Floods displace 113 families in Davao del Sur

By Ruth Palo

June 23, 2023 

DAVAO CITY: The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) Davao Region has recorded a total of 113 families displaced by flash floods in Davao del Sur caused by the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) affecting the region.

OCD 11 Information Officer Franz Irag, in a media briefing on Wednesday, June 21, 2023, said Kiblawan, Sulop and Sta.Cruz towns and Digos City experienced flooding.

He added that three houses in Digos City were damaged and 10 others were destroyed.

Irag said affected residents had been evacuated to safer places of the three municipalities.

Some of them have been allowed to go back to their homes after floodwaters started to subside, he added.

OCD 11 is yet to release information on infrastructure and agricultural damage.

Irag said they already issued a memorandum order to all local disaster risk reduction and management centers to closely monitor their respective areas of responsibilities and to preposition their response assets.

He also said all affected families were provided immediate assistance such as food packs, tents and blankets.

Manalo to DFA: Uphold PH interest, serve people

BY JOSEPH PEDRAJAS

Jun 23, 2023 11:29 AM

  

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Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Secretary Enrique Manalo on Friday called on the Philippines' thousands of diplomats and their staff to reflect on their journey of serving the country's interest before the international community and serving the people as the agency celebrated its 125th anniversary.

In his video message on the occasion of the DFA's anniversary, Manalo said the agency, since its establishment, "has been true to its task of proclaiming our people, our values, and our aspirations."

DFA has helped "shape our nation and the world around us in profound ways," as it has been "an enduring symbol of Philippine pride and independence to the rest of the world," he added.

Despite challenges it has faced over a period of time, DFA has not only survived but flourished, Manalo said. The department has thrived as a fruitful servant of the nation, he added.

"You my dear colleagues, the more than 2,800 personnel of DFA are the lifeblood of this institution," he said.

"Each day, wherever you are, you bring to life the values of patriotism, integrity, professionalism, excellence and service," he added.

Manalo joined his colleagues in the department and the foreign service "in taking immense pride" in the role they play for nation building.

He called on them to forge ahead towards a future where DFA's legacy shines brightly for the country it serves and for the generations to come.

"A meaningful celebration of the 125th DFA Day is a celebration of each of you and your day-to-day service. As we remember this day, our past achievements as a department and as a nation, let us also ponder that our greatest triumphs are still waiting to be realized," he said.

Tax on junk food, higher soft drink levy pushed

By: Kathleen de Villa, Ronnel Domingo - @inquirerdotnet

Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno says the twin tax measures can generate P76 billion a year for the government and at the same time address widespread health issues linked to poor diet, such as obesity and diabetes.

The Marcos administration is reviving a plan to tax junk food and increase the imposts on sweetened drinks to address health issues especially among Filipino children and at the same time generate revenues for the cash-strapped government.

Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno said in a statement on Wednesday night that his department and the Department of Health (DOH) were jointly pushing such taxes “as a proactive measure to [address] diabetes, obesity and noncommunicable diseases related to poor diet.”

They assume that consumption of salty foods would decrease by 21 percent yearly, if there were such a tax.

Diokno said that, under the proposal, a tax of P10 per 100 grams or P10 per 100 milliliters would be imposed on prepackaged food products that lack nutritional value.

The finance chief said the levy would cover products that exceed the DOH’s specified thresholds for fat, salt and sugar content—including confectioneries, snacks, desserts and frozen confectioneries.

The Department of Finance (DOF) also wants to increase the sweetened beverage tax rate under the TRAIN (Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion) law to P12 per liter, or double the current level, regardless of the type of sweetener used in the products, according to Diokno.

He added that the tax rate would be adjusted annually for inflation “and exemptions will be eliminated to broaden the tax base.”

P76B a year

“These measures aim to strengthen the effectiveness of the sweetened beverage tax by further discouraging the consumption of such beverages,” he pointed out.

The national government is earning about P40 billion a year since the excise tax on sweetened drinks took effect in 2018 under the TRAIN law.

Data from the DOF showed that collections from the tax on sweetened drinks totaled P213.6 billion from 2018 to 2022.

Diokno said the additional revenues from the planned new tax package could reach P76 billion a year and fund important socioeconomic initiatives, such as the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s food stamp program.

Unhealthy diet

“This [proposed new tax on salty foods and sweetened drinks] will provide support to one million food-poor households, to alleviate food insecurity and malnutrition,” he said.

In backing the proposal, the DOH on Thursday said the two tax measures would help bankroll various health programs and services, including the Universal Health Care Act.

In a statement, it said that it “recognizes the potential benefits of imposing a health tax or excise tax on unhealthy food and beverages to reduce the burden of malnutrition and noncommunicable diseases.”

The DOH said it was able to receive funding this year “five times higher than what it was 10 years ago” because of the taxes imposed on sweetened beverages under the TRAIN law.

Through the proposed new taxes, the DOH said it also hoped to “increase subsidies for the production of healthy food options” that are accessible and affordable to Filipinos.

The DOH first floated the idea of taxing salty foods in 2019, when the country’s consumption of 11 grams of salt a day was found to be more than double the 5 grams recommended by the World Health Organization.

New revenues

That same year, the state-run National Tax Research Center (NTRC) released a study, titled “Feasibility of Imposing a Junk Food Tax in the Philippines,” showing that imposing excise taxes on salty snacks and fast-food items could generate as much as P73 billion in new revenues for the government annually.

Among the food and beverages considered by the NTRC as junk food were those sold by fast-food restaurants such as burger, fries, fried chicken, hotdog, pasta and pizza, among others; deep-fried and salty snacks; sugary desserts and sweets, and carbonated beverages or “soft drinks.”

Citing the results of the Food and Nutrition Research Institute’s (FNRI) Eighth National Nutrition Survey, the NTRC said three out of every 10 Filipinos age 20 and older were overweight or obese partly due to eating junk food excessively aside from a lack of physical activity.

Among children 5 years old and below, the number of obese rose to 5 percent in 2013 from 2.4 percent in 2003, the NTRC added, citing the FNRI survey.

Obesity among children age 6 to 10 also increased to 9.1 percent from 5.8 percent between the same 10-year period, while incidence among adolescents climbed to 8.3 percent last 2013 from 4.9 percent 10 years earlier.

“An overweight or obese individual has a higher risk of being afflicted with diseases like coronary heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer, osteoarthritis and other serious chronic illnesses. In addition, habitual eating of junk food can trigger digestive problems, fatigue, depression and may also affect the brain function,” the NTRC warned, citing earlier medical studies.

The NTRC’s computations showed that domestic corporations engaged in junk food manufacturing and fast food chains had gross revenues averaging P541.6 billion from 2013 to 2017, with an average annual sales increase of 8.5 percent.

“To discourage the bad habit of eating or consuming foods detrimental to the body, especially for the young and the poor, an excise tax at the rate of 10-20 percent may be considered,” the study suggested.

Impact on the poor

However, the NTRC admitted that classifying products as “junk food” could pose difficulties as some cheap and accessible products were considered staples by many low-income families.

In fact, it said that “several legislators [recommended that] the proposal of taxing salty foods, such as dried fish and instant noodles, should be studied carefully since the former is the main livelihood of certain provinces while the latter is the typical go-to meal of many blue-collar workers.”

The NTRC suggested that the government consider subsidizing healthy foods to help address the impact of the new taxes on the poor.

“Restricting food advertising and possibly eliminating advertising of junk food, candies, soft drinks, fast food and sugared cereal for children, as well as providing more bicycle paths and recreational centers to encourage physical activity, can be considered,” the NTRC added.

The Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI), the country’s biggest private business group, said it has yet to study the impact that new taxes on sweet and salty food would have on local businesses.

PCCI president George Barcelon said they have yet to decide on a firm stance concerning this planned measure.

Barcelon admitted that they were aware of the health risks associated with these food items and how frequent intake of these had become common for many during the pandemic, contributing to the progression of the coronavirus disease. —WITH A REPORT FROM ALDEN M. MONZON 

Read more: https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1792108/tax-on-junk-food-higher-soft-drink-levy-pushed#ixzz85QQr0rGF

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Why we must get away

 We travel, some of us forever, to seek other places, other lives, other souls. —Anais Nin

BY AA PATAWARAN

Jun 23, 2023 09:25 AM

  

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AT A GLANCE

• Travel if you can, when(ever) you can, while you can.

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9,627KM The Parthenon is the most iconic of ancient ruins in Athens, which can also take you as far back in time as 2,500 years ago

I might have gone very far, but surely not far enough. 

I’ve been 200 kilometers into the Arctic Circle, crossing the white vastness on a snowmobile and a dog sleigh to make it to Jukkasjärvi in Norbotten, the northernmost county of Sweden, where I stayed for a night in the Icehotel. But that’s only 8,928 kilometers away from Manila, 4,737 kilometers nearer than New York and only 113 kilometers farther than Lalibela in the northeastern tip of Ethiopia, where I went on a pilgrimage to the 11 medieval monolithic cave churches.

8,928KM The author in an igloo en route to the Icehotel in Jukkasjärvi, Sweden

Even Los Angeles is farther from Manila than Jukkasjärvi by 2,808
kilometers. To put it in further context, Tokyo is about 2,995 kilometers away,
Hong Kong is 1,128 kilometers away, and Davao City is just 150 kilometers
closer being only 978 kilometers removed from Manila. I’ve never been to South
America, but should I have the opportunity to go to Ecuador, I would be 17,498
kilometers away from my life.

9,635KM Graffitti in Athens, taken while Greece was deep in a debt crisis in 2018 and mired in a recession that didn't end until 2019

But I’m no good at numbers, and I don’t know if they are a good
measure of how far we can go. It’s possible to go to Ecuador, still feeling trapped
in your skin, bound to and burdened by the same, old familiar things. On the
other hand, it is also possible to stay where you are and feel like everything
is new, new, new, possibilities throwing doors and windows open all around you.
But why do we get away? I suppose it is wired in our DNA to always
wonder what’s out there. Way before the Grand Tours of 17th century Europe—when the young nobles would go on trips around France, Germany, Greece, and Italy to open themselves up to history and culture—to which modern tourism traces its roots, human history has been rife with stories of brave souls crossing great distances, often at the risk of death, in search of land, in search of food, in search of power, in search of knowledge, or in the interest of trade.

8,760KM Up, up, and away on a hot air balloon in Capadoccia end of spring in Turkey

 In fact, a paper published in the Journal of Archaeological Science by George Ferentinos and colleagues has revealed evidence, such as stone tools dating back 100,000 years found all over the Mediterranean, that the Neanderthals, considered a sub-species of modern humans, if not a totally different species, had figured a way to travel by boat and by sail before it even crossed our minds to cross the seas that way.

When I was a child, I used to wonder if there were anyone on earth who looked at the far horizon without ever imagining what it would be like to be on the other side. Maybe that is what contentment means, but as the late Vogue editrix Diana Vreeland, my favorite editor and also my imaginary style dictator, had said, “To be contented, that’s for cows.” So we get away, if not for good, then for a while, some more than others, but sometimes I’d like to think it’s a matter of opportunity or the lack thereof or a matter of circumstance, say, being in jail or suffering from an extreme fear of traveling, hodophobia or what some people call “trip-o-phobia.” We will go, if we can, when we can, while we can.

8,928KM The author with mountain village kids Martha and Teshagar at Blue Nile Falls in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia

And it’s good to go too. In the late 1980s or early 1990s, “a time period characterized by rapid technological advancement and ever-increasing
indoor entertainment,” according to research scientist Courtney E. Ackerman,
environmental psychologists Rachel and Stephen Kaplan developed what is now
called Kaplan’s Attention Restoration Theory (ART), whose main premise is that
a trip to nature or any trip that gives, in Ackerman’s words, “the sense of
being separate from one’s usual thoughts and concerns” positively affect our
mood, state of mind, and even relationships.

9,913KM The famous red rooftops of Prague in the Czech Republic

How getting away benefits us is not only a romantic notion. It’s
also scientific. Getting away restores us, refreshes us, rejuvenates us. It
allows us to step back from our life to see it more clearly. We learn along the
way not just about the world, but—more important—about ourselves.
Travel if you can, when(ever) you can, while you can.

Why public service is vital

BY MANILA BULLETIN

Jun 23, 2023 00:40 AM

  

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“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

This passage from Mark 10:45 aptly underscores the importance of public service — serving and sacrificing for others that they may enjoy a better life.
Today, the world observes United Nations Public Service Day.

June 23 every year was designated by the UN General Assembly on Dec. 20, 2002 as United Nations Public Service Day to “celebrate the value and virtue of public service to the community, highlight the contribution of public service in the development process, recognize the work of public servants, and encourage young people to pursue careers in the public sector.”

To institutionalize recognition of those who had served the public in an exemplary way, the UN rolled out the United Nations Public Service Awards the following year.

“The United Nations Public Service Awards is the most prestigious international recognition of excellence in public service. It rewards the creative achievements and contributions of public service institutions that lead to a more effective and responsive public administration in countries worldwide. Through an annual competition, the UN Public Service Awards promotes the role, professionalism and visibility of public service,” the UN said. It noted that since the inception of the award in 2003, there has been an increasing number of entries submitted from around the world.

The UN Public Service Award was further fine-tuned in 2016 to align with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Last year, the Department of Science and Technology’s Science for Change Program (S4CP) was named one of the winners of the UN Public Service Award. S4CP won the award under the “Enhancing the Effectiveness of Public Institutions to Reach the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals” category.

The UN said S4CP “seeks to reduce R&D risks for micro-, small- and medium enterprises and improve productivity and global competitiveness. It provides an enabling platform where government, academia, and industry could collectively pursue relevant and impactful research for accelerated socio-economic development.”

With S4CP’s award, we express hope that this will inspire more Filipinos or Philippine institutions to come up with programs and projects that benefit the public.

Receiving an award is important, but what matters most — the crowning glory — for any public service endeavor is when we see its benefits making a positive impact on the lives of others.

As Jacob Lew, who served as the United States’ 76th secretary of the treasury, aptly put it, “I think there's no higher calling in terms of a career than public service, which is a chance to make a difference in people’s lives and improve the world.”

Mayon eruption continues; 299 rockfall, 8 dome-collapse events in past 24 hours

BY ELLALYN DE VERA-RUIZ

  

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Mayon Volcano continued to show signs of heightened activity between Wednesday, June 21, and Thursday, June 22, recording a “very slow” lava effusion, 299 rockfall events, and eight dome-collapse pyroclastic density currents (PDCs), based on the monitoring of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs).

Phivolcs said in a bulletin released on Thursday that the effusive eruption of Mayon was still causing slow lava flows and collapsing debris in the Mi-isi and Bonga gullies on the south and southeast slopes, respectively.

Molten lava glows as it flows from the mouth of Mayon Volcano in this photo taken from Barangay Budiao in Daraga, Albay, on Saturday night, June 17, 2023 (Ali Vicoy/Manila Bulletin)

From the summit crater, the lava flows have advanced to “maximum lengths” of 2,500 meters and 1,800 meters along the Mi-isi and Bonga gullies, respectively, while collapsed debris has descended to a distance of 3,300 meters. 

Eight dome-collapse PDCs lasted two to five minutes long.

According to Phivolcs, PDCs are mixtures of fragmented volcanic particles or pyroclastics, hot gases, and ash that rush down the volcaninc slopes or rapidly outward from a source vent at high speeds.

‘Hazardous’ eruption still possible

Phivolcs said that Mayon’s current state could last for a few months and its alert status could be maintained. It has been on alert level 3 since June 8.

However, it pointed out that Mayon is still in a “relatively high level of unrest as magma is at the crater and hazardous eruption within weeks or even days is possible.”

The evacuation of residents within the six-kilometer permanent danger zone has been recommended due to the risk of PDCs, lava flows, rockfalls, and other volcanic hazards.

Phivolcs warned the public to be cautious of PDCs, lahars, and sediment-laden stream flows along channels draining the volcano edifice.

It pointed out that heavy rainfall could cause channel-confined lahars and sediment-laden stream flows on channels where PDC deposits were emplaced.

Likewise, it said that ash fall events may “most likely” occur on the south side of the volcano, based on the current wind pattern.

Phivolcs advised civil aviation authorities to ask pilots to avoid flying close to the volcano because ash from sudden eruption may pose hazards to aircraft.

A most timely and important reminder

By Fr. Roy Cimagala

Chaplain

Center for Industrial Technology and Enterprise (CITE)

Talamban, Cebu City

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

“DO not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and decay destroy, and thieves break in and steal. But store up treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor decay destroys, nor thieves break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.” (Mt 6,19-21)

These words of Christ are a most timely and important reminder to all of us who are now immersed in the many new and highly irresistible developments in the world today. We have to make a shout-out of this reminder, proclaiming it loud and clear, broad and wide. We really need to make a serious campaign to warn people of the dangers of the new developments which obviously also give us a lot of advantages, etc.

We cannot deny that what we are having these days can easily swallow us up and trap us in a world of our own, detached from where we ought to be! The powerful technologies and other developments we are enjoying these days can be so tricky that we may not even realize that we are already falling into pure self-indulgence, the opposite of love which is what is proper to us.

To be able to abide by this reminder we need to learn how to be most prudent, discerning and discriminating in our ways. This can only happen if we are guided only by one principle—that everything we do should be done with God and for God, since in the end that is the real purpose of our life here on earth. In other words, while we busy ourselves with our temporal affairs, we should try our best to remain recollected.

That’s actually a big challenge, since we are easily fascinated by the charms of our modern technologies and the other new developments we have today. We need to realize that these very attractive developments require of us nothing less than a more solid grounding in our spiritual life. Without this strong spiritual foundation, there is no way we can put ourselves in the proper path toward our real destination.

That is why Christ told us that to follow him, we should learn to deny ourselves and carry cross. (cfr. Mt 16,24) I don’t think Christ wants us to disengage ourselves from the things of this world. He just wants us to practice a certain detachment from the things of this world. It’s a detachment that would enable us to do things with God and for God while going about our temporal activities.

For this we need to have the right intention in anything we do, and rectify and purify it whenever our intention goes somewhere else. We need to convince ourselves that it is all worthwhile to do everything for God and with God. We need to see the truth of how such intention would actually give us our true joy, our true perfection, even if pursuing it would involve certain sacrifices.

             We need to realize then that we have to take utmost care of our intention, making it as explicit as possible, and honing it to get engaged with its proper and ultimate object, who is God. 

We should try our best to shun being simply casual or cavalier about this responsibility. We can easily play around with it, since intentions are almost invariably hidden from public knowledge. We are urged to be most sincere in directing our intentions properly.

What is to pray properly

By Fr. Roy Cimagala

Chaplain

Center for Industrial Technology and Enterprise (CITE)

Talamban, Cebu City

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

CHRIST told us how to pray properly. “In praying, do not babble like the pagans, who think that they will be heard because of their many words,” he said. “Do not be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” (Mt 6,7-8)

In other words, we have to pray sincerely, avoiding just going through the motions of praying. We should see to it that when we pray, we get to have an intimate and direct conversation with God who is always with us and, like a father, treats us with love and solicitude. He actually is always eager to talk with us. Our problem is that we often ignore him, something that we should correct.

This will require faith, of course, since without it there is no way we can have a real conversation with God. Even if our faith is not that strong, we still can manage to strike a good conversation with God, precisely by asking with all humility and importance for that faith, echoing what a father of an epileptic son told Christ, “I believe, but help my unbelief.” (Mk 9,24)

And it’s interesting to note that after Christ told his disciples not to babble when praying, he told them the Lord’s Prayer which we usually refer to as the “Our Father.” “This is how you are to pray…,” (cfr. Mt 6,9-15) he said. It’s as if that prayer is the model prayer we have to follow in any personal prayer we do. We should express the same beliefs, attitude, intentions and petitions articulated in that prayer.

We therefore have to realize that prayer is how we maintain and nourish our relationship with God, and that relationship should be that of a father and a child. Prayer keeps alive our desire for God, a desire to be like God as we are meant to be.

We have to realize that praying is to our spiritual life what breathing and the beating of the heart are to our biological life. That is why St. Paul clearly said, “Pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thes 5,17-18)

When we manage to truly pray, we can also manage to protect ourselves from all kinds of evil, and to heal whatever wounds and weaknesses we may have because of our sins. A sense of holy invulnerability can come to us. We can find peace and joy in spite of the drama of our life.

We have to be careful not to convert our prayer into something that is meant only to foster our pursuit for some self-interest that is separated from our desire to be like God. That is why in the Lord’s Prayer, we address God as our Father, and we express the desire that his kingdom come here on earth and that his will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

And while we have many things to ask because of our personal needs, we should not forget that the more important thing to ask is forgiveness of our sins which will always be given as long as we also forgive others.

We just cannot resort to prayer during special occasions when we are faced with some difficulty. Prayer is not meant to be the remedy of last resort. It is what we have to do always, both in good times and bad.

ITCZ to continue to bring rain showers over Palawan, parts of VisMin

Scattered rain showers and thunderstorms may continue to affect Palawan, Visayas, and Mindanao due to the prevalence of the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ), the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said on Thursday, June 22. (Video Courtesy of DOST-PAGASA)

Senators confront CebuPac with 3,000 flyer complaints

By: Marlon Ramos, Tyrone Jasper C. Piad - @inquirerdotnet

Philippine Daily Inquirer / 05:30 AM June 22, 2023

Wednesday’s four-hour Senate hearing chaired by Sen. Nancy Binay unloaded a heap of criticism on Cebu Pacific, whose passengers are seen disembarking in this December 2021 file photo. STORY: Senators confront CebuPac with 3,000 flyer complaints

TURBULENT DAY | Wednesday’s four-hour Senate hearing chaired by Sen. Nancy Binay unloaded a heap of criticism on Cebu Pacific, whose passengers are seen disembarking in this December 2021 file photo. (Photo by LYN RILLON / Philippine Daily Inquirer)

MANILA, Philippines — The Senate Committee on Tourism began on Wednesday its probe of the mounting passenger complaints against the Gokongwei-led Cebu Pacific Air, with senators unconvinced with the budget carrier’s explanation for its delayed and canceled flights as they zeroed in on its practice of overbooking, believed to be the main reason why many passengers were suddenly told that they could no longer board their plane.

Sen. Nancy Binay, who presided over the hearing as chair of the Senate committee, narrated that even some members of her staff had their own share of nightmarish tales about Cebu Pacific’s dismal performance and customer service.

Her office, she added, was able to compile more than 3,000 complaints against Cebu Pacific that were posted by exasperated passengers on social media.

The four-hour proceedings virtually turned into a “grief-sharing session” as passengers shared their ordeal after their flights were suddenly canceled or delayed for several hours.

One of the complainants, who participated in the hearing online, narrated the budget carrier’s shabby treatment of passengers when their return flight to Manila from Tokyo on June 5 was delayed due to “noise problems from the aircraft’s engine.”

The passenger, whose identity was withheld, also noted the inconsistencies in the explanation of Cebu Pacific’s staff as they were later told that the delay was caused by the late arrival of another plane.

“We were left there without food and any commitment for accommodation while waiting for our next flight,” said the woman, who said she, her husband, and their child were forced to sleep on the floor of Narita International Airport in Japan.

She said she and her husband also had to file an unscheduled leave from work while their child had to skip classes.

Another passenger said she nearly missed the dentistry board exam on May 3 when she was informed that her May 1 flight from Dumaguete City to Manila had been moved four days later.

“It caused me too much stress,” said the complainant, who noted that she learned about the cancellation only moments before she was about to board her flight.

She said she was surprised after her aunt, who was in Australia, was able to buy a ticket for a Cebu Pacific flight, which cost more than P10,000, on the morning of May 2.

“How is it possible that they were able to offer new seats to highest-paying customers when they knew for a fact that there are a lot of passengers (of the delayed flight) who want to come to Manila?” the complainant asked.

Unexpected challenges

During the hearing, Cebu Pacific blamed “freak incidents” and the global logistics slowdown for flight disruptions such as overbooking and canceled flights.

“Clearly, the challenges have been unprecedented, especially for Cebu Pacific, because of all of the freak incidents that we’ve had,” Airline president and chief commercial officer Alexander Lao said in response to a query by Sen. JV Ejercito.

“We express our sincerest apologies to our passengers for the disruptions and assure you that we are committed to resolving these challenges. We understand that this is still our responsibility,” he said.

Among the “freak incidents” that Lao mentioned were the frequent lightning and bird strikes, ground damage due to runway debris, and sudden severe weather disturbances.

He also said that one of their planes was damaged when its tire burst upon landing while another sustained damage while being towed by its maintenance provider.

According to Lao, “red lightning alerts” had become “more prevalent and are longer in duration this year.”

From April to June, he said Cebu Pacific recorded a total of 78 red lightning alerts that disrupted 535 flights.

“Some red lightning alerts take up to three hours, which require stoppage of operations and could affect flights that are flying to airports that can only operate before sunset and could eventually lead to cancellations,” Lao explained.

He said the delays in the maintenance service for its planes also adversely affected its operations, while Airbus itself failed to deliver new planes on time.

“These delivery delays necessitate changes to our flight schedules, including flight cancellations and equipment changes from larger to smaller aircraft, which may cause some passengers to be disrupted and cause the perception of overbooking,” Lao said.

“Rather than canceling the flight,” he said, “the use of smaller aircraft allows us to still bring as many customers as possible to their destination and lessen the number of disrupted passengers.”

Remedial measures

Despite the challenges, Lao said Cebu Pacific had been complying with the “Air Passenger Bill of Rights,” which the Department of Transportation implemented in 2012 to safeguard the interests of flight passengers.

In a statement on Wednesday, the Gokongwei-led airline said it has ramped up customer assistance, reduced scheduled flights, and increased standby aircraft to mitigate the surge in flight delays and cancellations due to fleet availability issues.

“We have established a disruption management team to augment our ground staff and help passengers during unexpected events. Additionally, Cebu Pacific has expanded its customer service capabilities by increasing the number of live agents who can assist our customers around the clock,” the airline added.

“Given the sudden unprecedented number of grounded aircraft, some of which will be out of service for a considerable amount of time, we have reduced our flight schedule to account for the long-term unserviceable aircraft and enabling more standby aircraft on the day,” it noted.

The airline said it now has four standby aircraft — which can accommodate passengers with same-day flight schedule change — from three previously and plans to increase this to six by year’s end.

The airline booked a net income of P1.08 billion in the first quarter this year, a turnaround from the P7.61-billion net loss in the same period last year, as passenger volume more than doubled to 4.8 million.

Regulators’ failure

During the hearing, senators also took to task officials of the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) and the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines for their failure to crack the whip on Cebu Pacific and other erring airlines.

“You are inutile since nobody has been sanctioned and punished despite their repeated violations,” Sen. Raffy Tulfo bluntly told CAB executive director Carmelo Arcilla.

Senators Ronald dela Rosa and Grace Poe then joined Sen. Risa Hontiveros, Tulfo, and Binay in pushing for a law that would institutionalize the Air Passenger Bill of Rights.

Poe said the state regulators should also take stern actions to stem the abuses of airline companies, reiterating that “systemic delays and cancellations” of flights should not be the norm.

“Canceled flights are not solved merely by rebooking or refunding,” Poe said, adding: “This pressing public service issue calls for urgent effective solutions as it involves not only the air passengers’ rights but also the overall impact on the country’s tourism and economy.”

In the Lower House, meanwhile, Makabayan lawmakers also want their own probe of the complaints against Cebu Pacific.

The three-member bloc on Wednesday filed House Resolution No. 1093, which urged the House transportation panel to conduct an investigation in aid of legislation on the complaints.

The measure also called on the Department of Transportation and other government agencies “to review and strengthen the regulations on overbooking, compensation, and customer service in the airline industry.”

Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, for his part, pushed for the suspension of Cebu Pacific’s legislative franchise to punish it for its alleged “lousy, terrible” service amid complaints of delayed, canceled, and overbooked flights.

“Congress should temporarily withdraw such privilege from Cebu Pacific until such time that it can provide satisfactory service to the riding public,” noted the chair of the House constitutional amendments committee.

—WITH A REPORT FROM JULIE M. AURELIO