It is nice to dream big - for indeed every reality begins with a dream.

But sometimes a cruel "reality check" is necessary to regain fresh perspective in that we don't bite off more than we can chew. In the field of medicine that is called indigestion - which can lead to diarrhea.

Take the case of the much ballyhooed Panglao Airport. Since it is a humongous P3.2-Billion project and due to the income opportunities (legitimate and otherwise) for people, it is as if our bush tails have been set on fire on this one. Yet the airport project, despite GMA's countless endorsements as priority project, is still hunting for the phantom funding.

Hopefully, with the ascent of Gov. Erico Aumentado as head of the (PITE) Panglao Island Tourism Estate vice the DOT secretary, there will be a marked change in the "sense of urgency" prevailing on the issue of the airport funding.

The Panglao airport, once completed, would bring hordes of Korean, Japanese and Chinese tourists aboard chartered flights who will stay for 3 to 5 days and not for "day tour" (like today) through some side trip from a Cebu resort or hotel. Panglao can become another marvelous Mactan Island which has managed to attract both tourists and investors alike.

So hey, let's get those pesos first before we dream of the airport dividends and how our pals can benefit from such a billion-peso project. First things first.

That is why we do not hide the caution in giving undue hasty toast to the new international airport since we have not taken the project funding to first base. How can we talk of the other bases being loaded?

The bottom line is - where is the color of that money?

One of the reasons why we sometimes take with a sack of salt - such grandiose project study of a multi-billion airport is the fact that we cannot even be faithful in small things for tourism. We cannot even act or fund small matters that can dramatically improve the face of tourism, so how can we now assume a larger shoe and think of a big time airport?

We can cite bundles of examples. We cannot even have clean toilets in the city airport of the so-called "prime destination" of the country and some months ago the parking area was good enough for a mud wrestling match. The narrow parking area today is as restrictive as the upper clothing of actress escort Keanna Reeves and there is even no carousel for baggages at the terminal, good gracious.

All these need is a petty P10-million for these concerns to "disappear" and yet no one has led the way by way of good example. Some public officials praise Bohol tourism and bask in its recognized glory yet develop hand paralysis when asked to dig deep into the publicly funded pockets for the cause of tourism. Sometimes, we are staggered by the brazenness of the hypocrisy.

Well, some dolphins are today developing heart attack from marauding deep-sea fishers or are killed outright in their aquatic playground - yet we still have to see a patrol boat spying on the Panglao-Pamilacan area. This has to be longest wait for a quotation from a boat supplier.

The narrow causeway leading to the Panglao paradise is an accident waiting for its time to happen. This will be a major concern especially as the tourist vehicle traffic doubles in due time.

Towards the classic Chocolate Hills, there are not enough decent rest areas for tourists to have a short break which is bad enough. But to have such atrocious conditions at the restaurant and restrooms at the Chocolate Hills complex itself is not only shameful but shameless as well.

We hope the concerned parties do not miss the acute distinction between those two words.

So think big - go for the Giant Leap forward for tourism? Build that P3.2-billion airport?

We pray, stay away from the wishing well. We have stayed there for far too long. It's dangerous to believe in our propaganda.

Show we can take care of the small knots, only then can we believe we can untie the Gordian Knot.