President Rodrigo Duterte got fed up with the incompetence of the two airline company based in the Philippines and made a warning to them.
During his speech at the 121st Philippine Navy Anniversary celebration, Duterte warned Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific to give a better service to the Filipinos or else their business may disappear in the future.
According to him, PAL and CebuPac should fulfill their obligations of providing comfortable travel to their customers, especially to the Filipino air travelers.
“Kawawa talaga ang riding public,” Duterte said.
“Merong isang eroplanong nag-landing and they stayed for five hours inside the plane — incoming. So merong tumawag late ng two hours, mag-book sila ng hotel,” he added.
He also lectured PAL and CebuPac, saying that they should give their passengers convenience because that is the reason why their businesses exist.
“I told PAL and the rest of the carriers — the very essence of a common carrier, whether it is a jeep, a bus, an airplane, a ship — ang common ano diyan is for public interest and public governance, and convenience,” he said.
“If you cannot provide convenience and comfort, you ought not to be there at all,” he added.
President Duterte also believed that the congestion at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) is the reason why passengers are experiencing inconvenience and delays.
To solve the issue, he suggested making Sangley point to become an alternative airport for passengers.
“I used to fly when I was young. So kilala ko ‘yang mga piloto sa Civil Aviation, almost all of them. Noong una pa tinitingnan ko talaga ‘yung clogging. I mentioned it in passing itong Sangley. But it was lost in the maze of governmental…Sabi ko, ‘Why don’t you look at the direction of Sangley? Maski na lang sa mga cargo, to ease up a bit ‘yung (congestion),” he said.
After the President suggested to make Sangley point as an alternative landing, Department of Transportation (DOTr) ordered a 24/7 construction of the airport in Cavite.