Photo Release

September 15, 2021

No full foreign ownership of airlines: Senate President Pro-Tempore Ralph Recto introduces an amendment to Senate Bill No. 2094 otherwise known as Amending the Public Service Act during plenary session Wednesday, September 15, 2021 that would disallow 100 percent foreign ownership of air carriers in the country. “I think this is a very important issue. I do not want to unbundle air carriers from common carriers because today, common carriers are 60 percent is to 40 percent (foreign ownership). The implication of this is that we are allowing a 100 percent foreign ownership in all our airline industry,” Recto said. He said the bill had categorized air carriers as a critical infrastructure which are considered vital to the country that its incapacity or destruction would have a debilitation impact on national security. “If it is so vital why are we allowing a 100 percent foreign ownership? There is an implication of national security. That is actually the nature of all my amendments,” Recto added. Poe said foreign-owned airlines would not be allowed domestic routes. She said the bill would merely allow foreign investment in domestic airline companies. (Screen grab/Senate PRIB)

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