Malacañang endorses review of EO 28, 29

MANILA, Philippines - Malacañang has endorsed to Transportation and Communications Secretary Manuel Roxas II and Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario for action the letter of tourism industry leader Robert Lim Joseph to President Aquino asking him to review Executive Order 29 and EO 28 which he signed on March 14, 2011.

EO 28 reorganizes the Philippine air negotiating and consultation panels and excluded Philippine carriers from being members in them, while EO 29 further liberalizes the civil aviation policy, including imposing pocket open skies in airports outside of Metro Manila.

The endorsement letter from Malacañang to Roxas and Del Rosario was signed by Deputy Executive Secretary Teofilo Pilando Jr. last Oct. 10.

“We are thankful to President Aquino for acting on our concern. EO 29 which favors foreign carriers over local airlines was highly influenced by pro open skies advocates led by former Tourism Secretary Alberto Lim, the Freedom to Fly Coalition, and the Makati Business Club,” Joseph said.

He said EO 29 is the same as EO 500 issued during the time of President Aquino which opened up our airports to foreign carriers without reciprocity. EO 500 was amended by EO 500-A upon the appeal of fair open skies advocates. However, pro open skies groups came up with EO 500-B, which remained unsigned during Arroyo’s time. But it resurfaced now as EO 29, Joseph said.

“Our only concern here is reciprocity. We want local carriers to have equal chance to compete with foreign airlines,” Joseph said.

Malacañang’s action was based on Joseph’s letter to the President dated Sept. 28, 2011 wherein he pointed out the disadvantageous provisions of the two EOs, including their impact on Philippine carriers and the local aviation industry.

In his letter, Joseph, chairman of Tourism Educators and Movers Philippines (Team Philippines) and one of the convenors of the Fair Trade Alliance, pointed out that imposing pocket open skies in airports outside of Metro Manila has no guarantee of reciprocity to local airlines.

“The EO granted unprecedented fifth freedom rights to foreign airlines without assurance that Philippine carriers will get the same reciprocal arrangements from their governments,” he said.

Under a fifth freedom environment, a foreign carrier like Singapore Airlines can fly, say, to the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA) in Clark, Pampanga, pick up passengers there and then fly them to Los Angeles , USA . “But Philippine carriers like Cebu Pacific and Philippine Airlines cannot do the same as Singapore would not give a fair exchange of rights,” he said in the letter.