Mayor to act on CebuPac issue after investigation

September 22, 2019 Community Billboard

BAGUIO CITY — Mayor Benjamin Magalong held a meeting at City Hall last week with members of the local judo team and representatives of Cebu Pacific airlines regarding the team’s assertion that they were not allowed to board the plane bound for Palawan to join the Batang Pinoy National Finals where Team Baguio successfully defended its crown as overall champion.

Magalong said that the team’s coaches claimed that Cebu Pacific failed to inform them of the change of boarding gates causing the 18-member delegation to miss their flight to Palawan despite allegedly reaching the new boarding gate on time.

The incident stirred public outrage against the airline on social media. The Mayor said that the revelation and accounts of the judo team merit a full-fledged investigation including the mulling of appropriate charges against the airline.

He added that Cebu Pacific representatives are pleading the city government to not push thru with the filing of charges.

Magalong said parents and coaches of the judo team are not demanding anything from the city or from Cebu Pacific and will abide with whatever decision or action he will take on the matter.

“They just want justice for what happened to them and are not demanding anything,” the chief executive said. The Mayor also said he will wait for the findings of the on-going investigations being conducted by both the city legal office and Civil Aeronautical Board (CAB) before making a decision on whether to file charges against the airline or any other appropriate action.

The parents and coaches have expressed their gratitude to the local and foreign public for their whole-hearted support during the ordeal and for raising funds to cover additional expenses caused by the missed flight.

Gaby Keith, PIO-Baguio