Manila, Philippines – Malacañang appealed yesterday to disgruntled employees of Philippine Airlines (PAL) to hold their protest actions “in the proper places,” stressing that the government is duty-bound to ensure the security of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) and the safety of passengers.
Presidential spokesman Edwin F. Lacierda said the government respects the right of the workers to launch protests but frowns on a repeat of the labor strike inside the NAIA Terminal 1 that disrupted air travel in the country last Tuesday at the height of typhoon “Pedring.”
“We respect their right to air their grievances but we would like to ask them to strike in the proper places,” Lacierda said in Malacanang news conference. “This will not only affect passengers but result to huge loss in the economy. The sole purpose of the government is the security of the airport and safety of the passengers,” he said. (Genalyn D. Kabiling)