Pilot under review over post vs Robredo

MANILA, Philippines — Budget carrier Cebu Pacific has placed under disciplinary review one of its pilots for making a “speculative and careless” social media post against Vice President Leni Robredo.

In a statement, Cebu Pacific vice president for flight operations Sam Avila apologized for the actions by the pilot, who in a now-deleted post claimed that Robredo requested that her flight a month ago be given priority landing at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, which caused flight diversions.

“I confirm that the pilot has made it clear to us that he had no basis for his claim and was purely speculative and careless on his part,” Avila said.

Cebu Pacific said while it respects freedom of speech and expression and does not prevent its employees from having or expressing their own political beliefs, the company is also governed by the Data Privacy Act of 2012 and its Code of Discipline.

In a separate statement, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) said it sees the issue as an internal matter that must be discussed by the airline and the pilot concerned.

The CAAP said air traffic data, sourced out from the air traffic service, are included in its confidentiality clauses as this information has its security implications.

The Office of the Vice President (OVP) last night denied the post claiming she requested priority landing at the airport.

“This never happened and is a malicious fabrication. During her entire tenure as Vice President, (she) has never asked to be prioritized for taking off or landing when traveling by air. Any claim to the contrary is a lie,” the OVP said in a statement. – Janvic Mateo, Rudy Santos