PAL denies extending deadline for pilots to return

Philippine Airlines management has denied a report that said the airline firm was extending by seven days a deadline for its pilots to return without facing sanctions. “We refute/deny the article that PAL is extending the August 9 Monday deadline for pilots to return," PAL spokesperson Cielo Villaluna said in a text message. Earlier, GMANews.TV reported that none of the 26 pilots who quit showed up for work after the seven-day deadline expired on 12 a.m. of Tuesday. (See: PAL to file administrative raps vs resigned pilots) “Wala ni isa sa pilotong nagbitiw sa trabaho ang tumugon sa panawagan ng PAL management na bumalik sa trabaho (None of the pilots who resigned from their jobs heeded PAL management’s appeal for them to return to work)," Villaluna said in a separate radio dzBB interview. Management now has no choice but to file administrative charges against the pilots, whose resignation forced PAL to cancel and reschedule many of its domestic flights.—Robert JA Basilio Jr./JV, GMANews.TV