Business, labor join call for airline rescue

Leaders of the nation’s major business groups together with representatives of the labor sector have called for government intervention to rescue the desperate local airline industry from a prolonged crisis whose adverse effects are already being felt in other sectors of the economy.

Meeting under the umbrella of the broad-based "Buy Pinoy Movement" at the Wack Wack Golf and Country Club last Friday the captains of industry and labor warned that the collapse of the aviation industry would seriously impair the country’s economic health.

"Governments all over the world are bailing out their carriers. We must urgently look at ways to help our local airlines," Sergio Ortiz-Luis, Jr., president of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, told the forum.

"We cannot afford not to have healthy air carriers. When push comes to shove we need strong flag carriers (to ensure our economic survival)."

For his part, Alexander Barrientos, president of the Philippine Airlines Employees Association, the largest union in the aviation sector, urged government to save the jobs of over 15,000 workers in his industry by restricting the grant of air rights to foreign carriers on routes that are already well-served by local airlines.

"Every time we extend such privileges to foreign carriers, we are giving away jobs instead of saving the ones here," he said.

Aviation industry players circulated a manifesto at the conclave enumerating a list of measures needed to ensure the sector’s survival. The campaign, under the slogan "Fly Filipino, Fly the Flag," complements the broader thrust of the Buy Pinoy Movement, whose battle-cry is "Buy Pinoy, Save Jobs."

The movement was formed last Dec. 11 in response to the deepening economic crisis–triggered by the rush to globalization–that has resulted in the loss of thousands of jobs across the economy.

In a joint statement issued at the Friday forum, the movement noted that Filipino workers in the tourism industry, particularly in the airline and hotel sectors, were in danger of losing their jobs if present trends continue.

Barrientos said the local airline industry was not at a crossroads since the Sept. 11 terror attacks knocked carriers worldwide into a tailspin that has yet to abate.

He appealed to Filipino passengers to patronize local carriers as a patriotic duty. "The citizenry’s patronage of the services of Filipino airline companies is crucial to the survival of our industry. In the end, we all benefit from a viable airline sector."

Ortiz-Luis’ views were echoed by his predecessor at the PCCI’s helm, Miguel Varela: "Trade between regions will be affected if we don’t help our local airlines. And how can we encourage tourism if we don’t have a strong airline industry? Many economic activities are dependent on air transport."

John Ng, acting president of the Federation of Filipino Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry, said Malacañang should emulate the decisive action of governments in the US, New Zealand, the European Union and others that bailed out their airlines in the wake of the post-Sept. 11 market collapse.

Robert Lim Joseph, president of the Network of Independent Travel Agencies, echoed the call for robust government support for the travel sector, particularly the local airlines.