THE Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) is asking the country’s three major carriers to explain why they should not be penalized for pushing through with their flights to Boracay Island, despite a government decision to lock down the National Capital Region (NCR) and four provinces in a bubble, and disallowing non-essential travel in or out of these areas.
Lawyer Wyrlou E. Samodio, chief of CAB’s Legal Division confirmed this to the BusinessMirror in a Viber message. “Yes, we sent the show-cause order to the three airlines,” i.e. Cebu Pacific, Philippine Airlines, and Philippines Air Asia. A number of passengers on those flights to Caticlan, the gateway to Boracay, had posted their selfies on social media, boasting they were allowed to take the trip despite the government ban.
Citing Resolution No. 104 dated March 20, 2021 of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-MEID), the CAB issued an advisory on March 21, 2021 signed by Executive Director Carmelo L. Arcilla that said, “All air carriers are thus reminded to ensure that departing, arriving, or transiting passengers from the said subject areas, are traveling for non-leisure purposes.”
In said IATF-MEID resolution No. 104 dated March 20, 2021, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal were put under general community quarantine status, together with the NCR and including Pateros (“subject areas” or “NCR-plus”). As such, leisure travel is also prohibited from and to the NCR-plus bubble, from March 22 to April 4, 2021.
They knew about govt plans
Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo Puyat expressed disappointment upon learning of the news of the continued departure of the carriers’s flights to Caticlan. She said the airlines were given ample time to prepare for flight cancellations: “I spoke to them [heads of airlines] on Saturday,” which was the day of the emergency IATF-MEID meeting. CAB released its advisory the next day. Romulo Puyat is the vice-chair of the CAB.
In the case of Aklan, she explained that only tourists are allowed to go to Boracay via Caticlan, while Authorized Persons Outside the Residence (Apor) who need to go to Boracay, are supposed to take the flights to Kalibo.
Industry sources explained, however, the carriers decided to push through with their flights to Caticlan because “we were told that the Boracay Inter-Agency Task Force did not send Caticlan any notice [that tourists from Metro Manila will no longer be allowed]. So we went ahead.”
Flights to continue
In a Viber message, CEB Vice President for Marketing and Customer Experience Candice Iyog said, “We will continue to operate our flights as scheduled until March 24, 2021, which includes our three flights to and from Boracay today (Monday).”
Succeeding flights to and from Caticlan will also continue until March 24. She explained, “We are operating the flights to Caticlan because we want to make sure that people in Boracay can get back home safely”
For his part, Air Asia spokesperson Steve Dailisan said, “Our Caticlan flights and all other operations will proceed as scheduled. Guests who are currently onboard our Caticlan flight today (Monday) were asked to sign a waiver that must they not be allowed entry into Caticlan, Air Asia will not be liable for any damages.”
Although Air Asia has two flights going to Caticlan, Dailisan said, “That will be only one flight carrying passengers to Caticlan. Our succeeding flights until the period covered by the IATF Resolution will not carry passengers. Rest assured that Air Asia is strictly adhering to the guidelines issued by the IATF.”
PAL did not reply as of press time. But the PAL web site showed its two flights to Caticlan departed Manila on Monday as per schedule.
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