Cebu Pacific to train crews on handling special children
ANDREO C. CALONZO, GMANews.TV
01/09/2010 | 03:43 AM
After being accused of discrimination towards special children, the management of Cebu Pacific airlines vowed on Friday to train its crews on how to handle passengers with developmental disabilities.
“We are in the process of creating a training program for our people to avoid similar incidents from happening again," Cebu Pacific spokesperson Candice Iyog told GMANews.TV in a phone interview Friday.
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Iyog was referring to an incident last December 23 when Mylene Alcantara, a passenger of a Manila-bound Cebu Pacific flight from Hong Kong, was asked by airline personnel to get off the plane after learning that her son is a special child – because it was supposedly against the airline’s policy to have two passengers with “mental illness" on the same flight. [See: Mother of special child cries discrimination vs airline]
Another parent of a special child in the same flight, Stella Santos, has also complained of discrimination after she was asked to disembark from the plane with her child who had Down Syndrome.
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Iyog clarified that while the company indeed has such a policy in its manual, the airline does not consider developmental and learning disabilities as mental illness.
“We have no rule that disallows the carrying of special children. Our frontline team just misinterpreted the policy," she said.
Iyog added that crew members involved in the incident have already been “reprimanded and counseled" and that the airline is conducting a thorough investigation on what happened.
“Internally, things that need to be ironed out are being addressed. Nevertheless, we have apologized to the parents of the special children," she said.
The Commission on Human Rights earlier called on airlines to give human rights trainings to its personnel following the incident at the Cebu Pacific flight, saying it was a form of discrimination to both the special children and their parents. -with Aie Balagtas See/JV, GMANews.TV
“We are in the process of creating a training program for our people to avoid similar incidents from happening again," Cebu Pacific spokesperson Candice Iyog told GMANews.TV in a phone interview Friday.
For the latest Philippine news stories and videos, visit GMANews.TV
Iyog was referring to an incident last December 23 when Mylene Alcantara, a passenger of a Manila-bound Cebu Pacific flight from Hong Kong, was asked by airline personnel to get off the plane after learning that her son is a special child – because it was supposedly against the airline’s policy to have two passengers with “mental illness" on the same flight. [See: Mother of special child cries discrimination vs airline]
Another parent of a special child in the same flight, Stella Santos, has also complained of discrimination after she was asked to disembark from the plane with her child who had Down Syndrome.
For the latest Philippine news stories and videos, visit GMANews.TV
Iyog clarified that while the company indeed has such a policy in its manual, the airline does not consider developmental and learning disabilities as mental illness.
“We have no rule that disallows the carrying of special children. Our frontline team just misinterpreted the policy," she said.
Iyog added that crew members involved in the incident have already been “reprimanded and counseled" and that the airline is conducting a thorough investigation on what happened.
“Internally, things that need to be ironed out are being addressed. Nevertheless, we have apologized to the parents of the special children," she said.
The Commission on Human Rights earlier called on airlines to give human rights trainings to its personnel following the incident at the Cebu Pacific flight, saying it was a form of discrimination to both the special children and their parents. -with Aie Balagtas See/JV, GMANews.TV
