Cebu Pacific’s ‘Juan Effect’ tourism program

It was a great Tuesday noon to meet with Department of Tourism (DOT) Regional Director-7 Shalimar Hofer-Tamano at the Makati Shangri-La for the launching of Cebu Pacific’s Juan Effect Sustainable Tourism Program with the DOT. Shalimar had to be there because no less than DOT Secretary Berna Romulo-Puyat was on hand to be with Cebu Pacific Air’s president and CEO Lance Gokongwei to launch this very green program together with the Dept. Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) coordinating their efforts for this very commendable advocacy to help promote recyclable materials and eco-friendly utensils for all flights of CPA.

As Lance Gokongwei pointed out, “As Cebu Pacific aims to fly 22 million passengers in 2018 we recognize sustainable tourism as a key priority for the airline. The Juan Effect program is a call for all stakeholders to come together, collaborate and cooperate toward concerted efforts, to ensure that tourism industry progresses sustainable.” Indeed on the average Cebu Pacific flies around 400 flights daily across 37 domestic and 26 international destinations and those flights approximately use 18,500 pieces of plastic spoons and forks, plastic cups and plastic stirrers on a daily basis. This has to change by the use of materials other than plastic. How I wish that the majority of privately owned companies made this kind of commitment that Cebu Pacific just did!

The DOT too accepted the CPA challenge with the DENR and if everyone gets into this game, we will no longer see the misuse of plastic on domestic and all international flights. Indeed single use plastic like straws should never have been made in the first place. I remember that in the old days straws were made from waxed paper hardened and rounded to make a straw. But I guess they were expensive to make hence it was replaced with plastic. But why not bring back the straws made of wax?

Thus, Lance Gokongwei desired that if it is possible for all his passengers to also bring a water jug for their water needs. To prove his point, he gave the media a small water jug for us to use for our water needs. What Lance told us is something that the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) to seriously look into. I usually bring a water jug when I travel, but the airport usually asks me to remove the water or drink it because they allow only empty jugs on board the plane. It is a fact that the biggest challenge about the environment is the use of small plastic water bottles which when thrown into canals or creeks cause major clogging of these waterways.

Thus the “Juan Effect” of Cebu Pacific aims to encourage responsible travel among passengers and empower everyone to change at least one everyday habit. This is exactly what CPA is doing by changing to eco-friendly utensils for their in-flight catering services with the support of the DOT and the DENR. With the closure of Boracay in everyone’s minds, let me say that in no time, the Philippines would become an environment friendly nation and it has its beginnings in Cebu Pacific’s Juan Effect!

Prior to the launching of the Juan Effect on Monday afternoon, the media was brought to Cebu Pacific’s Customer Command Center created to react in lightning speed to all comments that CPA will get from social media networks. It was indeed a major step toward improving passenger relations, especially from passengers that get to use the social media.

Jackie Lou de Paz, director for passenger fare gave us a 20-minute talk about how things are handled at the command center and let me say that it was quite impressive to hear. It was really the first time for CPA to open its doors to the media, thanks to Charo Logarta Lagamon, communications director in CPA. It was also great to meet up with Candice Iyog, CPA vice president whom I consider my oldest friend in CPA.

Frankly speaking, the Cebu and Mindanao Media who were brought to see the Passenger Command Center at the Cebu Pacific’s headquarters were all elated to see that Cebu Pacific now as a 24/7 facility to respond to passenger complaints especially in the social media networks. With Cebu Pacific’s Juan Effect, we certainly hope that it would catch on. What recently went viral on social media was a man swimming on the shore in Bali, Indonesia only to discover plastic waste under the sea, which needs to be cleaned.

Let me say that we are in full support of Cebu Pacific’s Juan Effect and hope that other establishments would join this very noble effort. It’s high time we get rid of plastics that help only to destroy the environment. Perhaps our biggest challenge is to get rid of plastic water bottles. Lastly, let me say that staying at the Savoy Hotel gives you the best view of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 where you can literally see the airplanes fly in and out of Manila. Best of all, these hotels, the Savoy and the Belmont only has Philippine STAR newspapers in their establishment, which is a plus-plus for me.

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