The world has been passing the Philippines by, literally. Back in 1960, the country had the second-highest per capita income in Asia, lagging behind only Japan. But by the following decade, South Korea and Taiwan had surpassed it, and by the 1980s, Malaysia and Thailand had, too. China overtook it in the late 1990s. And now—an event that many Philippine elite thought they would never live to see—Indonesia has sailed past the Philippines.

A recent visit to Manila after a 12-year gap confirmed that little had changed. I was back at the same hotel, as no other worthwhile option had surfaced in the interim. There were hardly any new companies to meet with, and the same handful of family-owned businesses still dominated the market. Jeepneys that trace their origin back to World War II remain the preferred mode of public transportation. While most other Asian cities boast fancy new airports, international travelers to Manila still have to trudge through a piece of work commissioned in the 1970s.

WORD has it that the bid of Miaa general manager Alfonso Cusi for a congressional seat (in his home province Mindoro) is still iffy.

It seems the Lola at the Palace wants him to take over the problematic Civil Aviation Authority, or the CAA, which oversees the safety of commercial air flights in the country, both foreign and local airlines.

The CAA is a powerful body. For example, it recently shut down the Caticlan airport (serving Boracay) to most air traffic, thus drying up the tourist arrivals in the area. But I shall delve on that in another column.

Anyway, reports said that Cusi already filed his certificate of candidacy for congressman of Mindoro. From what I heard, he is putting his political plan in the backburner.

Indeed Cusi did well as head of the Miaa, which manages the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, which was named after the former Sen. Benigno Aquino, who is the namesake of…well, never mind that.

The growth of passenger traffic at the Naia has been phenomenal the past few years. Official figures showed that it handled some 17.7 million passengers in 2006, making it the 72nd busiest airport in the world.

The volume went up to 20.4 million passengers in 2007, 22.3 million in 2008, and 24.5 million in 2009. Thus it is now the 48th busiest airport in the world.

Now, it seems that the selection committee recommended Cusi to become the new CAA, because of his record as Miaa chief.

It is said that Cusi is torn between accepting the CAA job and going into politics.

For sure, Cusi can win in the elections. And then he will become one of those kissers who love pork.

The CAA offers a different challenge. Well, we have yet to upgrade our classification in the US Federal Aviation Authority, which this country direly needs. This is the job of the CAA.

For Cusi, really, politics can still wait.

The general manager of the Manila International Airport Authority announced Wednesday that he is withdrawing his candidacy for the second congressional district of Mindoro Oriental.

In a statement, MIAA General Manager Alfonso Cusi said he made his decision after consulting with his family, colleagues at the MIAA and constituents in Mindoro Oriental.

"We are considering another position where we can continue serving the national interest and we are truly fortunate to have been given this opportunity. Politics can wait but we cannot turn our back on this singular chance to continue serving the Filipino people in the best way we can," he said in a statement.

Cusi said he wil continue to serve the people of Mindoro through the Sandugo Party.

As a result of his announcement, Cusi will no longer step down as MIAA general manager.

Manila International Airport Authority General Manager Alfonso Cusi withdrew his candidacy as congressman for the second district of Oriental Mindoro.

In a statement sent to media outfits, Cusi said, “After close consultations with our constituents in Oriental Mindoro, our colleagues at the MIAA and my family, and deep soul-searching and personal reflection, we have decided to withdraw our candidacy as representative in the second congressional district of our province.”

Cusi said he was “considering another position where we can continue serving the national interest and we are truly fortunate to have been given this opportunity.” The other week, Cusi was offered by Malacañang to be the next director general of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines. Cusi did not say on Wednesday if he gave up the congressional race for this position.

“Politics can wait but we cannot turn our back on this singular chance to continue serving the Filipino people in the best way we can. We hope to be able to share with you this new position where we can continue pursuing the national interest at the proper time,” he said.

Cusi thanked his party, the Sandugo Party, “for making the decision-making process less painful for us,” adding, “Their generous understanding enabled us to consider facing a different but broader challenge.”

However, he added that he remained committed to serving the people of Mindoro. He said he will continue to support Sandugo Party in helping improve the quality of life of Mindoro folk.

“It is only the President who can say what I should do or not do in this position because I serve at the pleasure of the President," she said, adding that a few bishops or a few priests are not the entire Catholic Church. “The Catholic Church is the people,"