After the Philippine Airlines (PAL) suspended its Laoag City-Manila flights on February 13, Laoag City Mayor Michael V. Fariñas announced that Asian Spirit has confirmed that it would start operating its Laoag-Manila flights on February 21.

Fariñas earlier asked officials of Cebu Pacific Airlines to take over PAL’s slot but aside from flying in a rescue flight on February 14, the Gokongwei-owned airline has not yet decided if they would service the Laoag-Manila route.

The Cebu Pacific rescue flight also carried some airline officials to the province wherein they met with Ilocos Norte Governor Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on the possibility of servicing the route vacated by PAL. However, Fariñas, who was also in the meeting, said the Cebu Pacific officials would still refer the matter to their board.

Fariñas also appealed to PAL officials to reconsider their decision to suspend their Laoag flights but airline executives stood pat on their decision.

Asian Spirit has released their flight schedules. They are as follows: 9 a.m. for Manila-Laoag and 10:30 a.m. for Laoag-Manila routes every Tuesday and Thursday; and 3 p.m. for Manila-Laoag and 4:30 p.m. for Laoag-Manila routes every Friday and Sunday.

Fariñas also explained that Asian Spirit would pull out its Laoag flights in case Cebu Pacific decides to service the route or PAL resumes its operations since they would be unable to compete with either of the two giant airlines.

Asian Spirit further announced that it would be charging less than what PAL was charging for the Laoag-Manila route. Asian Spirit fares are pegged at P6,400, P500 less than PAL’s P6,900 airfare.

IN officials want to know why PAL pulled out

Meanwhile, several Ilocos Norte officials, led by Governor Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. want to get to the bottom of why PAL suddenly suspended its Laoag flights.

Earlier, former Laoag City Mayor Roger C. Fariñas was blamed for the suspension of PAL flights after he figured in a heated argument with one of PAL’s employees at the Laoag International Airport (LIA) on February 10.

During his regular press briefing at the Capitol on February 15, the governor lambasted the former Laoag mayor branding him as “childish idiot and mentally retarded” for his alleged confrontational behavior towards the PAL employee.

Marcos related that in his phone conversation with PAL President Jimmy Bautista recently, the airline executive confirmed that it was Fariñas’ behavior which caused the sudden suspension of flights.

“After Roger Fariñas was screaming at her [the PAL employee], umuwi na kaagad sa Manila sa takot at nai-kwento ang nangyari sa lahat ng employee ng PAL. Pumasok ngayon ang union ng PAL. Basically, nag-strike ang union ng PAL dito sa Laoag (she went back to Manila out of fear ands she told her experience to PAL employees. Now the PAL union entered the picture. Basically, the union conducted a strike on Laoag) saying the union won’t allow PAL members to be threatened that way. Hence, no staff came to service here, of which the PAL management has agreed,” Marcos said.

Marcos added that he was told by PAL officials that they preferred not to be involved in the local politics here in the province hence the suspension of their Manila-Laoag flights.

“I can’t understand what brings you to the conclusion that you will behave like a crazy, retarded person. I don’t understand it. It just goes to show that it does not take very much to destroy seven years of hard work trying to improve the profile of Ilocos Norte, of trying to make Ilocos Norte as a tourist destination. And we are now a tourist destination but there is no flight here. That is what they have done,” Marcos stressed as he pointed out that the PAL flight suspension does not only affect the province but the whole Northern Luzon which is dependent on LIA flights.

“Ngayon nawala ng lahat! Bakit? Dahil mainit ang ulo ng isang tao? Dahil mayabang ang isang tao? Pininsala ang buong probinsya, pininsala ang buong Northern Luzon (Now everything is gone! Why? Because of a single person’s hot temper? Because of one person’s arrogance? The province is damaged, the entire northern Luzon is damaged),” Marcos thundered visibly irked.

To ensure that no repeat of the alleged incident would occur, Marcos has asked the Air Transportation Office (ATO) to install security cameras around LIA to monitor all activities, especially untoward incidents that may immediately be reviewed and documented.

SP wants probe

For his part, Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) member Michael M. Keon, SP tourism committee chair, expressed his disbelief in the sudden cancellation of PAL flights to Laoag as he said the lack of ground crew which was cited by the airline as its reason was not sufficient considering the heavy passenger load of the airline in its Laoag-Manila route.

“I was very surprised by the abrupt and precipitous decision of Philippine Airlines to cancel their flights to Ilocos Norte. The cancellation of flights will severely affect the inflow of tourists because not only are the local flights are cancelled but even the international flights were being cancelled affecting the occupancy of hotels like Fort Ilocandia,” Keon said as he pointed out that one-third of all Chinese tourists visiting the Philippines are coming to Ilocos Norte.

“How can Philippine Airlines say that after they had been servicing here for three years and then all of a sudden they announced that none of their employees wish to serve here in the province? What’s the real reason?” Keon added.

The board member also stressed that the rumors circulating that the former Laoag mayor bullied a PAL employee resulting in the sudden cancellation of PAL flights are essentially hearsays until somebody officially testifies about it, or PAL makes an official statement on what really transpired.

SP member Mariano V. Marcos II, meanwhile, suggested that the SP draft a resolution convincing PAL to resume their Laoag flights with the assurance of security for their personnel by condemning the behavior of the former city official if he really did what was reported.

“If this is the kind of attitude we were perceived here, business will drop and it will going to affect all of us because no investor will come in. So we must show that we mean business in Ilocos Norte,” Marcos II said.

RCF explains side on PAL issue

After being criticized for the alleged “PAL incident” wherein he was said to have caused the suspension of PAL flights to Laoag after he figured in a verbal tussle with an airline employee, former Laoag City Mayor Roger C. Fariñas has denied any wrongdoing on the incident.

According to Fariñas, he did not yell at the PAL employee, whom he identified as Marlon Calasin, PAL community relations officer.

“No nag-ngato kuman a ti boses ko ket na-buak kuma aminen a tao diay uneg iti departure area ket nagadu iti tao idi. Dakes kuma lang iti agsaludsod? (If I raised my voice then it would have startled all the people present at the departure area at the time, and there were plenty of people then. Is it wrong to ask for clarification?), Fariñas explained.

The former mayor related that the “incident” began when his wife, Mrs. Asuncion Fariñas was not given a front row seat at the airplane even if she was among the first to check in at 4:00 pm for the 5 pm flight. As Mrs. Fariñas was due for a medical check-up in Manila and was even sick at the time, they requested that she be given the front row seat as they made it known that they are aware of PAL’s first-come-first-serve policy in giving seats to its passengers. The said episode ended peacefully and the PAL employees yielded and gave Mrs. Fariñas the seat she needed.

The “incident” however continued after Mrs. Fariñas’ ticket had been found to be under the name of her daughter, Patricia. It was at this point, according to Fariñas, that Calasin advised them that she buy another ticket in her name and the other ticket would just be refunded later.

According to the three-term mayor, Calasin said this was the policy being implemented by Roven Ablan, Laoag International Airport (LIA) operations manager.

At this point, Fariñas said, he looked up for Ablan to confirm if this was the policy at the LIA. Ablan however said this was not the airport’s policy and Mrs. Fariñas was allowed to board the plane.

Fariñas stressed that the confrontation he had with Calasin about the ticket was the only verbal engagement they had and that he did not look for the PAL employee again after the ticket issue was resolved, hence, the former mayor pointed out, there was no truth to the rumor that he hit Calasin.

“Ang sinabi ko lang kung gusto n’ya sapakin ko siya kasi kanina ayaw nilang ibigay ‘yung front seat, e nauna nang nag-check-in si Mrs. Fariñas tapos ngayon ayaw pagamit ‘yung ticket ng anak ko at pinag-rason pa niya si Mr. Ablan, e wala naman daw order na ganun ‘yung tao. E ‘di parang niloloko na niya ako kung ganun (What I told him is if he wanted me to punch him for all the troubles that they were causing us from the seat given to Mrs. Fariñas and to the ticket under my daughter’s name which they didn’t want to be used by Mrs. Fariñas reasoning that it was Mr. Ablan’s order, to which Mr. Ablan denied having such order. With all these, it was as if he was making a fool of me),” Fariñas explained.

After relating his side on the issue, Fariñas lamented the fact that he was being blamed for the suspension of PAL flight to Laoag even if the people putting the blame on him do not know the real story.

He also divulged that he, with the help of his brother, former Ilocos Norte Governor and Representative Rodolfo C. Fariñas, is studying the broadcasted remarks of Ilocos Norte Governor Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. calling him as “childish, idiot” and “mentally retarded” when he was asked to comment on the PAL issue during a press briefing on February 15.

The former mayor said his brother sees Marcos’ remarks as libelous. He did not however confirm if they would file charges against the governor.

He further went on to correct Marcos—who said that the person Fariñas engaged in a verbal tussle was a woman—that the PAL employee in question is a man, and he identified it as Calasin.

“Ti ngamin madi kenni governor ket ag-react a dagus. Di kuna agpa-imbestigar nga umuna tapnon ammu na iti talaga a napasamak (The problem with the governor is he immediately reacts on issues. Why won’t he ask for an investigation first so he would know what really happened),” Fariñas said.

Fariñas added that he had asked PAL President Jaime Bautista for a confrontation with Calasin for everyone to know what really transpired between them. Bautista agreed but the PAL executive is still out of the country and the confrontation would occur when he returns.

“Kuna da pay nga ag-public apology-ak. Ana kuma a gapu ket awan met formal complaint against kaniyak wenno uray kuma man lang police blotter no adda talaga a napasamak idi. Kuna da kano a mabuteng kaniak, ket sinno ak kumma ket maysa ak met lang a pribado a tao (They said I should issue a public apology. But what would I apologize for? There is no formal complaint against me or there was not even a police blotter on the alleged incident if it really happened. They said the person was afraid of me? But who am I for him to be afraid of? I am now only a private citizen), Fariñas said.

In ending, Fariñas said he believes the allegations and rumors against him are politically motivated as he pointed out that PAL’s reason for suspending its flight to Laoag was due to lack of personnel to serve at LIA. He also questioned the timing of the issue as it was brought out more than a week after the alleged incident. The incident happened on February 3.

Meanwhile, Marcos justified his remarks as his “point of view” on the issue.

“I cannot see what’s libelous about what I said. It was a point of view and that is something you cannot fault me on. In my mind, what other way can you explain such behavior, right? So that is my point of view,” Marcos explained.

The governor however stressed that he does not welcome any cases that may be filed against him but if the former mayor is determined to sue him, then he would face it, Marcos added.

Dominic B. dela Cruz and Leilanie G. Adriano

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