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A group of travel associations recently expressed its disapproval of
Executive Order 500-B, warning it would grant 5th freedom rights to
foreign carriers and take away the mandate of the Civil Aeronautics
Board to impose restriction on air rights as spelled out under
Republic Act 776.
According to the National Association of
Independent Travel Agencies, open-skies proponents are misleading
the public and lobbying Malacañang to approve the executive order,
which it said would enable even non-designated foreign airlines to
have access to Diosdado Macapagal International Airport, in Clark,
Pampanga.
The 5th freedom rights would also allow the
foreign carriers to pick up passengers in their country of origin,
bring them to Clark, pick up passengers there and then ferry these
to a third country before going back to the country of origin.
“A provision of the controversial executive
order would call for a waiver by the [aeronautics board] to issue
restriction or limitation on capacity, route rights and type of
aircraft as mandated under existing air services agreements,”
Robert Lim Joseph of the travel group said.
Joseph added that this provision would entitle,
for instance, Singapore Airlines, the right to fly from Singapore to
Clark, and onward from Clark to, say, Los Angeles, before going back
to Singapore.
He said the executive order would violate the
Constitution and the laws of the land as Republic Act 776 disallows
the granting of unilateral rights except in one instance: the grant
of extra-bilateral increases in “frequencies and/or capacities”
by the board, “provided that the utilization is not more than 30
days.”
“An oversupply of airline seats will result in
foreign carriers poaching on the Philippine market and eventually
kill our local carriers,” Joseph added.
The aviation industries of other countries as
well as of the Philippines, according to him, have always been for
reciprocal open skies and a competitive setup because this would
also benefit local airlines in terms of vying for passengers and
operating new routes.
“Foreign air carriers want to corner the huge
overseas Filipino workers market, but have failed to bring in
foreign tourists, Joseph stressed.
The association said seat entitlements remain
underutilized because foreign carriers prefer to concentrate on
Manila, instead of Clark or Subic in Zambales.
It was reacting to a claim of alleged Central
Luzon stakeholders that at least 10,000 migrant workers remained
stranded due to lack of international airline flights at Clark.
“Where did they get their figures? We don’t
want to see Clark and Subic skies monopolized by foreign carriers.
“We welcome liberalization under which Filipino airlines will have
equal opportunity,” Joseph said.
Contrary to the stand of backers of full
liberalization in the aviation sector, the government, the
association claimed, is already implementing “pocket open skies”
at the Clark airport and Subic Bay International Airport through the
executive order.
-- Francis Earl A. Cueto
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