Govt to open RP skies if PAL fails to resolve labor row

With labor disputes threatening to hamper flight operations of Philippine Airlines, the government is now studying the implementation of an open skies policy, President Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III said Wednesday. His statement came on the heels of the Flight Attendants’ and Stewards’ Association of the Philippines (FASAP) announcement that they will file a strike notice in two or three weeks should there be no breakthrough in talks with PAL management over working conditions. In a press conference in Malacañang, Aquino reminded both PAL management and the association that the labor dispute was "imbued with national interest" with PAL as the flag carrier. Should PAL fail to meet its obligations, "the government will be forced to adopt a policy [on the side of] the riding public - the greater population - rather than the interest of just one corporation," Aquino said. "We recognize that perhaps both sides have issues, but at the same time the primary issue that I will have to side with is the interest of the riding community which is the bigger population of the country," he said. "Having either a total open skies policy or a partial open skies policy which was done [sometime] in the late 90s is already being studied, there are certain airlines that will make up for the slot in case the flag carrier is not in a position to fulfill its obligations," the President said. There was a "theory" that easing Philippine travel conditions would greatly enhance the potential of tourism, he added. Tourists in Bali, Indonesia increased from 30,000 to 3 million a year after Jakarta adopted an open skies policy, Aquino said. An open skies policy would allow foreign airlines to fly and take on routes within the country that PAL could no longer service. Last month, the resignation of 25 pilots resulted in PAL flights being cancelled. —VS, GMANews.TV