Beatrix, my sentiments too. Funny how the media are keen to comment on things they don't have a bloody clue about. The suggestion that the MPL restricts them only to fly a B737, whereas a CPL/IR would allow them to fly any airplane (without a type rating)??
I also feel sorry for the non Cebu sponsored cadets at Clark in particular, because they haven't read the writing on the wall, and I mean this literally. They are not being told the truth. The Management put a notice on the notice board, dated 25 July in which it stated that each cadet must be aligned to a partner airline so that the cadet can finish the program using that partners airline's aircraft. This is simply not true. This is a JAA interpretation and not an ICAO stipulation. There is an agreement in place with Cebu to provide the required take offs and landings for all cadets, not just those sponsored by Cebu! It remains to be seen why they are perpetuating this falsehood, but you can be sure there is an agenda here, which will become clear in time. I'm very surprised the cadets haven't picked up on this yet.
The bit that made me smile most of all was the statement that "It is really a colossal disappointment that a simualtor was never ordered sooner", as if this was just an oversight. Do the Management really believe the Jinglies ever intended to put a simulator at Clark? Sure, they promised and they seem to promise many things, but the sad fact is that promises can and are often broken. Question is, do the Management really believe what they are being told, or are they aware of what the real intention is? Time will reveal all.
Back to Bikini Bottom for me; a real fantasy land!