Vox Populi

ksantiago@theguidon.com

BY THE END of September, the country’s flag carrier, Philippine Airlines, will terminate 2,600 ground staff and catering employees under the approval of the Office of the President. Despite the progress shown by the company, which reportedly earns an average of P5 billion annually, this move is definitely one that is misguided by the light of greed and inhumane tactics.

Whether or not this decision was heavily influenced by the goal of saving PAL’s market value, the solutions set by the administration and the higher ups have obviously neglected the rights of their employees as people and as citizens of this country.

Last September 16, the Philippine Airlines Employees Association (PALEA), with the support of Manila Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo and their respective families, staged a rally in protest of the alleged termination come the end of this month.

Although it is a company’s prerogative to fire at will, the human element must never escape the picture. This time, PAL cannot argue that they will be re-hiring the terminated employees, because this process that they will subjugate their people with is a far cry from a fair deal.

Re-hiring them will mean that employees will have to start back from zero. It’s a lose-lose situation, really.

What does this mean? This means that 20 years of hard work and loyalty will be flushed down the drain. There will be a reset button on all supposed benefits: travel, healthcare, and even the basic salary pay. Lucky are the few who have earned their lifetime assurance (hitting the 20-year mark before the new protocol is to be implemented) before September 30. At least, for some, they will now be able to breathe.

In essence, re-hired employees will be treated like lab rats: disposable and stripped off every right to a humane labor deal. With salaries being cut and benefits scrapped, job stability is now an intangible idea. After a good six months, it’s a seesaw between being employed and scouring for the next temp job to last anyone the next couple of months.

I am technically living proof of PAL’s beneficiaries. Quite frankly, I sometimes feel like an illegitimate child of Lucio Tan.

I am 19 years old, a third year Communication major in the Ateneo de Manila University, and I have PAL to thank for my education, my family’s stable finances, and my life. My parents have both been in service to the company for 25 years and have flown as PAL’s flight crew ever since.

Albeit the many issues and negative releases thrown against PAL, I have been a supporter through and through—defending the company whenever I hear anyone attacking my (literal) lifeline. In other words, PAL has fueled the life I am enjoying today. It has been the source of living for many families like my own. An entire lifetime of knowing and being at the receiving end of PAL is definitely no light matter.

It is in this light that I express complete and utter disappointment in the company at present. For a body that I have once viewed with so much respect, it seemed to all fall apart given these recent circumstances. The idea of not being considerate enough to think about the people who have devoted their time to the growth of the company screams of selfishness. Giving in to the promise of financial stability at the expense of trampling down human rights spells out nothing but the lack of a heart.

Thinking about the present state of PALEA, how many more children would be able to say the same thing I just did? None, probably. Should the contractualization efforts push through, there will be more than a thousand cries that will echo through the nation. They have been abandoned by the family they once knew.

My hope is to see more children who grow up to be like me in expressing the same amount of endearment I have for PAL. Throughout my existence, I definitely have so much to owe this company for giving my family and I an ideal life that every Filipino should deserve.

I express my deepest sympathies to the families of the ground crew and catering staff that have been affected by this demise. With great optimism in tow, I pray to see a shift in PAL’s future endeavors.

The fight is not over.

Updated  5:15 PM, September 29, 2011.