‘A malicious fabrication.’ This was how the Office of the Vice President (OVP) described a ‘misinformation’ that recently circulated on social media. The ‘fabricated story’ was posted as a rant by pilot Van Raňoa, who originally claimed that Vice President Leni Robredo requested for ‘priority landing’ at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) sometime in April 2022, during the height of the campaign period for the recent national elections (Robredo was seeking the Presidency but failed).
Raňoa posted the rant a few days ago on his Facebook account, which was shared numerously by various parties until it became a viral post. That post has already been deleted. Here are excerpts from the controversial rant:
“On Leni’s ironing graduation toga at New York, showbiz!
How about ‘yung nag divert kami last month kasi pinahold nya lahat ng flights para lang priority to land cya sa Manila? And that is coming from a campaign in the south. I know she’s entitled to that as VP, pero para gawin mo on peak hours at para sa election, mali na ata yun. Pasahero ko pa ambassador ng Australia that time, and when I made the PA before we divert I can see his head shaking na lng sa camera. I have 7 infants on board na naririnig kong umiiyak during our fuel stop at Clark and passengers who missed their connecting flights. Yun kaya nasip nya? I can feel the frustration ng kapitan ng Singapore airlines and Qatar Air who also diverted that time.”
No recorded flight diversion
Based on multiple fact-checks by reputable media entities, Raňoa’s claim was a lie. Citing available data from FlightRadar24, Singapore Airlines and Qatar Airways had no reported flight diversions at NAIA for the entire month of April. However, Singapore Airlines had two diversions to Clark Airport in Pampanga on March 8 and 17. The March 8 flight diversion made it to national news and Cebu Pacific released a statement about it.
Insiders also assert that air traffic priority landing requests usually do not cause unnecessary flight diversions in the airport. This is also aligned with the policies of the Federal Aviation Administration.
On May 17, Cebu Pacific, through a Twitter post, confirmed that Raňoa is a pilot in the carrier. “A recent social media post by one of our pilots has been brought to our attention. In the post, the pilot alleged that Vice President Leni Robredo had requested for her flight a month ago to be given priority landing at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) which caused flight diversions. The concerned pilot had taken down his post.”
Clear violations
The airline also reiterated that it respects freedom of speech and expression. It said it does not prevent its employees from having or expressing their own political beliefs. “However, as a Company, we are also governed by the Data Privacy Act of 2012 and our Company’s Code of Discipline.”
It also highlighted that it has a social media policy that guides how employees must behave on social media “because they are stewards of our brand and everything that we value as a company.”
On Facebook, Captain Sam Avila, VP for Flight Operations of Cebu Pacific issued a statement as well on May 17. “I confirm that the pilot has made it clear to us that he had no basis for his claim and was purely speculative and careless on his part,” he said.
Avila continued, “While the pilot posted his commentary on his own accord, a post he has since removed, on behalf of Cebu Pacific, and as Head of our Pilot Group, I take command responsibility and apologize unreservedly to the Vice President and the general public for the actions of our pilot. As professional aviators and free citizens of this country, we are free to express opinions, but we are also expected to carry out our roles and duties with utmost discernment and caution.”
“Cebu Pacific has very strict social media policies covering all of its employees and such a post should not have been published. This is recognized by the said pilot himself. He is currently under disciplinary review in accordance with our Company rules and standards,” Avila concluded.
‘Never happened’
The OVP strongly denied the malicious claim and said the incident “never happened.” It also reiterated that the outgoing Vice President, who would step down from office on June 30, has never asked to be prioritized for taking off or landing when traveling by air during her entire tenure as VP.
Meanwhile, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) said the issue is an “internal matter” between the carrier and the erring pilot. But it also highlighted that President Rodrigo Duterte suspended all priority landing privileges accorded to heads of state (the President, Vice President, and Senate President) since July 28, 2016. CAAP also reiterates that professional aviators know that disclosing air traffic information is illegal.
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