Open-skies policy to raise air fare—tourism leader

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MANILA, Philippines—A tourism industry leader has urged Philippine Airlines (PAL) management and union members to settle their differences amicably as he cautioned the Aquino government against taking extreme measure-like declaring open skies in case its workers will go on strike.

Robert Lim Joseph, chairman of the Travel Cooperative of the Philippines and chairman emeritus of the National Association of Independent Travel Agencies, said the Aquino government should support PAL as it tries to overcome its problems, instead of looking at outside help and adopting an open skies policy.

“The government should support PAL and not act like they are operating PAL. It should leave PAL to work with its airline partners and implement its contingency measures in case a strike will happen,” Joseph said in a news release.

He emphasized that government should not intervene because if it does, interest groups or individuals will take advantage of the situation, to the detriment of PAL and the national interest.

Joseph recalled that when foreign airlines were allowed to service some PAL routes when it temporarily ceased operations in 1998, fares went up.

“This is not to mention the damage that such policy of allowing foreign airlines to take over PAL’s routes will do to our image,” he emphasized.

Joseph said travel agencies are also worried Filipino travel and cargo agents will be displaced once foreign airlines take over PAL’s operations. “We will suffer.”

The tourism leader appealed to the union leaders for sobriety and to work with management to resolve their differences together for the sake of the flying public and national interest.

“I recognize the workers’ sentiments having worked in an airline before but they should also understand that PAL is in a financial crisis. They should not add more to the crisis. They should be united with management and work together to overcome these difficulties,” Joseph stressed.

PAL lost P15 billion in the last two fiscal years (2008-2009) due to the global economic crisis that drastically slowed down travel and high cost of jet fuel, among others.

He pointed out that “one crisis cannot solve another crisis.”
Joseph warned that in case PAL collapses as a result of a crippling strike, 8,500 jobs will be lost and workers can no longer get whatever benefits they are entitled to like retirement and health.
“Both management and workers will lost in the event PAL will close down,” he added.

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Palm Sunday Starts Holy Week

Palm Sunday is a Christian moveable feast which always falls on the Sunday before Easter Sunday. The feast commemorates an event mentioned by all four Canonical Gospels Mark 11:1-11, Matthew 21:1-11, Luke 19:28-44, and John 12:12-19: the triumphant entry of Jesusinto Jerusalem in the days before his Passion. It is also called Passion Sunday or Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion.

In many Christian churches, Palm Sunday is marked by the distribution of palm leaves (often tied into crosses) to the assembled worshipers. The difficulty of procuring palms for that day's ceremonies in unfavorable climates for palms led to the substitution of boughs of box, yew, willow or other native trees. The Sunday was often designated by the names of these trees, as Yew Sunday or by the general term Branch Sunday.

According to the Gospels, before entering Jerusalem, Jesus was staying at Bethany and Bethphage, and the Gospel of John adds that he had dinner with Lazarus, and his sisters Mary and Martha. While there, Jesus sent two disciples to the village over against them, in order to retrieve a donkey that had been tied up but never been ridden, and to say, if questioned, that the donkey was needed by the Lord but would be returned. Jesus then rode the donkey into Jerusalem, with the Synoptics adding that the disciples had first put their cloaks on it, so as to make it more comfortable. The Gospels go on to recount how Jesus rode into Jerusalem, and how the people there lay down their cloaks in front of him, and also lay down small branches of trees. The people sang part of Psalm

..Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father, David. ... (Psalms 118:25-26). Where this entry is supposed to have taken place is unspecified; some scholars argue that the Golden Gate is the likely location, since that was where it was believed the Jewish messiah would enter Jerusalem; other scholars think that an entrance to the south, which had stairs leading directly to the Temple, would be more likely (Kilgallen 210).

In Palompon, Leyte the blessing of palms was started at around 6:00 AM and followed by a procession in the streets around or near the parish church. What is noticeable is the number of parishioners joining the traditional Lenten blessing of palms or the entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem being celebrated or remembered  is somewhat dwindling as the years passed by.

It seems that more and more people are becoming indifferent and slothful with regards to the religious practices and beliefs of their forefathers. They don't give a damn anymore about their spirituality and they are giving more emphasis on their physical needs. And many are more concerned of going home after the rites leaving the celebration of the Holy Mass which is the most important phase of man's spiritual needs, and where Christ is the center of man's prayer and adoration.