First, the terminal is outdated. With only 16 gates, some aircraft have to be parked at orphan gates and sometimes even in the cargo apron as the two aprons of the terminal can only accommodate as much as 16 aircraft at one time.

Second, the check-in counters are so wanting of repair. The baggage conveyors bog down every few minutes and the weighing scales do not work at all.

Third, the airconditioning is very poor. If you are a businessman queueing up for check-in, even on a business class line, you'd feel the heat and you'd want to take off your suit.

Fourth, the rest rooms are so decrepit. Sometimes the urinals and the water closets do not even flush. Worse, there are no tissue paper and soap in the wash rooms.

Fifth, the boarding gates are so crammed. If two full flights served by jumbo planes like Boeing 747-400s are parked at two adjoining gates, you'd expect that the passengers of both flights would be crammed in a space allotted for just half of one plane.

Sixth, the parking area is so far from the curb that passengers on wheelchairs have difficulty in navigating from car to terminal or vice versa.

Seventh, there are very few dining and shopping facilities in the transit area. How would you expect transit passengers to spend in the transit area if there's virtually nothing to do?

Eighth, the airport sits in a congested area of the metropolis, in Paranaque City. That suburb is populated by middle class families and subdivisions and villages are generally circling the airport. Thus, traffic is inevitable. It can take an hour to reach the departure area from the ramp approaching the airport.

Ninth, when it rains, the ceiling of the departure area drips. Don't laugh when you see pails or drums on the floor, virtually waiting for the next drop of water from the ceiling.

Tenth, the security measures are erratic. Some entrances may be strict while others are lax.

There are much more problems in Manila's gateway airport. It's such a pity that it used to be one of the best airports in the seventies. But as it is now, it has gone a sorry state.