As House solon seeks suspension of airliner’s franchise
By Gabriel Pabico Lalu
MANILA, Philippines — Budget airliner Cebu Pacific has assured lawmakers that certain measures have been placed to address concerns of passengers, noting that they are aware of proposals to revoke or suspend the company’s legislative franchise.
In a statement sent to INQUIRER.net on Monday, Cebu Pacific said that they have taken serious steps after the Senate started its investigation on the various complaints of passengers against the airline company.
“We are aware of the Congressional resolutions which have been filed at the House of Representatives,” Cebu Pacific’s communication team said.
“Following the recent Senate hearing, we have taken serious note of the issues raised therein and are currently in the process of implementing various measures in support of our passengers,” it added.
Cebu Pacific said this hours after Cagayan de Oro 2nd District Rep. Rufus Rodriguez confirmed that he has filed a resolution seeking for the suspension of the congressional franchise given to the said company, over numerous complaints about offloading and poor service.
In House Resolution No. 1101, the lawmaker detailed several complaints against the airliner, while also highlighting the huge income that the company was able to generate in the past months.
“Cebu Pacific has a history of unsatisfactory service to the public […] passengers of Cebu Pacific experience flight delays and cancellations, and to make matters worse, their customer service is also unreliable with passengers complaining that Cebu Pacific does provide immediate assistance or support regarding their concerns despite seeking help from the airline’s customer service hotlines and in-person help desks,” Rodriguez said in the resolution.
“Reports online show that Cebu Pacific’s financial statement reveals that revenues from rebookings, refunds, and cancellation fees allegedly grew by 270 percent or P1.45 billion, reaching nearly P2 billion in the first quarter of this year; showing the Cebu Pacific is more interested in more profits than good service to the riding public,” he claimed.
Cebu Pacific’s franchise to operate was given last August 1991, under Republic Act No. 7151.
