern transportation is that we have the usual and predictable typhoons, heavy rains and floods in hundreds of our 7107-island country particularly in the low level regions like Metro Manila.
Second top reason why we need the modern inter-island means of modern transportation is that history repeats itself so many times in our archipelago with expected typhoons, floods, landslides, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and other deadly and destructive forces of nature! In times of emergencies like what just happened last July 2010 when Typhoon "Basyang" caused the death of about 68 people with 84 others still missing, in addition to last year's 2 successive typhoons which killed more than a thousand Philippine residents, the owners or operators of the hovercraft and amphibious vehicles could have driven them to rescue their own family members, relatives, friends and/or neighbors from the mega floods in Metro Manila, Central and Northern Luzon provinces. Thus our country needs not only the hovercraft, but also the amphibious vehicles.
Third top reason why we need the modern means of transportation is that our "government agencies and private developers are jointly liable for the massive loss of life and property in several Metro Manila cities for practicing poor urban planning and allowing commercial and residential structures to be built in flood-prone areas, according to "green" architect and urban planner Felino Palafox Jr. Palafox said a 1977 World Bank-funded study identified Marikina Valley, the western shores of Laguna de Bay, and the Manila Bay coastal area as among development areas that should prepare for flooding, earthquakes and possible changes in topography."
Fourth top reason why we Filipinos in other provinces, for example Southern Leyte, need the hovercraft and other modern transportation is that we are way behind in the booming economic developments and tourism-related industries just like in Bohol, Cebu, Negros and Boracay. We do not have the efficient, faster and safer means of sea transportation including the fast catamaran engineered to perform like a hovercraft. We have a brand-new multi-million (U.S. dollar) seaport in Maasin City, which Magellan and his troops had seen as a small fishing and agricultural village during the 15th century, but there is no daily transportation to Cebu City which is the oldest and second largest metropolitan city in our country.
Hundreds of the foreign students, tourists and other visitors have been arriving daily at the Cebu-Mactan International Airport. Many of them take the fast boats or ferries from Cebu City to Tagbilaran City and Ormoc City to visit and tour Bohol and Leyte, but not Southern Leyte. The foreign students, tourists and other visitors do not know that we exist! They do not know that Southern Leyte has the "green" valleys, hills, mountains, rainforests and the Pacific Ocean to the east. The capital city and all the towns of Southern Leyte are located on the elevated coasts; the hills and mountains are less than one kilometer from the sea shores. Located in central southeastern region of the Philippines, Southern Leyte has the historical Limasawa island, shares the World War-2 history of Gen. MacArthur's Leyte landing, and Battle of Surigao Strait. It has the various ecological attractions such as coral reefs, mangroves, the gray, ivory and white sandy beaches, caves, waterfalls, the famous whale sharks and dolphins, 3 foreign-owned and operated scuba diving and resorts, new Agas-Agas Bridge - tallest bridge in the country - and many other very scenic tropical sights and sounds.
What should we do to attract and motivate the local students, tourists and visitors from other islands in our backyards as well as from other countries to take a vacation, visit or tour the ecological and historical attractions in Southern Leyte? We need the passenger hovercraft! Why do we need the hovercraft instead of the water-jet passenger catamarans? Here are the top reasons we gathered from the Internet and from our own observations:
1. Hovercraft fly over the waves rather than through them, so they offer a smoother ride than conventional boats
2. Hovercraft fly on a cushion of air over the water. They do not have a propeller that can be disabled by hitting unseen objects beneath the water's surface. They are ideal crafts for rescue operations in flooded areas.
3. Hovercraft are needed to save the victims when, not if, we have the undersea earthquakes and tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, typhoons, heavy rains, landslides, and floods particularly in low-level city like Metro Manila. With the advent of increasing volume of sea waters due to the melting of the ice in the North Pole, South Pole, the ice and snow in the mountain glaciers which is caused by global warming or climate changes and the future big earthquakes, Metro Manila would be submerged permanently like the "Atlantis", Tuvalu in the South Pacific and other low-level cities, towns and countries worldwide.
4. Hovercraft do not need a pier or seaport where the real sharks are: the bureaucrats, exclusive stevedore operators and the bad elements in our society. They are biting, eating and getting the money of the poor and average passengers, draining the little money they have left in their pockets. They are victimizing the "balikbayans" and foreign tourists with overpriced fees with no receipt for carrying their bags, boxes, luggages, etc.
5. Hovercraft have a wider beam (width) than traditional boats, so they are more spacious and comfortable than boats or ships
6. Hovercraft are not as loud as you'd think. New technology has lowered noise levels
7. Hovercraft are more environmentally friendly because they don't leave a wake which disturbs fragile sea beds or trails on land
8. Hovercraft are needed by our military and police departments to serve and protect their own lives from the terrorists, rebels, criminals, etc.
9. Hovercraft can go where traditional cars and boats can't - from land to water and back - and can hover the shortest distance from Cebu City to Maasin City and Surigao City, for example, thus saving traveling time.
Q: So what do people use hovercraft for?
A: The real questions might be what they do not use them for! Around the world, you could find the hovercraft being used in some of these situations and much many more:
1. As search and rescue vehicles for marshy wetlands, flooded cities and towns, coastal areas hit by typhoons, earthquakes, tsunamis, landslides ...
2. As daily transportation in Europe, American continent and few Asian countries
3. As tourist 'buses' for water/land tours in Canada and some other countries
4. As charter services in the Caribbean to reach islands with shallow harbors
5. As transportation in narrow channels where high speed ferry services are restricted due to beach erosion from wakes
6. As convenient vehicles between cities on major lakes which do not have deep harbors or long piers
7. As cargo transportation over ice, snow, water, and mud for oil research and exploration
8. As 'floating' platforms for combines equipment during wheat harvests in Russia
9. As the ultimate personal yacht for cruising shorelines, harbors, rivers and lakes
Q: What else can hovercraft do?
A: Hovercraft can do many things that traditional vehicles do, but they can do some additional things:
1. Hovercraft can travel faster than traditional hulled boats
2. Hovercraft can go over fragile ecologically sensitive areas without damaging them
3. Hovercraft can go over flat surfaces - water or land - and transition between them with no impact
4. Hovercraft can be parked inside a building when not in use or when being maintained
5. Hovercraft can be quickly removed from the seawater and tied down during a typhoon, undersea earthquakes and tsunamis. No more repetition of ships similar to the PRINCESS OF THE STARS which capsized and drowned over 850 passengers and crew members on June 21, 2008 near Sibuyan Island in Central Philippines!
Q: What hovercraft cannot do?
A: There are some things hovercraft cannot do, including the following:
1. Hovercraft are not designed for crossing oceans. With large enough hovercraft, you could navigate heavy surfs, but they are not intended to be used as trans-oceanic vehicles.
2. Hovercraft do not climb hills well. They need flat surfaces... but they can go over bumps in the surface and some rough water without rocking - no motion sickness!
3. Hovercraft can't fly as high as the aircrafts and helicopters. However, there are few new hovercraft designed to "fly" over the surfaces like that of the Wing-In-Ground (WIG) effect crafts, but the hull will never go more than about 15 feet above the surface, and the bottom of the skirt will just be few feet above the surface.
In these times of advanced research and developments, concept designs and successfully tested experiments of new inventions and modified ones, there are existing vehicles which are far more practical means of transportation to commute or travel to other islands in our country. Why wait until tomorrow or the next few years when they can be utilized today? The FBMA Marine Inc. located in western Cebu is one of the best fast passenger catamaran or ferry builders in the world! Some of the FBMA's large passenger catamarans are exported to other countries.
The advanced fast crafts of the original naval architects, inventors or manufacturers overseas can be built under license in the Philippines. They can also be modified using the available materials and the alternative, renewable and cleaner sources of energies to operate the fast ferries and other modern transports. The production and labor costs are considerably much lower because we have the over supply of new graduates each year from the technical and trade schools, colleges and universities. Hundreds of the new graduates will end up applying to work abroad due to the lack of job opportunities in our own country.
WIG effect technology will replace someday the inconvenient, slow & unsafe ships & ocean liners
The Wing-in-Ground (WIG) effect vehicle is an advanced hybrid air cushion craft which provides the highest combination of speed, fuel efficiency, lower production costs, and very smooth flight with no sea sickness. A WIG rides above the surface like an airplane on a dynamic air cushion which is produced by the craft's forward motion. Whereas, a hovercraft rides on a captured air bubble (CAB) which is produced by a mechanical blower - from the fan or centrifugal compressor. The air from the fan in the hovercraft is confined under its body by an inflated skirt which surrounds the hull of the craft. The speed and efficiency of a WIG are much higher than that of a hovercraft because the WIG has no power lost as that of a blower fan which forces the air under the fuselage of the hovercraft and down to the surface of the sea, lake, land or snow, and no bulging skirt which causes drag.
The WIG technology shares with some other types of marine and air vehicles. The hydrodynamics of the main hull is similar to that of the high performance powerboats, seaplanes, or flying boats' hull. The hydrodynamics of the wing endplates is similar to that of a catamaran's hulls and hydroplane sponsons. Under the wing of the WIG, the flow of ram air is similar to that under the hull of a racing power boat. The WIG's propulsion and operation when it is airborne few feet above the water are identical to that of the hovercraft and airboat. The flight performance, stability and control of the WIG are similar to that of an aircraft.
Russia is the first country to build the military and cargo WIG! Russia is far ahead than any other country in the WIG technology or Ekranoplan. The Ekranoplan can be designed and engineered to carry passengers paying at considerably lower fare and much safer mode of travel than flying or taking the popular, but very expensive airlines within our 7107-island country!
Advantages of the Wing-In-Ground effect vehicles are:
1. The WIG vehicle can operate over and take off from the sheltered or calmer seas, the lakes, river deltas, coastal areas and archipelagos. It can operate over flat surfaces such as the shallow waters, coral reefs, sea shores, rice fields, wetlands, or the ice and snow in countries located farther north and south of the equator.
2. When the pilot or operator reduces the speed of the craft, the landing area is always directly below no matter where he or she navigates to.
3. The WIG can "fly" or hover at speeds about 3 to 7 times faster than the fastest passenger catamarans, ferries or inter-island ships in the Philippines, for instance. The Aron-7 can hover much higher than the other small WIGs which is the logical sea-aircraft for the seasonal rough seas in our country.
4. WIGs can be designed and engineered to hover at over 500 knots.
5. They operate at the costs of around 1/3 to 1/5 less than the airlines currently serving in the Philippines.
6. They do not need pressurized cabins and the very expensive aircraft fuel.
7. They can be built with engines which operate either on biodiesel or ethanol, or be installed with the multi-fueled Rotapower engines which are being used in the production of the futuristic Moller Skycars!
The WIG is the best type of very practical sea transportation for the Philippine Navy, Philippine Coast Guard and Philippine National Police. We are a tropical country composed of 7107 islands. So, why do most travel conscious people copy the means of land and air transportation of, for instance, the State of Nevada which is approximately the size of the entire Philippines? Under the new administration of President Benigno S. Aquino III, the Philippine Air Force is going to upgrade. The WIG made in the Republic of Korea, for example, is the perfect solution to the sea patrol missions and to replace many of the obsolete Philippine military aircrafts and patrol boats and ships. It has low radar and low infrared signatures. It is difficult to detect on satellites. In large WIG craft, it is capable of very fast deployment of the marine, army and special forces or the S.W.A.T. police troops. At a mere mobile phone call or very quick notice, the pilot can launch from either land or sea.
Other features of the Wing-In-Ground effect vehicles are:
1. In reference to the passenger WIG craft, there is no need of the expensive, overcrowded and very high "terminal fees" which the Ninoy Aquino International Airport and other Philippine airports are collecting. No more hundreds of the students, tourists, visitors and the "balikbayans" complaining of the compulsory terminal fees which do not exist in foreign countries' airports.
2. The WIG does not require the very expensive infrastructures or "white elephant" airports and seaports which are commonly seen in the Philippines. Again, the WIG craft or vehicle can land and take off at short distance from the sheltered or calmer seas, lakes, river deltas, coastal areas and archipelagos. It can hover or "fly" over flat surfaces such as the shallow waters, coral reefs, sea shores, rice fields, wetlands, etc.
3. From Batanes islands up north of Luzon and down to the southernmost islands in Mindanao, the passengers from and near the eastern and western coastal towns and cities of Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao regions and vice versa could easily, speedily and safely travel on WIGs due to the absence of heavy traffic and bad road conditions (when there are unfavorable weather) commonly encountered in land transportation.
4. Wing-In-Ground effect transports can carry the military or police forces as well as the civilian passengers or cargo to places where neither ships nor airplanes have gone before!
"Ground effect is still the most efficient form of powered flight known to man... When an aerodynamic wing is close to a ground plane, such as water, lift is increased by as much as 45% and induced drag decreased by up to 70%. This is vastly different to normal operation of an aircraft wing in free flight away from the ground. The main benefits when a craft is operating within ground effect are that speed, payload and fuel economies are considerably more efficient than with traditional boat, plane and helicopter transport."
Alternative, renewable & clean energies are available today
The cost of the bunker, diesel, gasoline and airplane fuels are continually fluctuating due to the cunning price manipulations of the oil cartels, refiners, dealers and their stockholders. They are causing hundreds of the passengers in, for instance, Leyte and Southern Leyte to patronize the less expensive, but older and slower ships from Bato, Hilongos, Baybay or Ormoc City to Cebu City. Thus, we need the alternative, renewable and cheaper sources of energies to power up the hovercraft and modern ferries. The present operators of passenger hovercraft globally utilize the diesel fuel to energize their air cushion vehicles (ACV). Our locally produced and the imported oils are expensive. That is the # 1 reason why the SuperCat and WaterJet do not operate anymore in Maasin City, Surigao City, and other cities in the Visayas and northern Mindanao regions. Capable of using the biodiesel, the hovercraft and ferry are also available in lightweight composite materials which reduce drag and save fuel consumption.
It is now a Philippine law - Philippine Biofuels Act of 2006 - that the fuel refiners and producers must gradually increase the percentage of their fuel productions to the alternative, renewable and cleaner fuels. We have our top expert in the Philippines and U.N. consultant on biodiesel development and production, Dr. Rico O. Cruz. Based in the U.S.A., Dr. Cruz and company "have partnered with the following countries: Australia, Azerbaijan, Belize, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Cuba, Germany, Ghana, India, Paraguay, Philippines, Russia, Turkey, Uganda, United States, and Vietnam" to assist them in the pioneering development and production on biodiesel fuels.
The Biofuels Law or R.A. 9367 is investor-friendly. "It provides tax incentives and financial assistance to encourage investments in biofuels. The tax incentives include a 0% specific tax on local or imported biofuel component per liter of fuel. Another is the exemption of the sale of raw material used in the production of biofuels from the Value Added Tax.... On the one hand, RA 9367 mandates that the Development Bank of the Philippines, Land Bank of the Philippines, Quedancor and other government financial institutions extend financing to those engaged in the production, storage, handling and transport of biofuel and biofuel feedstock, and the blending of biofuels with petroleum."
If we want to be really free from the imported oil's 100-year slavery, there is always a way. We have the inventor of the water-powered car since 40 years ago. However, Daniel Dingel is not the only inventor of the water or hydrogen-powered car or engine. The hydrogen-powered engines are available today which can be utilized to run the inter-island transportation. Again, we have our country's #1 expert and U.N. consultant on biodiesel fuels development and production.
Furthermore, our 7107-island country is surrounded with sea waters. We can in the future tap the unlimited tidal power or the undersea currents. For example: Under the Liloan bridge in Southern Leyte, in San Juanico Strait between Leyte and Samar islands, the tidal power between Luzon and Mindoro, between Luzon and Samar, between Panay and Guimaras, between Cebu and Negros islands, and between Dinagat island and Surigao City in northeast Mindanao, we can build the power stations to generate electricity for the entire Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao regions! We have the existing geothermal electric plants in Central Visayas and Southern Luzon as well as the wind-driven electric generators in Northern Luzon. We have the tropical sunlight to charge the solar cells and the deuterium ... courtesy of our Heavenly Father, Savior and Provider!
There are new means of transportation which utilize the wind to drive the computerized sail and with the sun to energize the solar cells to generate electricity. The electricity powers the motors which are connected to the propellers. The wind, solar and electric-driven ferry has rechargeable batteries and a backup engine in case of slow wind and/or dark skies to charge the motors, which in turn propel the ship to its destination.
Economical, efficient, faster and safer modern transports are the trends globally
In Southern Leyte, we desperately need to open the daily hovercraft and modern transportation services from Maasin City and other major towns to Cebu City and back. From Cebu City in addition to Maasin City, the passenger hovercraft are the best type of sea transportation to Surigao City, Butuan City, Cagayan de Oro City and vice versa. There are certain towns in Central Philippines that have no pier or seaport from which thousands of their residents would surely prefer to ride the very convenient, efficient, fast and safe passenger hovercraft to do business in Cebu City.
If you search Maasin City through Google Earth, you will notice that Maasin is strategically located to the big cities in Northern Mindanao. To save time for the travelers from Iligan City, Ozamiz City, Oroquieta City, Dapitan and other big cities and towns in northwestern Mindanao that are going to Metro Manila, the passengers on hovercraft can fast speed to Maasin City. From Maasin's big and clean bus station, they can transfer to the 5 or more modern and fully air-con buses, which are the least expensive means to travel by land to Metro Manila. The buses from Maasin City to Metro Manila run daily via Leyte's capital, Tacloban City, then they continue to travel through the entire Samar Island up to its northernmost point. They transfer by ferry to Albay in Southern Luzon and continue their trip until they arrive at the Pasay and Cubao bus stations in Metro Manila.
Stranded residents, students, workers, etc. are familiar sights in Metro Manila's common floods!
It is possible that the proposed passenger hovercraft and other modern transportation can be realized with the help of the "people's power" from the Overseas Filipino Workers and the Filipino citizens and residents in foreign countries. The Overseas Filipino Workers and former Filipino citizens living in other countries are remitting several billions in European Union's euros and U.S. dollars to their families and loved ones in our country. Their remittances are the "secrets" to our growing economy! However, the remittance-driven economy is like a band-aid remedy to the major economic crisis in our country.
Invest in the modern transports to serve, protect & save the people's lives
We have the temporary remittance power from the Overseas Filipino Workers to counter-attack against our country's economic manipulators - the mega oil cartels, refiners, gas dealers, their stockholders, lobbyist group, etc. In the past 100 years, they have been turning us into slaves due to their artificial controls and manipulations regarding the prices of gasoline, diesel, kerosine and other fossil-based fuels! It is common knowledge among the highly educated Filipino population that the oil companies and industries contribute thousands to millions of dollars/pesos to the politicians to spend for their very, very expensive election campaigns, which in turn is one cause to the lack of motivation among some government leaders and officials to support the full utilization of the alternative, renewable and less expensive sources of energy to operate the modified and new "green" vehicles. Let us follow the energy policies and politicians in Brazil not the Americans who are addicted to the oil for 100 years!
Hundreds of the top Filipino politicians, officials and celebrities can afford to trade-in or buy the vehicles which use the renewable and cleaner energies, but they do not set the right example for their fellow Filipinos. Some of them even own or are related to the owners of large sugar cane plantations which can also be processed into ethanol for fuel, just like those in Brazil. The Filipino VIPs can certainly afford to purchase the rescue hovercraft or amphibian vehicles and use them to save their own family, friends and constituents in the next natural disasters.
Therefore, we would like to invite the Overseas Filipino Workers and former Filipino citizens, and residents in foreign countries to invest in the mass production of the alternative, renewable and cleaner fuels, and to invest in the passenger hovercraft and other modern transportation for inter-island travel and emergencies. Hundreds of the bus line operators in the country can afford to purchase at least one amphibious bus similar to the ones being used successfully in Europe. In addition, the famous bus body manufacturers, vehicle and motorcycle assemblers or factories in the Philippines are capable of building the amphibian buses, trucks, personal sports amphibian, and other types of amphibious vehicles under license by the foreign inventors. They can invent and modify their own transports similar to that of the ex-military or surplus amphibian vehicles.
We have contacted recently the top passenger hovercraft operators in Western Europe and invited them to consider investing in Central Philippines and Northern Mindanao. The European passenger hovercraft companies have responded with positive interests. They are studying the matter with their top management staff. One bus and hovercraft transportation company in Holland has expressed its interest. The company plans to initiate the inter-island passenger transportation sometime before 2010 ends or never depending on our politicians. Let us us hope and pray that the very good national and international investors would join hands together to assist us with at least 2 or more daily trips from Southern Leyte to Cebu City, and in other coastal towns and cities nationwide using the new 130 or 180-passenger hovercraft and/or other modern commercial transportation.
The foreign hovercraft and other modern transport manufacturers and operators' experiences and investments as well as those of the Overseas Filipino Workers' remittances can surely assist us to serve, protect and save our lives from the deadly and destructive forces of nature. Moreover, they are equally vital to our tourism and other economic developments so as to eliminate our over dependence of the politicians and government, our historical, traditional and religious influences, and our "bahala na" living attitudes. We, the people in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao regions, need to do our part by supporting, cooperating, advertising, promoting and patronizing the urgently needed very efficient, very fast and very safe passenger, rescue hovercraft and amphibious vehicles. Furthermore, our 7107-island country needs the other modern inter-island transportation.
Christ said: "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away. But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly. For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man" (Luke 21:33-36). Fellow Filipinos, friends and brethren, we need the passenger, rescue hovercraft, amphibious vehicles and other modern transportation before another gigantic natural disaster will, not if, hit our province and/or country in the next few months and years. Let's all "be prepared" too for the Great Tribulations whether they cause the most deadly, destructive and terrible consequences in our lifetime or the next generation!
Dedicated in memory to our beloved brother, Santiago V. Mercado, who studied nautical science at the FEATI University. He apprenticed few years for a passenger shipping firm and worked at the Bureau of Public Works in Southern Leyte.
Copyright 2010 by Samuel V. Mercado, 7th Millennium Community Maasin City 06600, Southern Leyte, Philippines
