Pinoys soar with PAL

We felt proud at the unveiling of the first Airbus A350-1000 aircraft acquired by Philippine Airlines (PAL). It is the first of nine units planned to be added by our country’s flag carrier. No less than President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. (PBBM) led the colorful unveiling ceremonies last Saturday night.

The huge aircraft was presented in rites held at the tarmac of the Lufthansa Technik Philippines inside the Macroasia Economic Zone, Villamor Airbase in Pasay City. With the addition of the A350-1000, PAL’s fleet now stands at 82 aircraft. PAL Holdings Inc. president and chief executive officer Lucio C. Tan III proudly declared PAL became the first airline in Southeast Asia to operate the long-range wide-body Airbus A350-1000.

“In many ways, the arrival of the Airbus A350-1000 mirrors the Philippines today: resilient, forward-looking and prepared to engage the world with confidence,” Tan cited.

Aside from Airbus planes, PAL’s fleet includes Boeing and De Havilland aircraft operating scheduled nonstop flights out of hubs in Manila, Cebu, Clark and Davao to 31 destinations in the Philippines and 39 destinations in Asia, North America, Australia and the Middle East. PAL also offers air cargo and charter services.

Celebrating PAL’s 85th anniversary, a new theme song in promoting PAL was also launched during the same ceremonies. A trio performance by popular singers Ogie Alcasid, Gary Valenciano and Martin Nievera sang the new jingle composed by award-winning composer-musicians Louie Ocampo and Jimmy Antiporda.

The bouncy jingle “Fly with Heart” is also the new tagline of PAL in carrying the message of “care from the heart” of the pilots and crew on board every PAL flight and the rest of the men and women in the ground services of PAL.

More than a celebration of these milestones, Tan stressed the shared belief of PAL it “must always endure as a symbol of the Philippines’ journey as a nation.”

Tan reaffirmed PAL’s commitment in supporting tourism growth and strengthening the global competitiveness of not just PAL but the entire country. “For us, this aircraft stands as a powerful symbol of our resurgence. It represents our confidence to compete globally, while remaining deeply rooted in who we are as Filipinos,” Tan pointed out.

“As my grandfather affirmed at the height of the pandemic, I reiterate that commitment today: ‘Like the Philippine flag, we will continue to stand tall and strong as the national carrier and premier airline of the Philippines,’” he waxed sentimental.

“The Philippines is Philippine Airlines. And Philippine Airlines is the Philippines,” Tan quoted from his grandfather’s proudest moments.

Tan is a namesake grandson of Filipino-Chinese taipan Lucio Tan Sr., whose vast empire includes the conglomerate LT Group across banking, tobacco, liquor, real estate and the airline sectors. Fondly called “KapiTan,” the 90-year-old taipan could not join the momentous event for his 30-year-old grandson.

A summa cum laude graduate in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University in 2015, the young Tan later earned a Master’s in Computer Science from the same university. He first worked as a software engineer at tech giants in the US before he returned home to steer their family-run legacy airline and other companies.

The young Tan took over at a time of challenges to keep PAL operations literally up in the skies, while meeting head-on the turbulence of the ups and downs buffeting the global airline industry. Foremost of which, he recalled, was the COVID-19 pandemic that caused massive losses to airlines due to travel restrictions around the world.

“Across eight and a half decades, PAL’s journey has closely mirrored that of our country, marked by progress and setbacks, confidence and uncertainty, moments of growth and periods of profound challenge. We have endured wars, economic cycles, natural disasters and, most recently, the most severe crisis global aviation has ever known,” Tan noted.

I should know because my son is one of the young pilots who soldiered on during those trying times for PAL. My son and his fellow PAL pilots flew repatriation flights, mounted thousands of provincial sweeper flights and launched a cargo airlift for essential supplies during the pandemic.

As if the pandemic was not enough, Tan further pointed to another “existential crisis” that PAL underwent to keep the airline operational. He obviously alluded to PAL’s taking “Chapter 11” for bankruptcy protection while undergoing financial restructuring in 2021. This allowed PAL to shed over $2 billion in debts, renegotiate leases, reduce its fleet and secure new capital, successfully.

“This transformation would not have been possible without the steadfast commitment of my grandparents, whose vision has always been to make the flag carrier a beacon of pride for the Filipino nation,” Tan mused.

In his address, President Marcos vowed the government will match PAL’s efforts with the on-going upgrade of airports all over the country that started with the private sector-led improvements of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).

In fact, Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Christina Frasco announced last Monday its new program for PAL passengers to spend their long layover time in touring Metro Manila’s iconic attractions. At $50 per person, DOT offers Transit Tours through PAL’s official website and the LovePH mobile app, a curated, safe and time-bound “hop on-hop-off” bus tour.

Digressing from his prepared speech, PBBM admitted he was “very much entertained” by PAL’s newest pre-flight “safety” announcement in a telenovela format video. Released two weeks prior to the unveiling rites, the 6:22 minutes long starts with the blurb: “What do you need to do to keep your love safe?”

PBBM found its storyline “very engaging” while featuring the scenic tourist spots in the Philippines. “The only danger I think that you might have is that the actual telenovela will be the one that will be watched by people. They will forget all the safety measures that you have put in,” the President chortled.

“It is so Pinoy,” a very amused President quipped. And soaring high with PAL, if I may add.