PAL Pilot Exodus
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: At W11's End
Posts: 29
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Originally Posted by richkidpoorkid
Heard through the grapevineTAIPAN Lucio Tan is belatedly going into the mall and retail business himself, using a number of foreclosed Uniwide branches and the Ever-Gotesco branch in Ortigas as starting bases.
More money for this guy
How we wish he finally lets go of the airline
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: philippines
Posts: 17
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
open letter to the PAL president
Mr. Jaime Bautista
President & COO, Philippine Airlines
Makati, Philippines
Dear Sir:
This is with regards to the current per diem received by the pilots flying to destinations that require layover. The issue being the unequal amount received by Captains and First Officers as supposed to the Second Officers, viewed as degradation of the latter’s right to a “fair meal” that the former are rightfully deriving benefit from.
For your information, Pilots belonging to Groups 1 and 2, Captains and wide-body FOs, get $75 per day regardless of the time of arrival while SOs get a measly $20 per meal. During the past meeting at Flight Operations Department at Nichols when you presented the then proposed PLP, we, SOs, call it shallow, were exhilarated with what we heard concerning our per diem but as it turned out we weren’t really a part of your ‘master plan’ maybe because enticing us seems premature or plainly any perk does not befit us. Categorically, it is not the amount that is the important matter here but the lowered morale that the affected pilots are experiencing that starts when they line up at NAIA check-in counter to claim their respective per diems, to when they see the Captains and FOs dining and they are aware that they don’t have enough to join them in a decent restaurant.
I am currently a second officer and I have passion for my job, thankful to the company for trusting in my capability to learn and be trained considering my minimal experience and skills as of the present along with my colleagues. We do not question the other benefits that the senior pilots enjoy for we know where we stand, but again, what we ask is a basic need denied us.
It is known to everyone that you have a handful of more serious problems than this petty request of ours but please take a few precious seconds of your time to look into this matter as we fear that the company unknowingly sows hatred (for lack of a better term) amongst us new pilots, making us feel unimportant and dispensable this early in our career. Hope you do not view this as cost but rather a long-term investment that we may all profit from.
In these difficult times we deeply sympathize with the company. I, in behalf of the Group 4 pilots, hope that you do not view this as apathy in our part, but merely a suggestion that has a more harmonious relationship between management and employees in the near future as its utmost goal.
Thank you for your kind consideration.
Sincerely,
A concerned Second Officer
Philippine Airlines
President & COO, Philippine Airlines
Makati, Philippines
Dear Sir:
This is with regards to the current per diem received by the pilots flying to destinations that require layover. The issue being the unequal amount received by Captains and First Officers as supposed to the Second Officers, viewed as degradation of the latter’s right to a “fair meal” that the former are rightfully deriving benefit from.
For your information, Pilots belonging to Groups 1 and 2, Captains and wide-body FOs, get $75 per day regardless of the time of arrival while SOs get a measly $20 per meal. During the past meeting at Flight Operations Department at Nichols when you presented the then proposed PLP, we, SOs, call it shallow, were exhilarated with what we heard concerning our per diem but as it turned out we weren’t really a part of your ‘master plan’ maybe because enticing us seems premature or plainly any perk does not befit us. Categorically, it is not the amount that is the important matter here but the lowered morale that the affected pilots are experiencing that starts when they line up at NAIA check-in counter to claim their respective per diems, to when they see the Captains and FOs dining and they are aware that they don’t have enough to join them in a decent restaurant.
I am currently a second officer and I have passion for my job, thankful to the company for trusting in my capability to learn and be trained considering my minimal experience and skills as of the present along with my colleagues. We do not question the other benefits that the senior pilots enjoy for we know where we stand, but again, what we ask is a basic need denied us.
It is known to everyone that you have a handful of more serious problems than this petty request of ours but please take a few precious seconds of your time to look into this matter as we fear that the company unknowingly sows hatred (for lack of a better term) amongst us new pilots, making us feel unimportant and dispensable this early in our career. Hope you do not view this as cost but rather a long-term investment that we may all profit from.
In these difficult times we deeply sympathize with the company. I, in behalf of the Group 4 pilots, hope that you do not view this as apathy in our part, but merely a suggestion that has a more harmonious relationship between management and employees in the near future as its utmost goal.
Thank you for your kind consideration.
Sincerely,
A concerned Second Officer
Philippine Airlines
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: RPUX
Posts: 19
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
hey Mach..
RIGHT ON THE KISSER...
i hope they consider investing on people.. especially the young.. and hope they not wait until we get disillusioned. sooooo frustrating!!!
i hope they consider investing on people.. especially the young.. and hope they not wait until we get disillusioned. sooooo frustrating!!!
Last edited by stork; 30th Jun 2006 at 01:21.
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: here and there
Posts: 62
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Management thinking
Dont get your hopes up. They way management thinks: SO's dont have anough time and experience to apply elsewhere. So, why bother? If there are SO's leaving for other airlines, then MAYBE, they will act on your case.
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: a galaxy far far away....
Posts: 130
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
get real.................
Get real guys, Chinese noodles cost more to make than other things, your chairman doesn't give a noodles @ss. Stay on or leave, its that simple.
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Another Reality!!
Posts: 73
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Grow Up Mach.86!!
M8.6,
I understand your frustration, but you have to look at it from the Management perspective. You aren't worth much at the moment and until you have gained a little more than flying a C172 you better just sit there and learn as much as you can. One day you might command a real aircraft, however till such times enjoy your three schedules to the US, read, learn and shut up!!! You might want to read the BOM just to refresh your memory....
The captain is : vested full authority and responsibility to manage the aircraft and the entire flight crew (includes you!!) in the safest, economical and most efficient manner without deviating from existing rules and regulations.
Just because you have been PIC of a C172 doesn't mean that you have the skills (YET) for command the B747. Management is desperate to keep pilots, even if the PLP is grossly lacking in remuneration.. they had a little bit of imagination by introducing the higher per diem. Would you say this is a good way of increasing take home, without giving it to the government?
Tell me M8.6 define a "fair meal"? Since when did you spend $70 on a single meal or see a Capt or FO spend $70? I think you have to assess what is important to you.
Just a bit of friendly advise coming from someone who has been in your position. Be careful when you speak on behalf of the SOs. Don't shoot yourself in the foot because you no longer have a union to protect you also concentrate on your career not on how much you earn. FYI...Next time you fly with your international FAs... know their monthly take home is more than yours!!
I understand your frustration, but you have to look at it from the Management perspective. You aren't worth much at the moment and until you have gained a little more than flying a C172 you better just sit there and learn as much as you can. One day you might command a real aircraft, however till such times enjoy your three schedules to the US, read, learn and shut up!!! You might want to read the BOM just to refresh your memory....
The captain is : vested full authority and responsibility to manage the aircraft and the entire flight crew (includes you!!) in the safest, economical and most efficient manner without deviating from existing rules and regulations.
Just because you have been PIC of a C172 doesn't mean that you have the skills (YET) for command the B747. Management is desperate to keep pilots, even if the PLP is grossly lacking in remuneration.. they had a little bit of imagination by introducing the higher per diem. Would you say this is a good way of increasing take home, without giving it to the government?
Tell me M8.6 define a "fair meal"? Since when did you spend $70 on a single meal or see a Capt or FO spend $70? I think you have to assess what is important to you.
Just a bit of friendly advise coming from someone who has been in your position. Be careful when you speak on behalf of the SOs. Don't shoot yourself in the foot because you no longer have a union to protect you also concentrate on your career not on how much you earn. FYI...Next time you fly with your international FAs... know their monthly take home is more than yours!!
Longtimelurker
Join Date: Nov 1998
Location: killington Vt
Posts: 391
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
PS . Most airlines pay the same for meals. What is the S/O supposed to starve on a layover why you guys eat steak and Maine Lobsters?
And M.86.You write too well and make to much sense for a pilot, best you find some other line of work..LOL .Don't stick you neck out son... JW
And M.86.You write too well and make to much sense for a pilot, best you find some other line of work..LOL .Don't stick you neck out son... JW
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: philippines
Posts: 17
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
i apologize to anyone who might have been affected, maybe disgusted by this. i am compelled to retract but doing so would have made my real intention unclear to most. as i stated, i love my job and i have high hopes for the future of this airline. the figures are not at all that matter but the thought that we may have been taken too lightly is quite disappointing. regarding the per diem issue, maybe it would have not come this far had the company issued an official memo explaining why and who gets the added benefits so as not to stir up any unwanted speculations.
quote: "And M.86.You write too well and make to much sense for a pilot, best you find some other line of work..LOL .Don't stick you neck out son... JW"
filejw sir, i'll take that as a compliment. thank you for the advise.
quote: "And M.86.You write too well and make to much sense for a pilot, best you find some other line of work..LOL .Don't stick you neck out son... JW
"filejw sir, i'll take that as a compliment. thank you for the advise.
Last edited by mach.86; 1st Jul 2006 at 06:42.
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: KSUU
Posts: 71
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
No thank you, I'll take the CFI C152 heavy please.
No experience? No problem! I know a couple of people that have stepped out of a C152 in the states and stepped right into a B747 with PAL...And made LESS money!
And putting a squirt with less than a few hundred bug smasher hours in the flight deck of an airliner? I'm sorry but thats just as wrong as 2 little bo...nevermind.
On the other hand:
"One day you might command a real aircraft, however till such times enjoy your three schedules to the US, read, learn and shut up!!!" "Just because you have been PIC of a C172 doesn't mean that you have the skills (YET) for command the B747."
Greeeeeat CRM/Mentor skills there Cap.
And putting a squirt with less than a few hundred bug smasher hours in the flight deck of an airliner? I'm sorry but thats just as wrong as 2 little bo...nevermind.
On the other hand:
"One day you might command a real aircraft, however till such times enjoy your three schedules to the US, read, learn and shut up!!!" "Just because you have been PIC of a C172 doesn't mean that you have the skills (YET) for command the B747."
Greeeeeat CRM/Mentor skills there Cap.
Last edited by Soundbarviolatr; 1st Jul 2006 at 19:48.
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Just Around The Corner
Posts: 22
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Give the guy a break!
Originally Posted by planestupid
M8.6,
I understand your frustration, but you have to look at it from the Management perspective. You aren't worth much at the moment and until you have gained a little more than flying a C172 you better just sit there and learn as much as you can. One day you might command a real aircraft, however till such times enjoy your three schedules to the US, read, learn and shut up!!! You might want to read the BOM just to refresh your memory....
The captain is : vested full authority and responsibility to manage the aircraft and the entire flight crew (includes you!!) in the safest, economical and most efficient manner without deviating from existing rules and regulations.
Just because you have been PIC of a C172 doesn't mean that you have the skills (YET) for command the B747. Management is desperate to keep pilots, even if the PLP is grossly lacking in remuneration.. they had a little bit of imagination by introducing the higher per diem. Would you say this is a good way of increasing take home, without giving it to the government?
Tell me M8.6 define a "fair meal"? Since when did you spend $70 on a single meal or see a Capt or FO spend $70? I think you have to assess what is important to you.
Just a bit of friendly advise coming from someone who has been in your position. Be careful when you speak on behalf of the SOs. Don't shoot yourself in the foot because you no longer have a union to protect you also concentrate on your career not on how much you earn. FYI...Next time you fly with your international FAs... know their monthly take home is more than yours!!
I understand your frustration, but you have to look at it from the Management perspective. You aren't worth much at the moment and until you have gained a little more than flying a C172 you better just sit there and learn as much as you can. One day you might command a real aircraft, however till such times enjoy your three schedules to the US, read, learn and shut up!!! You might want to read the BOM just to refresh your memory....
The captain is : vested full authority and responsibility to manage the aircraft and the entire flight crew (includes you!!) in the safest, economical and most efficient manner without deviating from existing rules and regulations.
Just because you have been PIC of a C172 doesn't mean that you have the skills (YET) for command the B747. Management is desperate to keep pilots, even if the PLP is grossly lacking in remuneration.. they had a little bit of imagination by introducing the higher per diem. Would you say this is a good way of increasing take home, without giving it to the government?
Tell me M8.6 define a "fair meal"? Since when did you spend $70 on a single meal or see a Capt or FO spend $70? I think you have to assess what is important to you.
Just a bit of friendly advise coming from someone who has been in your position. Be careful when you speak on behalf of the SOs. Don't shoot yourself in the foot because you no longer have a union to protect you also concentrate on your career not on how much you earn. FYI...Next time you fly with your international FAs... know their monthly take home is more than yours!!
Give the guy a break...from what I have read, mach86 just wants things fair when it comes to PER DIEM. You can't just tell him to do his time and shut up. Although I would agree with you as far as he not speaking on behalf of the other SOs, we can pretty much feel that the sentiments of other SOs are not far from what is mentioned.
No one ever complains about the salary difference between those in Grp I, II, III or IV because from where I am standing, pretty much your responsibilty and authority will determine which group you are in. There should not be any discrimination as far as PER DIEM is concerned. Regardless of how high $70 is for a PER DIEM, does that mean Mach86 shouldn't air his sentiments regarding his $20...A per diem is an allowance given for your daily consumption...so does that mean a Capt& FO consumes more than an SO? My stand on this is that per diem should be equal regardless of pay grade...what's yours planestupid?
Oh btw, please get off the "you were just a PIC on a C172" crap. What's that got to do with the price of tea in China. He was just talking about per diem. Just my two cents of course...nothing personal.
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: a galaxy far far away....
Posts: 130
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
yeah give em what they want......
To me shortchanging someone else because he is quite low on the food chain
reeks of rotten tuna. The big fish get to eat steak and lobster because management thinks it's cheaper to raise allowances than it is paychecks.
Life is never fair, that doesn't mean they should just clam up. The SO's point is quite valid, he sits in front and should be treated with professional courtesy in every aspect of the job otherwise the only thing other people see is the two pilots up front. Work at it boys, don't give up.
reeks of rotten tuna. The big fish get to eat steak and lobster because management thinks it's cheaper to raise allowances than it is paychecks.
Life is never fair, that doesn't mean they should just clam up. The SO's point is quite valid, he sits in front and should be treated with professional courtesy in every aspect of the job otherwise the only thing other people see is the two pilots up front. Work at it boys, don't give up.
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: somewhereoutthere
Posts: 166
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
lets correct it..
I have noticed that most of the guys got the value totally misunderstood...or miscalculated.?
- regular per diem for Capt's and FO's = US $75 per day.(active PAL pilots can correct this)
- regular per diem for SO's is based on a US$60 per day, and not $20 per day( the original post means that they are just getting $20 per meal).
Question: can you Fine dine on a $75 allowance(Steak or Lobster)?, i dont think so. So, for the Second officers please don't be sad, coz your Capts and FOs goes to the same fastfood and eats the same food as you do,(they just save a little better). So, i may conclude that its not an issue of Allowance for Food, rather an Allowance for Savings,lets get real about it.
Just an Advise:
-visit Costco and 99cents store only once in 3 of your states flt.
-avoid Fine dining restaurants.
-avoid going on City tours or bay tours, PER DIEMS not built for it.
(if you really have to, make sure you bring extra money)
Calling the attn of any Second officer; Don't you normally receives a $80 per diem for a 24hrs stay in the states?(this is what i remember getting before).
- regular per diem for Capt's and FO's = US $75 per day.(active PAL pilots can correct this)
- regular per diem for SO's is based on a US$60 per day, and not $20 per day( the original post means that they are just getting $20 per meal).
Question: can you Fine dine on a $75 allowance(Steak or Lobster)?, i dont think so. So, for the Second officers please don't be sad, coz your Capts and FOs goes to the same fastfood and eats the same food as you do,(they just save a little better). So, i may conclude that its not an issue of Allowance for Food, rather an Allowance for Savings,lets get real about it.
Just an Advise:
-visit Costco and 99cents store only once in 3 of your states flt.
-avoid Fine dining restaurants.
-avoid going on City tours or bay tours, PER DIEMS not built for it.
(if you really have to, make sure you bring extra money)
Calling the attn of any Second officer; Don't you normally receives a $80 per diem for a 24hrs stay in the states?(this is what i remember getting before).
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Just Around The Corner
Posts: 22
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Cessna, I think you made it clearer as to the per diem situation at PAL. But a per diem of $50 would actually even be suffice. You made very good points on how to save money...one does not have to go and eat "lobsters" for a meal...Mcdonald's is OK (not a healthy option of course). Fly high chap.
Mach86, if you are getting a per diem in the amount that Cessna has mentioned, then that isn't that bad...although I would feel that equality in the profession (per diem in particularly) is always called for, don't lose sleep over it. Just do your best, love your profession, and continue flying well...for as long as the disparity is not that discomforting, make the most of being an SO, and never forget to look back to where you came from once you get up there - remember that you will most be remembered and respected by the way you treat your juniors, and peers....I think there was a time when PAL wasn't highly regarded with respect to this matter.
Mach86, if you are getting a per diem in the amount that Cessna has mentioned, then that isn't that bad...although I would feel that equality in the profession (per diem in particularly) is always called for, don't lose sleep over it. Just do your best, love your profession, and continue flying well...for as long as the disparity is not that discomforting, make the most of being an SO, and never forget to look back to where you came from once you get up there - remember that you will most be remembered and respected by the way you treat your juniors, and peers....I think there was a time when PAL wasn't highly regarded with respect to this matter.
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: philippines
Posts: 17
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Mach86, if you are getting a per diem in the amount that Cessna has mentioned, then that isn't that bad...although I would feel that equality in the profession (per diem in particularly) is always called for, don't lose sleep over it. Just do your best, love your profession, and continue flying well...for as long as the disparity is not that discomforting, make the most of being an SO, and never forget to look back to where you came from once you get up there - remember that you will most be remembered and respected by the way you treat your juniors, and peers....I think there was a time when PAL wasn't highly regarded with respect to this matter.[/quote]
i would have to reiterate that this is not an issue of much i'm getting. i will live on junk food if i have to. i posted those figures just to clearly state that there is a difference. and i find that regardless of how negligible it is, as a matter of principle, SOs are still being trampled upon. lowest in the food chain... yes but only in terms of pay, experience, and hierarchy inside the aircraft. the company entrusts us with the right seat for practically half the flight to ASSIST or even COMMAND if any untoward incident happens. No one can tell me that we carry no burden in making sure the aircraft gets to its destination in one piece. if that isn't worth anything, then i rest my case. the captains and FOs i have flown with so far has treated me with respect as far as my position is concerned. they say gone were the days of abuse of seniority and i believe that to be true somehow. come the time that i command an aircraft, treating my juniors lowly would be eating my own puke.
i would have to reiterate that this is not an issue of much i'm getting. i will live on junk food if i have to. i posted those figures just to clearly state that there is a difference. and i find that regardless of how negligible it is, as a matter of principle, SOs are still being trampled upon. lowest in the food chain... yes but only in terms of pay, experience, and hierarchy inside the aircraft. the company entrusts us with the right seat for practically half the flight to ASSIST or even COMMAND if any untoward incident happens. No one can tell me that we carry no burden in making sure the aircraft gets to its destination in one piece. if that isn't worth anything, then i rest my case. the captains and FOs i have flown with so far has treated me with respect as far as my position is concerned. they say gone were the days of abuse of seniority and i believe that to be true somehow. come the time that i command an aircraft, treating my juniors lowly would be eating my own puke.
Guest
Posts: n/a
This is your boss!!
Now this is why things will never be solved in the airline.
You are indeed slaves down there!!!
And they do not want him in New Zealand either.
However, our interest was definitely aroused when the Prime Minister, Helen Clark, came to Christchurch, in July 2001, to (among other things) open the Lignus Exchange, an Internet-based lumber and log trading exchange, set up by the McVicar brothers, who are well known in the Christchurch timber industry. It was stated that a Singapore company, Unifize had taken a 20% stake in the Exchange. Right at the end of the Press report (18/7/01; "Asian stake in local Internet timber trader") it was mentioned that Unifize is owned by "Filipino-Chinese billionaire Lucio Tan and family interests".
Lucio Tan is definitely somebody to keep an eye on. He is the Philippines’ richest man and one of the richest in Asia. But it is the way in which he has made his billions that perfectly illustrates the crony capitalism that has plagued the Philippines (and a lot of other Third World countries). About the only remaining "check" on foreign investors coming into New Zealand is that they be of "good character". Tan fails spectacularly.
Top Presidential Crony: Marcos
He comes from poor Chinese immigrant descent (Chinese were not entitled to Filipino citizenship until the 1970s) and started off as a scrap dealer – thus fulfilling the Filipino stereotype of Chinese. As a young man he moved into the tobacco industry, where he first met the young Congressman, Ferdinand Marcos. That was the key. In 1966, when Marcos was President, Tan founded Fortune Tobacco, which is now the country’s biggest tobacco company. It accounts for over half of all cigarettes sold in the Philippines. Fortune took off after Marcos imposed martial law, in 1973, thanks to generous tax and other incentives. In 1977 Tan bought a bankrupt bank from the Government, which is now Allied Bank, one of the country’s top banks. In 1982 he established Asia Brewery, benefiting from a Marcos ruling that allowed new beer companies to open. So he is now the Philippines’ top cigarette and booze baron. Indeed he is known as "Mr Cigarette".
During the long years of the Marcos dictatorship, Lucio Tan was his closest crony. In 1987 (after Marcos’ overthrow by the People Power revolution) Rolando Gapud, Marcos’ financial adviser, swore an affidavit to the Presidential Commission on Good Government: "I know that Mr Marcos and Mr Lucio Tan had an understanding that Mr Marcos owns 60% of Shareholdings Inc, which owns shares in Fortune Tobacco, Asia Brewery, Allied Bank and Foremost Farms…Mr Lucio Tan, apart from the 60% equity of Mr Marcos, has been regularly paying, through Security Bank, 60 to 100 million pesos a year to Mr Marcos, in exchange for privileges and concessions that Mr Marcos has been giving him" (Public Eye, January-March 1999; "Into The Light"; Sheila. S Coronel. Divide the pesos by 50 for a $US approximation). In 1986, when Marcos was compelled to end martial law and call an election, the workers at Tan’s Fortune Tobacco factory were loaded into "Love Buses" and sent en masse to cheer for Marcos, after which they were paid allowances by the company (of course, Marcos "won" that fraudulent election, and was then overthtrown by the outraged people).
In December 1998 the Philippine Daily Inquirer ran an explosive front page series of articles, in which Wonderwidow and shoe fetishist, Imelda Marcos, opened her books to the paper and detailed just which cronies owned what. Her motive was revenge – she said that the Marcos cronies had been given all sorts of companies and assets by the late Ferdinand, for safekeeping (until things settled down), then refused to give them back to the Marcos family. She claimed, as one PDI headline put it: "We own practically everything" (5/12/98). She reckoned that Marcos, having obtained all sorts of companies by fair means or (very) foul, dished them out to his mates: "I won’t be president of any company because I’m already President of the country" (7/12/98). Tan got 12 companies. All the cronies paid Marcos hundreds of millions of pesos per year into his secret bank accounts, in return for privileges and concessions (Ferdinand used the name "William Saunders" for his hidden accounts and assets; Imelda was "Jane Ryan"). She wasn’t very flattering about Lucio Tan: "…he’s nothing, just somebody who used to buy used bottles" (9/12/98; "Imelda: We made Tan, Cojuangcos").
Top Presidential Crony: Estrada
After Marcos’ downfall, Tan faced a hostile President in Cory Aquino. But he continued to thrive and acquire more major assets. In 1992 he bought the privatised Philippine Airlines Ltd (PAL - known universally as Planes Always Late). He attached himself to the rising star of Senator Joseph Estrada, who went on to become Vice-President under Fidel Ramos, then was elected President, in 1998. Tan was the major financier of his successful Presidential campaign. He became Estrada’s closest crony, regularly being seen with him in public and travelling with him (most unusual for the usually circumspect Filipino-Chinese business class). Estrada looked after his mate – when the tax department charged Fortune Tobacco with P26.5 billion in tax evasion, Tan’s well placed connections throughout the bureaucracy, judiciary and the political system (including the President) ensured that the charges were dropped (the Court of Appeals ruled that the Government had filed its case 11 days too late)
Solita Monsod, economics professor and former economic planning secretary, said: "Lucio Tan is a role model for the worst kind of conduct as far as our national economic objectives are concerned. He signals that you can evade taxes and get away with it, pay the courts and get the judges to decide in your favour, get good lawyers and delay your cases. The messages that are given by the kind of treatment that he gets from the Government are the antithesis of what we need for sustainable development: an even playing field and Government intervention of the right kind" (Public Eye, January-March 1999; "Into The Light"; Sheila. S Coronel). Tan is a past master at dispensing bribes to politicians – the same article recounts him giving P100,000 "Christmas presents" to Congressmen in 1998. And the Estrada government made sure that Tan would have no more tax hassles by appointing a new tax commissioner who proclaimed himself a longstanding friend of Tan.
In the late 1990s, PAL took on two Taiwanese airlines in a dispute that led to the cancellation of the Philippines’ air agreement with Taiwan. For keeping PAL afloat, Estrada hailed Tan as a "hero". He was no hero to PAL’s workers and their unions, whom he had locked out and bashed by company security goons, in a contract dispute. For some time PAL was grounded, leaving the Philippines with no national airline (an even worse aeronautical predicament than Air New Zealand found itself in recently); Tan was one of the five co-winners of the 1998 Notoryus Award - he was adjudged by human rights groups to have been one of the worst human rights abusers that year (no mean feat, given the competition in this field in the Philippines) for his anti-labour policies and union busting at PAL). In 2000, the Philippines was compelled to resume the Taiwan air rights agreement, on Taiwan’s terms – Tan was looking to sell the airline.
Estrada went the way of Marcos, in January 2001, when People Power 2 overthrew him – universal disgust at the way he flaunted running the country as a private piggy bank for himself and a coterie of cronies, Tan foremost, led him to where he is now - in custody and on trial, facing the capital charge of plunder. But Lucio Tan emerged unscathed. True to form, he has renounced Estrada and carried on profitably under President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Business is business – politics is only the means to enable him to acquire more wealth and power. And any means will do. Lucio Tan is the very worst sort of crony capitalist and far from the sort of foreign investor that should be welcome in New Zealand.
This has, of necessity, only scratched the surface on Lucio Tan. Visit the excellent Website of the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism www.pcij.org to read an extensive collection of articles on the misdeeds of Lucio Tan.
This article was first published in Kapatiran 19, August 2001. Kapatiran ("Solidarity") is the newsletter of the Philippines Solidarity Network of Aotearoa. Annual membership is $15. Make cheques to PSNA, Box 2450, Christchurch.
You are indeed slaves down there!!!
And they do not want him in New Zealand either.
Lucio Tan
Philippines' most notorious crony capitalist comes to NZ
Philippines' most notorious crony capitalist comes to NZ
- Murray Horton
There is so little Philippine investment in New Zealand, or any other kind of economic inter-action, as to be almost invisible. There is, of course, poor old Victor "Vicvic" Villavicencio, whose ownership of the Lyttelton Marina has been one of the great commercial disasters of recent NZ history (a "once in 50 years storm", in October 2000, blew the flimsy thing to pieces and sank nearly every boat "sheltering" within. Lawyers are planning their world trips years in advance in anticipation of the proceeds from the tsunami of litigation that resulted. The storm struck a couple of days after new owners were announced. They quickly voided the sale, which added to the legal mess). Then there’s Eduardo "Danding" Cojuangco, who is a huge name in the Philippines, but unknown here. He has become known for paying record prices for race horses at the annual NZ yearling sales. But that’s about it.However, our interest was definitely aroused when the Prime Minister, Helen Clark, came to Christchurch, in July 2001, to (among other things) open the Lignus Exchange, an Internet-based lumber and log trading exchange, set up by the McVicar brothers, who are well known in the Christchurch timber industry. It was stated that a Singapore company, Unifize had taken a 20% stake in the Exchange. Right at the end of the Press report (18/7/01; "Asian stake in local Internet timber trader") it was mentioned that Unifize is owned by "Filipino-Chinese billionaire Lucio Tan and family interests".
Lucio Tan is definitely somebody to keep an eye on. He is the Philippines’ richest man and one of the richest in Asia. But it is the way in which he has made his billions that perfectly illustrates the crony capitalism that has plagued the Philippines (and a lot of other Third World countries). About the only remaining "check" on foreign investors coming into New Zealand is that they be of "good character". Tan fails spectacularly.
Top Presidential Crony: Marcos
He comes from poor Chinese immigrant descent (Chinese were not entitled to Filipino citizenship until the 1970s) and started off as a scrap dealer – thus fulfilling the Filipino stereotype of Chinese. As a young man he moved into the tobacco industry, where he first met the young Congressman, Ferdinand Marcos. That was the key. In 1966, when Marcos was President, Tan founded Fortune Tobacco, which is now the country’s biggest tobacco company. It accounts for over half of all cigarettes sold in the Philippines. Fortune took off after Marcos imposed martial law, in 1973, thanks to generous tax and other incentives. In 1977 Tan bought a bankrupt bank from the Government, which is now Allied Bank, one of the country’s top banks. In 1982 he established Asia Brewery, benefiting from a Marcos ruling that allowed new beer companies to open. So he is now the Philippines’ top cigarette and booze baron. Indeed he is known as "Mr Cigarette".
During the long years of the Marcos dictatorship, Lucio Tan was his closest crony. In 1987 (after Marcos’ overthrow by the People Power revolution) Rolando Gapud, Marcos’ financial adviser, swore an affidavit to the Presidential Commission on Good Government: "I know that Mr Marcos and Mr Lucio Tan had an understanding that Mr Marcos owns 60% of Shareholdings Inc, which owns shares in Fortune Tobacco, Asia Brewery, Allied Bank and Foremost Farms…Mr Lucio Tan, apart from the 60% equity of Mr Marcos, has been regularly paying, through Security Bank, 60 to 100 million pesos a year to Mr Marcos, in exchange for privileges and concessions that Mr Marcos has been giving him" (Public Eye, January-March 1999; "Into The Light"; Sheila. S Coronel. Divide the pesos by 50 for a $US approximation). In 1986, when Marcos was compelled to end martial law and call an election, the workers at Tan’s Fortune Tobacco factory were loaded into "Love Buses" and sent en masse to cheer for Marcos, after which they were paid allowances by the company (of course, Marcos "won" that fraudulent election, and was then overthtrown by the outraged people).
In December 1998 the Philippine Daily Inquirer ran an explosive front page series of articles, in which Wonderwidow and shoe fetishist, Imelda Marcos, opened her books to the paper and detailed just which cronies owned what. Her motive was revenge – she said that the Marcos cronies had been given all sorts of companies and assets by the late Ferdinand, for safekeeping (until things settled down), then refused to give them back to the Marcos family. She claimed, as one PDI headline put it: "We own practically everything" (5/12/98). She reckoned that Marcos, having obtained all sorts of companies by fair means or (very) foul, dished them out to his mates: "I won’t be president of any company because I’m already President of the country" (7/12/98). Tan got 12 companies. All the cronies paid Marcos hundreds of millions of pesos per year into his secret bank accounts, in return for privileges and concessions (Ferdinand used the name "William Saunders" for his hidden accounts and assets; Imelda was "Jane Ryan"). She wasn’t very flattering about Lucio Tan: "…he’s nothing, just somebody who used to buy used bottles" (9/12/98; "Imelda: We made Tan, Cojuangcos").
Top Presidential Crony: Estrada
After Marcos’ downfall, Tan faced a hostile President in Cory Aquino. But he continued to thrive and acquire more major assets. In 1992 he bought the privatised Philippine Airlines Ltd (PAL - known universally as Planes Always Late). He attached himself to the rising star of Senator Joseph Estrada, who went on to become Vice-President under Fidel Ramos, then was elected President, in 1998. Tan was the major financier of his successful Presidential campaign. He became Estrada’s closest crony, regularly being seen with him in public and travelling with him (most unusual for the usually circumspect Filipino-Chinese business class). Estrada looked after his mate – when the tax department charged Fortune Tobacco with P26.5 billion in tax evasion, Tan’s well placed connections throughout the bureaucracy, judiciary and the political system (including the President) ensured that the charges were dropped (the Court of Appeals ruled that the Government had filed its case 11 days too late)
Solita Monsod, economics professor and former economic planning secretary, said: "Lucio Tan is a role model for the worst kind of conduct as far as our national economic objectives are concerned. He signals that you can evade taxes and get away with it, pay the courts and get the judges to decide in your favour, get good lawyers and delay your cases. The messages that are given by the kind of treatment that he gets from the Government are the antithesis of what we need for sustainable development: an even playing field and Government intervention of the right kind" (Public Eye, January-March 1999; "Into The Light"; Sheila. S Coronel). Tan is a past master at dispensing bribes to politicians – the same article recounts him giving P100,000 "Christmas presents" to Congressmen in 1998. And the Estrada government made sure that Tan would have no more tax hassles by appointing a new tax commissioner who proclaimed himself a longstanding friend of Tan.
In the late 1990s, PAL took on two Taiwanese airlines in a dispute that led to the cancellation of the Philippines’ air agreement with Taiwan. For keeping PAL afloat, Estrada hailed Tan as a "hero". He was no hero to PAL’s workers and their unions, whom he had locked out and bashed by company security goons, in a contract dispute. For some time PAL was grounded, leaving the Philippines with no national airline (an even worse aeronautical predicament than Air New Zealand found itself in recently); Tan was one of the five co-winners of the 1998 Notoryus Award - he was adjudged by human rights groups to have been one of the worst human rights abusers that year (no mean feat, given the competition in this field in the Philippines) for his anti-labour policies and union busting at PAL). In 2000, the Philippines was compelled to resume the Taiwan air rights agreement, on Taiwan’s terms – Tan was looking to sell the airline.
Estrada went the way of Marcos, in January 2001, when People Power 2 overthrew him – universal disgust at the way he flaunted running the country as a private piggy bank for himself and a coterie of cronies, Tan foremost, led him to where he is now - in custody and on trial, facing the capital charge of plunder. But Lucio Tan emerged unscathed. True to form, he has renounced Estrada and carried on profitably under President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Business is business – politics is only the means to enable him to acquire more wealth and power. And any means will do. Lucio Tan is the very worst sort of crony capitalist and far from the sort of foreign investor that should be welcome in New Zealand.
This has, of necessity, only scratched the surface on Lucio Tan. Visit the excellent Website of the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism www.pcij.org to read an extensive collection of articles on the misdeeds of Lucio Tan.
This article was first published in Kapatiran 19, August 2001. Kapatiran ("Solidarity") is the newsletter of the Philippines Solidarity Network of Aotearoa. Annual membership is $15. Make cheques to PSNA, Box 2450, Christchurch.
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: a galaxy far far away....
Posts: 130
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
so much talk
So much talk about LT this and LT that, face the music mates..... he knows his business and won't let go of the cash cow that feeds his other companies.
Better yet, just put up or leave......really simple answer to the equation really. If you don't have the time and experience, toe the line, when the time comes if you really mean what you say, tender your papers , walk out the door and never look back, there is another world out there you know......
Better yet, just put up or leave......really simple answer to the equation really. If you don't have the time and experience, toe the line, when the time comes if you really mean what you say, tender your papers , walk out the door and never look back, there is another world out there you know......
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: here and there
Posts: 62
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
i agree
i agree with semper fi, its either take it or leave it. LT wont give in to your requests or demands. THERE IS A LOT BETTER WORLD OUT THERE!!!!! and it is more rewarding too
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Philippines
Age: 40
Posts: 64
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
hi! i'm new here in the forums... i just happened to surf by this thread and needed some info about PAL Av School.
my father was from PAL but now flies for a reputable airline that i don't want to disclose. right now, i work at a call center and i'm only doing it for the working experience and decent starting pay. i would like to go to PAL Av School and be a pilot someday. but my dad (who doesn't have much faith in PAL as a company) suggested that i apply in PAL as something else (hr, cabin crew, ticket sales, etc.) before i enroll in the Av School. is this advisable or would it be ok to enroll straight at Av School? (i'm a college graduate) i also wanna ask whether or not it's a good time for me to apply at the Av School given the current situation of PAL.
thank you!
my father was from PAL but now flies for a reputable airline that i don't want to disclose. right now, i work at a call center and i'm only doing it for the working experience and decent starting pay. i would like to go to PAL Av School and be a pilot someday. but my dad (who doesn't have much faith in PAL as a company) suggested that i apply in PAL as something else (hr, cabin crew, ticket sales, etc.) before i enroll in the Av School. is this advisable or would it be ok to enroll straight at Av School? (i'm a college graduate) i also wanna ask whether or not it's a good time for me to apply at the Av School given the current situation of PAL.
thank you!
Join Date: May 2006
Location: pilipinas
Posts: 4
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Originally Posted by paolylo
hi! i'm new here in the forums... i just happened to surf by this thread and needed some info about PAL Av School.
my father was from PAL but now flies for a reputable airline that i don't want to disclose. right now, i work at a call center and i'm only doing it for the working experience and decent starting pay. i would like to go to PAL Av School and be a pilot someday. but my dad (who doesn't have much faith in PAL as a company) suggested that i apply in PAL as something else (hr, cabin crew, ticket sales, etc.) before i enroll in the Av School. is this advisable or would it be ok to enroll straight at Av School? (i'm a college graduate) i also wanna ask whether or not it's a good time for me to apply at the Av School given the current situation of PAL.
thank you!
my father was from PAL but now flies for a reputable airline that i don't want to disclose. right now, i work at a call center and i'm only doing it for the working experience and decent starting pay. i would like to go to PAL Av School and be a pilot someday. but my dad (who doesn't have much faith in PAL as a company) suggested that i apply in PAL as something else (hr, cabin crew, ticket sales, etc.) before i enroll in the Av School. is this advisable or would it be ok to enroll straight at Av School? (i'm a college graduate) i also wanna ask whether or not it's a good time for me to apply at the Av School given the current situation of PAL.
thank you!
Prepare yourself physically, psychologically, emotionally, and of course financially (2 Mil).
Go on....Submit that resume and pray. Now is the time!
Goodluck
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: here and there
Posts: 62
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
PAL Av School
Paolylo,
No harm in trying to go straight to PAL AvSch. Why dont you try? If it doesnt work out, then you apply for other positions in PAL, and you can try again applying for PAL AvSch
I heard they offer scholarships again. But only to a few per batch. And you will be tied with them for 15years. Im not sure of the length of the contract.
Nothing much to prepare for, just be physically fit, you must have 20/20 vision.
Good luck
No harm in trying to go straight to PAL AvSch. Why dont you try? If it doesnt work out, then you apply for other positions in PAL, and you can try again applying for PAL AvSch
I heard they offer scholarships again. But only to a few per batch. And you will be tied with them for 15years. Im not sure of the length of the contract.
Nothing much to prepare for, just be physically fit, you must have 20/20 vision.
Good luck